How to Be Creative When You're Not Naturally Creative

If you feel like you’re working your brain hard and still coming out empty-handed , try pushing yourself physically for thirty minutes or so.

T 30 minutes out of your day to go for a run, do an energizing yoga flow, orpractice some deskercises. It’ll benefit both your body and mind.

Expose yourself to an entirely different point of view through a new cultural experience. 

Keeping your sense sharp allows the synapses in your brain to think in new ways.

By engaging with the local art, cuisine, and people, you allow yourself to really learn new ways of thinking that you can later apply to your own ideas.

Children are considered "naturally creative" -- only because they know no limits to their creativity. Channel this mentality, especially when it comes to taking a completely different direction with your work. 

Instead of being concerned or self-conscious that your work isn’t good enough, be willing to take risks to push your creative limits.

Most importantly, have fun with your work. A child sees everything as an adventure and makes the most of every moment.

Two key ways coworking spaces create unique opportunities for creativity: flexibility and autonomy.

The flexibility to control your space to suit your personal preference encourages creativity. Have the ability to customize your workspace leads to higher levels of productivity. 

Collaboration can be a catalyst for innovation, and coworking spaces are great ways to throw yourself into a new environment with like-minded, innovative people.

Breaks allow your mind to continue to work on these ideas without getting stuck in a funk where you can’t organize your thoughts.

Make sure to allow yourself to block off designated break sessions in your calendar so you don’t lose that time after being scheduled for endless, back-to-back meetings.

Surrounding yourself with people with whom you can share and get feedback on your ideas and opinions is not only good for your creativity, it's good for your career.

Not only can creative people give you feedback on your projects, their own drive will keep you motivated to do your best work.

If you’re looking to connect with people in person, attend conferences and networking events  related to both your industry and your interests.

Change your routine and grab a pencil and paper to let your ideas free form in a more physical outlet.

A blank sheet of paper or whiteboard may just be the best outlet to allow you to organize your thought process into one space.

Physically writing it down takes your ideas a step further and forces you to put them into words and physical shapes. If you can see your thought process, it will be easier to understand the direction you’ll want to go in.

Research shows  there's a strong correlation between humor and creativity. A laugh can actually bring you closer to those moments of inspiration. Humor also puts you in a better mood , allowing you to think more freely and better solve creative problems.

If you look at your project from a more lighthearted perspective, you’ll allow yourself to have a fresh perspective on the problem at hand.

Listening to music can help you focus  on whatever task you're currently doing. It can also put you in a better mood, and even calm your nerves if you're feeling anxious.

Certain forms of music can help channel your creativity  better than others and tune out the noises of the office. While music with extreme changes of pace or lyrics can be distracting, ambient music can help increase processing levels and and promote creative thinking.