How to Increase Your Creativity

Personally, I consider myself to be moderately creative, with interests in drawing, photography, sculpting, writing, painting, woodworking, design, and several others. However, just because I have an interest in these creative things, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I think I’m any good at any of them. But fortunately, as we’ll discuss, that really isn’t even relevant.

How can that be? Don’t you have to be good at some creative process or technique in order to be considered creative? Well, consider the word “considered”. Getting rid of that word is the whole key to becoming a more creative person.

Let me explain. Have you ever given a blank page and crayons to a young child? How in the world do they come up with all of the wonderful things they manage to draw on the paper? Trees and flowers and animals and people and activities and the list goes on and on. And when they’re done with their masterpiece, the budding artist is so proud and excited about their artwork, showing it to everyone they can. Is the drawing recognizable as what they were attempting to draw? Perhaps not. Does the child care? Not at all. And that’s the whole point. Creativity is unleashed when other people’s opinions about the artwork don’t matter.

Now, putting that thought into practice as an adult is not always easy. A child doesn’t have to get rid of this concern about what other people think, because they haven’t developed the concern yet. They quickly develop this thought that their artwork or they themselves are somehow inferior, however, when exposed to criticisms. When at home, a young child will usually receive praise about their efforts, bolstering their creativity. It’s a whole other story once school starts, however. Teachers do their best to encourage youngsters to be involved in creative things and ideas, but it can all be undermined by our peers. Yes, children can be cruel. And the older we get, and the more we are exposed to these negative comments or reactions to our work, the more we stifle our own creativity.

How to Get Rid of Your Conditioning

So, how does one go about negating years of conditioning about their own abilities and creativity? As with anything else in life, it takes time. The task may look daunting, but taking it one step at a time it becomes manageable. First, think about what areas you’d like to be more creative in. Perhaps you’d like to do some home decorating. Or maybe write a novel. How about learning to draw? All of these are possible; you have within you the ability to do whatever it is you want to. Don’t sell yourself short. Put out of your mind the thought “I can’t”. The truth of the matter is, you CAN. Belief in yourself is the difference between success and failure. Also, remember that the creative process itself is more rewarding than the thing being created, and MUCH more important than any praise or recognition from other people. So look to being enriched by the experience, and not the finished result.