Do you aspire to live a creative life but are not sure where to begin?
It’s a common problem. We look at famous actors, authors and musicians and think: how lucky they are to be creative, passionate – and hugely successful!
Just remember though that many of these successful, creative people were just like you once. They had dreams. They had goals. But they also struggled with confidence issues and creative blocks.
If you’re willing to commit to reaching your creative pinnacle, then read on.
1. Combine ideas to lift you out of a rut
Being creative does not mean you have to reinvent the wheel (although that would be an impressive start!). Often, the secret is to take two existing ideas and combine them to create something new.
As an example, think of the traditional alarm clock. Clearly, someone a long time ago came up with the idea of fusing together a clock and a bell. An incredibly simple idea, but one that has stood the test of time (pun intended!).
Now, over to you… what ideas can you combine to create something useful and unique?
2. Throw away self-censorship to unleash your creativity
To be truly creative, you’ll need to strip away years of self-censorship that culture and society have taught you.
You’ve probably heard people say that they used to be creative when they were young. This was a time when their minds were most likely free from career, relationship and financial worries. Life was fun, dynamic and full of opportunities to be creative. Unfortunately, for most of us, years of working in a dreary 9-5 environment has crushed our dreams – and drowned our inspirations. Creativity has been exchanged for conformity. (Not good!)
You must break free from self-censorship to restore your authentic, creative self. Dig deep below your conditioned mind, and discover your powerful, creative subconscious mind. If you can tap into this mind, creative ideas are guaranteed to begin flowing again.
3. Be ready to capture your best ideas
Once you have opened the gates to creativity, you’ll be shocked at how many ideas you have every single day. There’s one problem with this: if you don’t capture the ideas instantly – you’ll be likely to lose them.
The secret here is to write down or sketch any promising ideas that come into your mind. You must do this immediately, otherwise they may evaporate from your mind and be lost forever. (You’ve probably experienced this many times before.)
If you don’t already have a way of capturing ideas, then find a method that will allow you to do so. Highly-creative people frequently carry notepads, cameras and portable audio recording equipment so that they can catch their ideas the moment they have them. At the very least, make a habit of noting down your ideas and thoughts into your phone or tablet.
“Creativity takes courage.” -Henri Matisse
If you’re lacking in confidence, then you’ll be unlikely to believe that you have the creativity and talent to succeed in life. However, as we’ve seen above, it doesn’t have to be this way.
Be bold, be bright, and let your creative juices flow. And most importantly – start creating!
As soon as you have a good idea, why not find ways to implement it straightaway? By doing this, you’ll defeat the “dream-killer” known as procrastination. You’ll also find yourself with unexpected momentum in life. And this will create a cycle for you: ideas will come… you’ll apply them… more ideas will come. Try it and see for yourself.
Creativity is not just for child prodigies and musical geniuses. It’s also for you. Take the tips above, let them free your mind – and unleash the best ideas of your life.
