According to an old saying, “Innovation is the father of creativity”, and there really is a lot of wisdom in that saying. A creative mind is behind so many incredible things – the car, the airplane, great works of literature. Even if you aren’t a famous inventor or a world renowned artist, you still rely on creativity on a daily basis. Simple things, like thinking up entertaining activities to do with the kids or choosing something to wear all involve creativity.
While you rely on your creative mind for so many things, sometimes you hit a brick wall. It seems that no matter how much you think, your mind just draws a blank. Whether it’s failing to come up with a new dinner recipe or not being able to approach a project at work with fresh thinking, it happens. With so much going on in your everyday life, it’s easy to get foggy and come up short in the creativity department.
If you feel like you are in a creative rut, have no fear; there are plenty of simple ways to inspire creativity in your everyday life – just keep reading.
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You might be wondering how sleeping will inspire creativity; after all, you are trying to come up with new ideas and you aren’t exactly thinking while you’re sleeping – or are you? Sometimes, you just need to shut your brain off.
If you’ve been trying to think about something for too long or haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep, your mind can simply shut off and all creative thought goes by the wayside. Take a nap and you’ll find your mind will be a lot more creative when you arise.
Socialize
Enjoy some quality time with the ones you love. Conversations with other people can be a great way to get your creative mind running. You can come right out and ask your friends and family for suggestions. Or, you can go about as you normally would and you might just find something creative pops into your head.
Go for a Swim
When your mind is cloudy, dive into a pool of water and enjoy some time swimming. Whether you do laps or just float about, your mind will be freed from all of the things that are clouding it up and you’ll start to feel your creative juices flowing once again.
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Read
There is a reason why experts say that reading is fundamental; because it really is! Whether you pick up a novel, a book of short stories or poems, or even just read through some articles in a magazine, you will find heaps of inspiration that will bring about creative thoughts. Getting a look into other peoples thoughts goes a long way in breathing fresh air into your mind.
When you feel like you’re stuck in a creative rut, try putting these tactics into practice toinspire your creativity. And the next time you’re assigned an important project at work, hitting a brick wall will be the last thing on your mind.
Naomi Shaw is a freelance writer and mother of three in Southern California. Raising a family while working takes a great deal of creativity each day, and she finds these tactics to be extremely helpful. She contributes to the Candy Concepts Inc. blog.