Seven exercises to develop your creativity

Creativity and creative thinking have become quite the buzz words recently. But what do they even mean, and can you train yourself to improve them? Many believe that creativity and things like hard work, self-organization, and order simply can’t coexist. However, they are quite wrong – creative thinkers are experienced, versatile, and skilled people, and to become such a person requires hard work, dedication, and responsibility. Therefore, creativity combines thinking, skills, experience, an open mind, and the ability to learn regardless of age or context. 

Creativity means an open mind and open heart, something everyone can practice and improve with the right exercises and tools, keeping in mind that every exercise should help you get rid of narrow-mindedness and change your normal way of thinking. Here are some of our favourite exercises to develop creativity.

1.Grab an everyday item and try to come up with as many non-standard uses for it as you can. Let’s take a spoon, for instance. It’s a great utensil for sure, but it could also become a lamp, an art piece, or a marker for your vegetable patch.

2. Shake it up from time to time and try doing things differently! For instance, if you are used to having lunch at the same place every day, try a different restaurant for a change.

3. Try a different cuisine, walk home using a different route than you normally would, etc. Our life is full of small habits that trap us in our little boxes, if you think about it, so try opening this box of yours and stepping out and beyond it.

4. If you are facing any kind of a problem, don’t try solving it the usual way. People often tend to have the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” mentality, but it was Einstein who said that madness is doing the same thing expecting different results. So next time you have to tackle a problem, don’t start working on a solution until you can come up with at least one alternative approach.

5. Engaging in any sort of creative activity is obviously a wonderful way to develop your creative thinking. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you enjoy it. You can draw, write poetry, compose song lyrics, or perhaps learn to play an instrument. The important thing is that getting great at whatever you choose is not the point – the point is to experience something new, to gain a new perspective, to help your brain start working differently. Because what is creativity if not a disruption of thinking and customary habits, actions, thoughts, and life flow?

6. Travelling or starting a new sport are also great for creativity. The general rule is that any new place or circumstance will greatly broaden your horizons and enhance your creativity. Just make sure to always travel with an open mind and open heart so you don’t miss anything new and exciting!

7. Work on your associative thinking and teach your brain to make dots between seemingly incoherent concepts to improve your memory and train your brain’s skill to combine different things. Not everyone is capable of making such associations right away, so use these tips and methods to work on your creativity, teach your brain to push boundaries and limits, question things and come up with unique solutions.

By the way, getting into drawing is also an amazing way to amp your creativity 😊 At Draw Planet, we have a wide selection of courses covering anything from classic drawing and painting all the way to computer graphics, so everyone can find something they like. Come join us and grow through your art!