Let's pretend we can rewind time. That's right, let's hop in our sweet time travel machine and go back to a simpler way of life, a time when our lives were significantly less cluttered and the ability to create was something we had access to. If this were possible, when would you choose to travel to? Not where, when. What age were you when creativity was labelled as something to be considered taboo or shunned?
While it may be impossible to travel back in time to revisit our childhood to nurture creativity through adulthood, it is possible to begin capturing our creative intuition as we are. I want to give you three simple ways to nurture creativity.
Before I give you some of my creative secrets, let's answer a few questions together.
What do you want to create? Are you so overwhelmed with life that you have no idea what to create or where to begin? Maybe this is the case for you. Maybe you have been so inundated with the stress of live, negativity, and being told "that's impossible", you choose to not explore this side of your brain and your being. Let this question roll around a bit in your mind.
Why do you want to create? Musicians create what? Music. Of course. The same goes with artists, as they create wonderful masterpieces of art. Writers create visual images in the minds of their readers, creating an experience. Restaurant owners create a memorable experience for their guests, hotel owners create relaxing environments for patrons, I could go on.
If you are a small business owner, to remain competitive, you must remain creative. Answer the "what" and the "why" relative to creativity and you will begin the journey.
Here are three simple secrets, often overlooked, to nurturing your creativity:
Declutter: Don't slam your smartphone on the ground, hear me out. Declutter your life doesn't mean I am telling you to go on a total diet and give everything up. Decluterring your life simply means eliminating that which does not benefit you. Remove the garbage from your desk at work, eliminate the negative components in your life, clear your agenda of the wasteful events. Set a certain time to check your emails instead of impulsivelly checking them every thirty seconds.
Destress: Take time to nurture yourself. You can accomplish this through a walk alone, with a partner or friend, or with your pet. However, allow me to issue a challenge on this one: Don't listen to music, audiobooks, walk in silence. Listen to your thoughts. Watch them. See what heppens when you are decompressing from life for a few moments.
Delegate: Possible one of the most difficult tasks for business owners, entrepreneurs, or anyone else for that matter. Give up some of the tasks you can delegate to free up some of your time. This will enable you to have creative time in your schedule.
Give yourself the freedom in your schedule to establish habits that contribute to the success of your creativity. Look at life from different perspectives. For example: If you are a business owner, look at your business development process from the client perspective, if you are in sales, look at the approach from the customer's perspective, if you are a physician, look at the care you render from the patient's perspective.
Often times, I have discovered, the lack of creativity, or the inhibition of creative thinking, is simply due to perspective, busyness, or a cluttered life. Seeking remedies to these areas of our lives will render great rewards as it relates to the creative mindsets we desire.
As a parent, we have a responsibility to nurture the creative minds of our children, as the development of this can be powerful and beautiful. When we look at some of the most powerful, most successful creative humans in our history, there are many lessons we can learn. Seek to be mentored through reading their work, studying their art, and following a pattern of success laid out before us.
Photo: Pixabay/stokpic