I’m running loads of classes at Hazelrock House at the moment and I’ve made an observation about my students. They tend to come in one of two ways. Some come excited to get started and some come full of fear, telling me how they are ‘not creative’. It’s not just a few, but a large proportion of people. Sometimes those trying something new approach it with trepidation rather than excitement because they think that they do not possess the ability to be creative. I’m always amazed by this.
So why do people feel this way? I find it difficult to understand as I have always been the type of person who tries things and doesn’t take it personally if it doesn’t work out. Of course, I like to get it right so I spend time learning and understanding before I make my attempt, but if I fail I don’t feel bad. After all, I’ve never done it before, so how can I possibly do it perfectly?
It’s a problem when people are afraid to try something in case they fail.
So I wrote a list of some things that you can do to encourage yourself to live a creative life. After all, creativity is foremost a mindset, so by adopting some simple changes, we can change our mindset. For the most part, these are practical things to do (I’m a very practical person!)
Stop telling yourself that you are not creative!
Labels are not good. Once you attach a label to yourself, you tend to believe it. So it might seem that you are excusing yourself so no-one thinks bad of you, you are actually expressing a limiting belief about yourself. These are beliefs that seem to make us feel safer but are limiting our potential in a major way. Once we have decided that we are ‘not creative’ then we will believe it. What would happen if we decided instead to tell ourselves that everyone is creative in some way and that its OK just to get started?
Forget Perfection.
Of course the thing you are just learning for the first time is not going to be perfect. What is perfection anyway? In my case, it just seems sometimes that everyone else can do perfect work but not me. There’s always something not quite right, or it didn’t come out exactly as I had hoped. Whilst other peoples work seems to be perfect. But I’m not seeing the 23 other attempts that person had to do in order to get it right…and perfect is in the eye of the beholder anyway. I often have people telling me my work is perfect even when I think it’s not. So what does it all mean? We need to get used to the idea that we aren’t really ever going to be perfect, that progress is good enough, and that perfection doesn’t really exist. The process and the peace we achieve when we go through it is worth way more than the end result.
Boredom Is Good.
Today’s lifestyle seems to mean that we are constantly trying to fill our time with things to keep us occupied. Social media, TV, the internet and other methods of entertainment are now so portable that we have access to them all the time. When we are looking at all these screens all the time, we don’t have enough time to think. And if we aren’t thinking, we are not creating. Sometimes the best ideas happen when we are waiting to pick up the kids, between meetings or on our lunch breaks. Scrolling has taken these precious moments away and so we have less time to think, reflect on experiences or reach out to our peers. It helps to turn the random scrolling off.
Schedule Your Creativity.
I know for some of you this might sound counterintuitive. How can we schedule our creativity? Surely ideas can strike at any time? This is very true, but I believe it is also very important to take time out of our daily routine just to think about our creative endeavours alone, or even better, to put our creativity into practice. If you are anything like me, if it’s not scheduled, it tends to slip down the priority list. Then it doesn’t get done at all. So I schedule my time for thinking and creating so nothing can get in the way of it and I can still fulfil all my other responsibilities.
Set Up Systems (To Get The Boring Stuff Done)
If you find that you are running from pillar to post trying to get everything done, this one is for you. Not everything has to be done by you. Setting up systems to get the boring stuff out of the way can help. A lot of things can be automated these days, such as your social media posts, your shopping, bill paying and other tasks. You could think about hiring a VA (virtual assistant), childminder or cleaner to help you out. If you can’t stretch to that, you could commit to cleaning less often (my favourite!) or enlisting some help from family or friends. This should free up some time which you can then set aside to be creative.
Make Lists
I always keep a notebook in my handbag so when I’m taking my own advice and not scrolling through social media when the kids are at Judo, I can jot down any ideas I might have. Lists, in general, are wonderful, wonderful things. I have a list of blog post ideas I can call on if I’m feeling stuck, I have a list of new projects I’d like to try and I have lists of the materials I need to buy! I have a To Do list that I follow every day but I’m careful not to put too many things on it since I often underestimate the time it takes to get things done. In fact, a weekly list is good if you are always having unexpected things pop up. When my head is rattling with too many ideas or too many things to do, it helps to put them out of my head and onto a list so I have a record of them without having the overwhelm of thinking about them all the time. Overwhelm is a creativity killer.
Make a Vision Board
For those that love to see their ideas visually, I would suggest using a vision board. You can pin anything related to your idea to it and it gives you something visual to focus on. Some use Pinterest for this purpose. It’s a good idea but when using Pinterest, you’ll see so much of other people’s work that it can sometimes be difficult not to directly copy. If you are going to use Pinterest for a board for your ideas, just be aware of that.
Try a New Experience – Take a Class
Try taking a class in something you normally wouldn’t consider. It is great to learn something new and to stimulate our minds in a way we haven’t done before. New techniques and thought processes can be very inspiring and before long these ideas will be crossing over into your own life. You don’t have to take up a whole new hobby or invest a huge amount of money on it. You just need to step out of the normal routine and do something new. Many artists and craftspeople have Open Studios events where you can attend a taster session (Like Forth Valley Art beat here in Stirling). There are courses in creative writing, blogging, cookery, yoga, sports, upcycling and countless others which all will help with creative thinking especially if you’re not already in that niche.
Spend Time With Creative People and Create Together.
Taking a class is also a great way to meet other creative people. Join a book club, attend a knitting group, chat to someone in the local library or catch up with some creative friends. In time, their creative attitudes will begin to rub off on you. People who create things have a very special way of looking at the world without judgement. Facebook has a lot of groups that you can join to virtually hang out with like-minded people and they are great places to learn something new and spark creativity.
Go Outside.
A walk outside in nature can be a very liberating experience. Aside from the physical health benefits of walking outside, getting some sunshine and Vitamin D into your body, the benefits for your mind can be fantastic too. You have space to think, let your mind wander and examine possibilities and ideas while you walk. If you can, walk in trees and fields and let nature restore your creative juices. If you make things, you can often be inspired by what you see outside. New shapes, colours and ideas. For me, I find inspiration for both my glass art and soapmaking from nature and natural materials.
Go To New Places And Do New Things.
Sounds obvious, doesn’t it. If we sit in our rooms and look at the walls, we won’t be inspired. Get out and do things, visit new places, meet new people and do things you wouldn’t normally do. A break from the norm is sometimes all that we need to give ourselves a creative boost. Even reading a book or watching a documentary about something we wouldn’t normally go for can be inspiring.
Take Care of Yourself.
Eating well and Sleeping well are really important things. Unless we feel well in ourselves, creative thinking can become very difficult. I remember trying to learn to make soap after my youngest was born. With little sleep, it was all I could do to keep myself in one piece never mind reach a creative state. I was lucky if I could make a cup of coffee never mind soap. The same applies with eating. Healthy eating makes me feel less sluggish and I have more energy to do more. Exercise helps too – even though I still don’t love it!
Keep Being Creative
Just get started and do it anyway, even if you’re not really feeling it. And when you get started, keep it going. Once you are on a roll, it’s much easier to be creative. Creating more often does help you to be more creative in general. Just as an athlete can exercise muscles, we can exercise our creativity. So keep exercising yours.
If you have any thoughts about creativity, let me know in the comments or over on the facebook page.
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