17 Ways to Develop Your Creativity

One common roadblock to developing creativity is the sense that curiosity is an indulgence. Rather than reprimanding yourself, reward yourself when you are curious about something. Give yourself the opportunity to explore new topics.

While rewarding yourself is important, it is also important to develop intrinsic motivation . Sometimes, the true reward of creativity is the process itself, not the product.

When it comes to building your creative skills, you need to be willing to take risks in order to advance your abilities. While your efforts may not lead to success every time, you will still be boosting your creative talents and building skills that will serve you well in the future.

Insecurity in your abilities can suppress creativity, which is why it is important to build confidence. Make note of the progress you have made, commend your efforts, and always be on the lookout for ways to reward your creativity.

You won't be able to develop your creative talents if you don't make time for them. Schedule some time each week to concentrate on some type of creative project.

A mind map is a great way to connect ideas and look for innovative answers to questions. Create a mind map by writing down a central topic or word. Next, link related terms or ideas around the central word. While similar to brainstorming, this technique allows for branching ideas and offers a very visual way of seeing how these ideas are linked.

Once you have developed some basic creative skills, it is important to continually challenge yourself in order to further advance your abilities. Look for more difficult approaches, try out new things and avoid always using the same solutions you have used in the past.

In addition to challenging yourself, you also need to create your own opportunities for creativity. This might involve tackling a new project or finding new tools to use in your current projects.

The "six hats" technique involves looking at a problem from six differing perspectives.2 By doing this, you can produce more ideas than you might have had you only looked at the situation from one or two points of view.

• Black Hat : Use a negative perspective. Which elements of the solution won’t work?
• Blue Hat : Think broadly. What is the best overall solution?
• Green Hat : Think creatively. What are some alternative ideas?
• Red Hat : Look at the situation emotionally. What do your feelings tell you?
• White Hat : Look at the situation objectively. What are the facts?
• Yellow Hat : Try to be positive

Never expect creativity to just happen. Look for new sources of inspiration that will give you fresh ideas and motivate you to generate unique answers to questions. Read a book, visit a museum, listen to your favorite music or engage in a lively debate with a friend. Utilize whatever strategy or technique works best for you.