Earlier, I thought that creativity was something that people are born with. Either a person is creative or the person isn’t. I was curious about learning about what makes someone creative and I stumbled on some interesting ideas.
Why are children more creative?
As we grow up our mind develops, we learn how the world works. We develop habits and patterns of thought, based on our perception of what is and isn’t possible. This is a double edged sword. Because of this, we decide whether an idea is plausible or not before it is fully formed. The problem with this is that we tend to dismiss many incredible ideas which require more careful thought and analysis. Yes it is true that many ideas would be categorized as bad ideas, but we can only decide this once we let our thoughts flow!
So, how do I be more creative?
The good news is that creativity is a skill and like all skills it can be developed. We just have to learn to practice to let our thoughts flow.
Paradox of choice
In 2000, psychologists conducted a remarkable experiment. In an upscale supermarket they set up two tables, one table with 24 flavors of Jam and the other table with only 6 flavors. The table with 24 flavors, saw fewer sales as compared to the table with 6 flavors. This surprising result is due to a phenomenon as “choice paralysis".
Coming up with a completely original idea is hard, but it is far simpler if we restrict our possible pool of ideas to think about. For example, coming up with a topic for a blog article is really hard. But coming up with an idea for a blog article in the field of Coding on the quirks of your favorite programming language is easier.
The power of switching tasks
Have you ever experienced this scenario? Why does this happen?
This happens because our brain is most creative when it is on a dopamine high and in a distracted and relaxed state. This is also a reason why we get some of the best ideas in the shower . I have found that the best way for me to solve a hard problem is to go for a walk outside (this used to be the case till a year back). When I come back from the walk I automatically have a new perspective of solving the problem. What works for you may be different, maybe switching a subject or playing your favorite sport. Give it a shot, the next time you’re stuck on a hard problem.
Switching up places
Our minds form associations with the places we use. This is why people feel sleepy when they try to study on their bed or why we feel more productive sitting on the desk. You could try switching places you work at if you’re stuck somewhere, it is the easiest to implement.
About boredom
There is a lot to be spoken about the barrage of apps battling for our attention on our mobile phones. The downside of this is that we are never spending our free time just doing nothing. When the mind is not occupied, there is free bandwidth to come up with new ideas. If you are finding it hard to find some free time, try checking your Digital Wellbeing settings on your phone and cut down on those unnecessary apps.
Not being afraid to fail
Sometimes, we get too attached to the ideas we come up with and when it doesn’t pan out we are so critical of the ideas that we do not give it a shot. Good ideas are rare, I have gone through countless bad ideas before stumbling on a good one. You may have an idea for a Horror movie on Javascript© or for Pineapple on a Pizza, but what is important is to not reject the idea before it is fully formed.
So how do some people get so may great ideas? It is because they try a lot. They have a huge volume of ideas, with most of them being bad. So, its imperative not to get discouraged with bad ideas. It is no secret that I find Tom Scott as one of the most creative Youtuber’s on the platform today, have a look at one of his videos listing his bad ideas. Just look at the sheer volume of bad ideas, it doesn’t deter him from coming up with the amazing ideas.
Also, one of the ideas here probably inspired The Untitled Goose Game , however we may never know for sure.
Practicing coming up with ideas
As mentioned earlier, creativity is a skill and with enough training, skills can be developed. Practice by writing ideas about a particular domain of your interest, without any judgement or take a voice recording of you and your friends coming up with ideas on a particular broad topic in quick succession. You can then go through the recording and analyze each idea to see whether it is worth pursuing or not.
Peak brain fitness
This point is a little subtle. The brain is a part of body, so if the body is in good shape the brain will function better. Better functioning of the brain leads to more creativity and better ideas. I have struggled with inconsistent sleep timings, when I fixed this problem I immediately felt more productive and had an inflow of ideas. Try fixing a sleep schedule and stick to it. Exercise is another major overlooked factor affecting the performance of the brain.
I hope you found this post helpful. By practicing these concepts, I was able to automatically come up with new ideas for my blog and also for some interesting side projects. Do you have some creativity hack? Let me know in the comments below.