creativity

[kree-ey-tiv-i-tee, kree-uh-]

The ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination.

You say you are not a creative person?

Well if you follow the meaning of creativity from dictionary.com above and you are able to think differently about something then what is considered the common interpretation then you are using your creativity.

And if you subscribe to the commonly held notion that we are all individually, totally unique beings and that no two humans are alike, then we must also all be creative individuals because we would all being thinking differently by using our own unique perspectives.

We are all creative beings. That’s a truth. But if you wish to live more creatively, to be able to embrace constant change and live your best life, there are a few tips that can ease the journey.

Be Curious

Ask questions. Don’t take my word for it. Don’t take anyone’s word for it. You’ve got a brain same as me, so use it and think for yourself.

A young child’s favourite word is – why. I can remember when my children were young, that one word could drive me to the edge. “Why is the sky blue?” “Why is the grass green?” Why, why, why?

Why? Because they were curious.

If something sparks a question in you, ask it, even if it is just to yourself. If an idea percolates up, explore it, even if it only stays in your mind. If an event happens that you can’t make sense of, speak out, how else will you find peace.

Be inquisitive, be interested, be questioning. That is how to find personal meaning in life. That is how to find the creative spark.

Have a Sense of Adventure

So you’ve asked the questions, now what? Follow the thread to the end.

After you’ve ask the question, “Why?” ask the question, “What if?” What if I take a different route to work today. What if I look into that class I’m interested in. What if I try a new hair style.

Having a sense of adventure and being willing to explore outside of your everyday routine will automatically manifest creativity by sparking new brain synapses and generating new thought patterns.

Having a sense of adventure goes a long way to experiencing things you would normally not have the opportunity to be exposed too. After all the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result. Step out of your routine and try something new or different.

Allow

Are you guilty of this? You turn down offers or automatically say no to things that are out of your comfort zone?

To live a creative life, after you have asked, “Why?”, and then asked, “What if?, the next question you need to ask yourself is, “Why not?”

Why not travel to a different holiday destination this year. Why not try something you have never tried from the menu. Why not say yes to the person you’ve just met and meet them for coffee. Allow yourself to step out of your comfortable boxed in life and take a chance.

When you open to the flow of opportunities that present themselves in your life and allow yourself to change the routine templates that hold you in a constant loop, you expose yourself to new thought patterns, ideas, and interpretations. That’s how new creative thoughts germinate. Allow them to come and follow them through and you will begin to live more creatively.

Art Versus Creativity

People often confuse creativity with being an artist. Doing art is a skill. Being a artist is a combination of skill and natural talent. Being a great artist is skill, natural talent and the ability to harness your unique creative outlook.

Successful artists, whether they are painters, dancers, writers, or anyone who generates bodies of work, achieves greatness because they are able to transcend the traditional and inject their own particular interpretation, their authentic expression into the work they do.

Creativity is not a skill. It is an innate trait that all humans possess. Although it is also a personal outlook that you can practice. To live a creative life you must step out of your previously defined life and get curious about your surroundings. Allow yourself to say yes to new opportunities and let the adventures unfold.

Where in your life can you inject a little creativity? Why aren’t you? What if you did, how would your life change? Why not take a chance and see where it takes you.