Spring has finally sprung in New York City! After the overcast skies, heavy sweaters and stagnancy of winter, this season of color, vibrancy and growth never fails to stir my creative spirit.
From a scientific perspective, creativity can be understood as the ability to come up with something original by making connections between pre-existing ideas in your brain. As a psychotherapist, I’m interested in understanding how creative expression enhances physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Benefits of tapping into your inherent creativity can include sharpened clarity and self-awareness, increased communication, adaptability, and openness to change.
While creativity is a vital aspect of human experience and fulfillment, for many the thought of expressing themselves creatively can be uncomfortable, or even frightening. This makes sense – creative work has the potential to stir up a plethora of underlying fears: of failure, of mediocrity, of embarrassment, or social rejection. It can also be scary to allow in powerful feelings that may arise through the creative process.
For those feeling stuck, inhibited, or uninspired, the good news is that creative people tend to apply practices and principles that anybody can incorporate. Research affords us increasing insight into the traits and behaviors of creatives, who tend to be independent, willing to take risks, and curious about their internal experience. Creative folk also have an unusually high capacity for tolerating ambiguity, complexity, disorder and disarray (maybe hold off on spring cleaning those closets?), and have the ability to extract order from chaos.
If you would like to cultivate your creativity, consider thinking and acting more like a creative person. To get your juices flowing, here are 7 ways to cultivate your creativity this spring –
1. Think like a creative.
Be curious. Change your “I can’t” thinking to “what if?” thinking. Observe both your inner world and the external world around you. Allow yourself to daydream. Fixed patterns of negative thinking and self-limiting beliefs are a common barrier to creativity. Gently letting go of self-criticism and negative self-comparison with others creates space for your imagination to run free.
2. Spend time in nature.
Get outdoors and let the spring colors stimulate your senses. Slow down and switch off from the distractions of modern life. Connecting with the stillness and beauty of the natural world allows your brain to relax and reset, inviting inspiration to strike.
3. Free write.
As soon as you wake up each morning, write three longhand “stream of consciousness” pages about anything that comes to mind. This practice from Julia Cameron’s book “The Artist’s Way “ will rid your mind of clutter and clear a path for creative flow during the rest of the day.
4. Treat yourself to artist dates.
Go on a weekly “artist date”, a solo expedition to a place or activity that is fun or sparks your interest. Don’t limit yourself to experiences within your creative medium or comfort zone. Inspiration can come from anywhere, so keep an open mind.
5. Listen to classical music.
Science supports music-enhanced thinking. Certain frequencies have been found to have positive effects on brain performance, and classical music has been shown to reduce stress by soothing the parasympathetic nervous system. If classical music is not your jam, listen to any form of complex music to boost focus and innovation in creative or analytical work. Remember, Einstein credited his creativity to listening to Mozart!
6. Fail up.
Don’t be afraid to fail. In fact, allow yourself to fail repeatedly. Failure can be considered feedback, providing a valuable opportunity for learning and growth. If you are feeling doubtful about your creative process, listen to this advice from Ira Glass, host and executive producer of the hit NPR show This American Life.
7. Make time for mindfulness.
Meditation and mindfulness are linked to improved memory and focus, reduced stress and anxiety, and increased mental clarity, all of which can lead to enhanced creative thought. Award-winning film director David Lynch is a known advocate of transcendental meditation as a tool for creativity. Check out our Monthly Meditation Group.
Interested in learning more? Check out the following resources:
Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity by David Lynch
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaley Csikszentmihalyi
How do you express yourself creatively? What helps when you feel creatively blocked? Join the conversation by responding in the comments section below.
- The Difference Between Mindfulness and Meditation [Video] - September 13, 2017
- Five Building Blocks of Mind-Body Wellness [Video] - August 4, 2017
- 7 Ways to Cultivate your Creativity - April 24, 2016
6 comments
Great job! I especially love the idea of Failing Up!
Thanks for these tips! I agree that spending time in nature allows me to switch off the distractions and frustrations of every day life!
Great reminders that rekindling creativity is only a few steps away. The Artist’s Way is such a great resource too!
I love this article and the Artist Way. I also like to make sure that I spend time dancing. This helps he to get my creative juices flowing.
Great tips! Whenever I have trouble concentrating, especially writing something, I always listen to classical music to help me relax and get started.
Great article! Thanks!