{"id":802,"date":"2014-02-18T11:32:38","date_gmt":"2014-02-18T11:32:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/everydayinspiration\/?p=802"},"modified":"2014-02-18T11:33:20","modified_gmt":"2014-02-18T11:33:20","slug":"5-tips-for-cranking-up-your-creativity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/everydayinspiration\/2014\/02\/5-tips-for-cranking-up-your-creativity.html","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips for Cranking Up Your Creativity"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cDon’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things.\u201d – Ray Bradbury<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Every now and then we hit the wall. Working long hours, keeping up with our children\u2019s activities and fulfilling civic commitments can take its toll. When this happens, finding your creative side can feel like a hopeless task.<\/p>\n

But your creativity never really goes away. It just gets tired sometimes. And when that happens, you can get it cranked back up again by getting in touch with your inner artist<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here are five ways to jumpstart your creative side to get the juices flowing once again \u2013 no matter how busy your life can become.<\/strong><\/p>\n

1.\tWrite it out<\/strong> \u2013 Journaling your thoughts is a great way to induce creativity. The key is to let the words flow naturally. Don\u2019t try to perfect them or wait for the most articulate thought before writing it down. See where the pen takes you.<\/p>\n

2.\tRead inspiring quotes<\/strong> \u2013 The words of others can fire up the creativity center in your brain. Inspirational quotes or beautiful poetry both can trigger your thought process and take you to a place you weren\u2019t expecting.<\/p>\n

3.\tLook up new words<\/strong> \u2013 Language itself has a way of stirring up the brain\u2019s creativity. Finding definitions of words you\u2019re not familiar with can help to ignite that spark. The word itself might be beautiful, or you might find the definition to be particularly inspiring.<\/p>\n

4.\tStart with something routine<\/strong> \u2013 Sometimes, your brilliant ideas will come when you least expect them. Try cleaning out a closet; organizing your movie collection; or finishing a project you have lying around. You get the best ideas while your mind is wandering and your hands are busy.
\n
\n5.\tUse your dreams <\/strong>\u2013 When you can remember them, your own dreams can be a source of creativity. Perhaps there\u2019s an interesting or elaborate story, maybe the details were really vivid and evocative. Drawing from something that happened in your mind can help increase the beauty that\u2019s already available to you.<\/p>\n

About Alex Blackwell<\/a><\/h1>\n

Alex Blackwell is a father, husband and writer<\/a>. He writes about inspiring things at The BridgeMaker<\/a>.
\nWeb<\/a> | Simple Paths to an Amazing Life<\/a> | Free eBook: How to Love Consciously<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cDon’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things.\u201d – Ray Bradbury Every now and then we hit the wall. Working long hours, keeping up with our children\u2019s activities and fulfilling civic commitments can take its toll. When…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":554,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n5 Tips for Cranking Up Your Creativity - Everyday Inspiration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/everydayinspiration\/2014\/02\/5-tips-for-cranking-up-your-creativity.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Tips for Cranking Up Your Creativity - Everyday Inspiration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cDon’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things.\u201d – Ray Bradbury Every now and then we hit the wall. Working long hours, keeping up with our children\u2019s activities and fulfilling civic commitments can take its toll. 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Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things.\u201d – Ray Bradbury Every now and then we hit the wall. Working long hours, keeping up with our children\u2019s activities and fulfilling civic commitments can take its toll. 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