One of the most fashionable aspects when talking about personal development is
creativity.

In our societies, the progressive mechanization of work has displaced the need for low-skilled labor. Workers who once performed hard and heavy tasks have gradually disappeared due to the appearance of machines, robots or technologies that could perform the same work more quickly and efficiently. For this reason,
companies are changing and tend to demand and promote other more qualified professional profiles .

Creative profiles: increasingly valued

Among the many virtues that companies demand, one of the most sought-after is creativity.
People with creative profiles tend to seek original solutions to specific problems , they are able to see a little further. And this has a reward, and I am not only referring to the greater probabilities of finding a good job (which also), but to the capacity of these people to create works of art of great value or business ideas with an impact on society.

You might be interested:
“The 7 Personality Traits of Creative People”

Enhancing your creativity in 14 simple steps

So,
It is interesting that we become aware of the importance of being creative . That’s why I wanted to write this post together with the brilliant marketer Maria Jordà, to explain some keys to enhance creativity and originality.

We must remember that, although the creative spirit has traditionally been related to the world of the performing arts (theatre, cinema, music…) and creative arts (sculpture, painting…), the truth is that it can be expressed in very different ways. And it is not always shown in a positive sense: have you seen the film ‘Se7en’ or the first chapter of ‘Black Mirror’? Sometimes creativity can take on frightening forms when, for example, a criminal uses his wits to perpetrate crimes. So,
it should be made clear that creativity is not a good thing per se , and that it can be used for many different purposes. It is up to you to use your ingenuity in an area where you bring something interesting into the world.

Creative Spirit: How to Improve it Step by Step

After this introduction, we are ready to start knowing
the fourteen keys to developing creativity . Let’s get started.

Spend time thinking and imagining

It seems an obvious point, but we must not overlook it.
It is necessary to dedicate time to develop creative thinking, away from obligations, tasks and sources of stress . It is not bad that, from time to time, you let your imagination run wild, tackling subjects that are of particular interest to you, or others that concern you.

Don’t feel pressured to make logical or overly rigid judgments about what you think, just let your mind flow, enjoy the moment and don’t resist
daydreaming.

2. Think beyond tradition and custom

Just because something’s traditional doesn’t mean it’s good. In fact,
many people act routinely only out of laziness, for not daring to value reality from other perspectives . If habit has ceased to be useful, why not try to change it with a little creativity? If the traditional is only a form of immobility, perhaps the time has come to innovate.

3. Curiosity: empower it

Curiosity is, in my opinion, the basis of the creative mentality . If you are capable of raising doubts about many aspects of reality, it will be easier for you to feel a genuine interest in what you are proposing to do. This curiosity will lead you to inform yourself and think for yourself, generating a positive dynamic that will ultimately enhance your creativity.

4. The importance of games

There is
many games (practically all of them, in fact) that can help you foster your creativity. The game can help you to find new ways to tackle problems and challenges . If you have some building games at home, try going back to your childhood for a few minutes and try building a castle. It’s a good way to let your mind flow, something that encourages your creative and imaginative side.

5. Propose hypotheses and ask yourself about abstract possibilities

Most writers in the science fiction genre
they manage to spin fantastic stories based on hypothetical situations in which the laws of physics are more flexible than usual. If you try to imagine an ordinary situation but modify one of its essential aspects, which we all take for granted, you will see that reality changes dramatically and a wide range of possibilities opens up.

6. Reads Fantasy Stories

In the previous point I mentioned a genre that I personally like a lot: science fiction. Science fiction stories propose parallel realities in which nothing is impossible. This is one of the creative literary genres par excellence, but it is not the only one. I would dare to say that
any reading (as long as it is of a minimum quality, of course) can boost your creativity . Knowledge is not a condition sine qua non for being creative, but it will most likely help you to improve your creativity.

7. Give your thoughts time

Your ideas and previous judgments about things may be more or less accurate, but they should not be despised.
The ideas that some aspect of reality arouses in you are a good raw material that needs time to develop and come to fruition. Give your intuition the necessary freedom, since over time it can metamorphose or crystallize into concrete ideas.

8. Take some risks

The creative mind is not exempt from leaps and bounds . It is normal in any creative process that this happens, and it is also one of the ways our brain structures ideas. Making mistakes only means that you are closer to having an accurate idea.

9. The creative process, better in a state of flow

Do you know the
state of flow? We enter this state of mind when we are so immersed and interested in the task at hand that we lose track of time and are one hundred percent motivated. The flow state comes when we are passionate about what we do. Consequently, our creativity will have a much greater potential if we dedicate our efforts to what really motivates us. Enjoy the process and the flow will play in your favor.

10. Don’t give up

May inspiration find you working , as the great Pablo Picasso would say. Notice that there are people who, when putting on their overalls, always expect all the elements to be perfectly aligned in their favour. This is a crass error that only leads to inoperability.

If you want to find inspiration and creativity, you have to take risks (we go back to point number eight) and keep in mind that
You can only aspire to perfection if you put in many hours of effort and genuine interest in what you have set out to do . No one is born taught, you must walk your own path. Creativity is a complex skill that you will develop over time. Patience… and luck.

11. Think without thinking

Let your imagination run wild, write down everything that comes into your head, do
brainstorming. Nonsense ideas, words, colors, emotions. Try to make a thread out of each of them, so that one word leads to another. Write it down on a list and then make sense of it .

12. Forget about taboos

To be creative the last thing you have to have is social conditioning . Open your mind, and let yourself go. There is a lot to learn from other cultures and from people who don’t conform to social standards. Creativity can arise at the most unexpected time.

13. Look for trends

It’s always good to learn from others, from what you wear or what’s in fashion.
One idea can lead to another .

14. Listen to yourself and analyze your environment

Ask yourself: Do you need anything? Answer yourself:
If I had… everything would be easier… Or haven’t you ever imagined something that would save you from what you really hate? Sometimes just looking around, analyzing your unmet needs, creativity emerges !