Releasing your creativity

1. Don’t be scared to embarrass yourself.

The fear of shame and embarrassment can hinder your creative spark. For creativity to thrive, you will need to be willing to fail, make mistakes and even look silly. Once you understand that the embarrassment is worth the creative gain, you’ll be able to push on!

2. Start a new hobby

Take guitar lessons, learn to cross-stitch, try to paint a landscape. There are many things you may be unfamiliar with – pick one. Struggling to learn a new skill can create healthy new thought processes. The act of learning a new creative skill can build your confidence to become more creative.

3. Put it in your calendar

Although this may seem counter-intuitive, scheduling a ‘creative time’ in your calendar will enable you to fully dedicate some time towards this endeavour. It will also mean you’ve got a bigger chance of actually doing something!

4. Always keep a notebook to hand

Keeping a notebook handy it great for those spontaneous creative ideas that you get on the go. This is especially useful when you visit creative environments such as a museum, a national park or even the local coffee shop.

5. Move about

Turn off the TV, move away from the computer screen, get up and get active. This could include going for a 20 minute walk or dancing to your favourite music – anything that will make you break into a sweat. This can help break up the monotony of your daily tasks and exercise your creative spark.

6. Let yourself be bored

Although we try to avoid boredom like the plague, it’s in these times of reflection that gives us time to think. Daydreaming can create some of the best ideas.

Don’t avoid creativity because of fear. Remember that everyone is at least a tiny bit insecure. Engaging in these things will help you become more creative.