Creativity is not a talent which is divinely dispensed to a few, but a trait we all own. True, some of us seem to be born with a stronger creative drive, or are gifted in a particular area, such as math, music, writing, or art. But we all have the capacity to express ourselves creatively. And all of us, whether particularly gifted or not, need to nurture and develop our creative abilities in order to grow towards our potential. Here are three ways to help you care for and enhance your natural creativity.
1) Focus on the positive. If you have a “there’s always a way” attitude, you will be able to find ways to accomplish things that other people thought were impossible. Your “can do” viewpoint will metaphorically carry you to the top of the mountain and give you a broader view of your situation. On the other hand, if you maintain a negative attitude, doubting whether a solution to a particular problem can be found, you set yourself up to fail.
2) Trust your intuition. When an idea pops into your mind, don’t discount it, even if it seems rather outlandish and impractical. Instead, write it down, explore it using mind-mapping. If the idea seems really crazy (maybe you thought it would be good to try to flap your arms and fly), ask yourself what about this idea appealed to you. What if you really could fly? How would that assist you with your solution? Imagine that you can and let other, related ideas bubble to the surface.
3) Play. Too often, we adults forget to play. Play and laughter both open our hearts and imaginations, allowing us to be more positive (#1), entertain wildly creative thoughts (#2), and have fun while we’re doing it. Playing allows us to relax. It puts things into perspective, taking the fear out of the creative process. Playing gives us permission to try out our ideas without making a big deal of it; we try something, and if it doesn’t work, we just move on to the next idea.
Creative expression is all in our mind, intuition, and heart. When we allow all three to work together the way they’re designed, innovation is a natural result.
Write about how you include play in your life and what you think and feel about it.
Amber, this is great encouragement! Thanks for sharing:-)