9 Ways to Boost Your Creativity · Nothing will kill your creativity more than the high...

[ in a creative rut? ]

9 Ways to Boost Your

Creativity

A free guide made by Christina Greve - www.christinagreve.com

www.christinagreve.com

Do you sometimes find yourself in a creative rut? If so, you are not alone! Ever since I was a little girl I knew I was a creative person. Somehow I knew from the beginning that being creative was my destiny. I had a constant urge to create. But growing up in a very creative environment, I felt a lot of pressure to perform. I also remember that I had a particular negative thought following me around, and it sounded something like this; “why bother trying to create when everyone else around me are better than me, more creative than me, get more ideas than me and are more talented than me…”


The combination of feeling the pressure to create “perfect” art and lacking self-confidence, made it almost impossible for me to find joy in creativity for a long time. I ended up being unhappy because my heart continually whispered “be creative, follow your passion” but my mind said “what can you do that is so special?” When I first realized that I was the (ONLY) one holding myself back, everything changed! My first big step was to shift my focus from; wanting to end up with a perfect result, to focus on having fun with the creative process – not minding the final outcome! So if you can recognize yourself in what I just told you or if you feel you are in a creative rut, lacking ideas and creative flow, then read on and enjoy these 9 tips to boost your creativity! !


#1. Let Passion Lead The Way Choose an activity that you are extremely passionate about, one that you enjoy doing, and that causes you to feel alive and inspired. Passion is the fastest way to develop and explore your creative side. If the activity is boring you won’t enjoy it, and so there is no way you can engage creativity. If you feel uninspired, doing what you usually love, it´s time to explore other areas of your craft. If you are a photographer and usually do portraits, try to experiment with food photography or landscape photography. Not only will you learn new skills, you will most likely begin to miss your old niche and come back with new exciting ideas.


#2. Plan, Prepare, and Organize Before you engage in a creative activity, spend some time preparing. Make sure your workspace is inspiring, organized and that you have everything you need before you begin. Every little thing in your workspace should inspire you in some way. Out with ALL the clutter! It´s a myth that creative people think and work better in a messy invironment. Plan ahead so you can fully concentrate on your project. Write down ideas, make mood boards, and collect inspiration. If you are not entirely prepared to work on your project, chances are you’ll throw yourself out of your creative workflow. Preparation and an organized workspace are a way to avoid that.


#3. Make a Moodboard One of my favorite ways to boost creativity is to make moodboards or inspiration boards. To make a moodboard, just grab loads of pictures from magazines, postcards, books, etc. cut it out and make a collage or a board to hang on your wall. You can also use other things like, beautiful stuff you find in nature, textile, fabrics, buttons, lace, painted color samples, stamps, old photos, wrapping paper – whatever you feel inspired by. You can even create an inspiration shelve to feature everything that you are inspired by. It will be a great place to look for instant inspiration.


#4. Let Go Of Expectations Nothing will kill your creativity more than the high expectations you set for yourself! You need to remind yourself that art is not about creating something perfect – it´s about creating from your heart, your soul and to feel excited about what you do. The moment you realize that being creative is about enjoying the process – not the outcome, you will truly boost your creative mind! Getting caught up in perfectionism will slowly drain you from creative energy! If you do impress someone with your art, that is just an extra bonus, but it should never be the goal. That kind of goal can be very destructive to your creativity.


#5. Create a Positive Momentum Don’t give your mind a chance to second guess what you’re doing. Keep moving with the activity you’re working with. Go at a pace that’s challenging for you, but not overwhelming. You want to be calm and collected, but also have a positive momentum. I like to use music to help me keep a rhythm that suits the project that I´m working on. The music helps me stay focused in my creative flow, and to work at a pace that suits me well. Think about what can help you keep your creative momentum!


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#6. Turn-Off The Critical Inner Voice In other words, don’t overthink it. Switch off the part of your brain that observes what you’re doing. This is your self-consciousness, your ego, your "self-sabotaging voice". If you constantly are giving yourself critique, let it go by kindly bringing your mind back to your creative project. Be in the moment, here and now, with your project. This can be a real challenge if you are used to constantly second-guessing everything you do, but it is so important to keep going. There is no point in being hard on yourself. Nothing good will come from it! Remind yourself that you are creative for FUN and out of love for your craft - you are not doing it to impress anyone!


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#7. Practice Your Skills – Know Your Tools Like any useful skill, being creative takes time to master. If you’re interested in boosting your creativity, you need to practice regularly. Being a great artist is not only about being creative, it´s also extremely important to develop your technical skills. When you know your tools like the back of your hand, you will feel even more creative. Set a time every day or week that will be dedicated to creativity. Consider finding a friend to be creative with, so you can motivate each other and give each other inspiration and support.


!!#8. Connect With Like-minded Many creative people work alone, but to boost your creativity it´s great to go out and join a workshop, meet with other creative people or go on a creative vacation. You can also join creative communities online and get new inspiration and new creative friends. Every year I go on a “creative retreat”. I´ll travel to a place with no internet, no phones, no business work, no pressure, no one to disturb…and I love it! I spend this time writing, reading, and taking photos. I do yoga, get a massage, go for walks and meet up with other creative minds that can challenge me in new ways. A break like this boost creativity unlike anything else.


!!#9. Refuel Your Mind and Body If you are stressed, tired or overloaded with too much to do, it will affect your creative mind – a lot! Take as much time of as you can, to do some “peaceful nothing”, like relaxation, walking on the beach, listen to music, take a long bath, meditate, take a nap, read a book etc. The more your mind is at peace, the more your body is rested, the better your creative mind will function. Even exercise will boost your creativity and give you the energy you need to come up with new amazing ideas. When your body feels great it will have a powerful effect on your mind; your confidence will grow, and you´ll be more focused.

With love

Christina Greve www.christinagreve.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/christinagreve

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinagrevephotography

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