Everyone has ideas, but not everyone knows how to have creative ideas. You might think creativity revolves around paint or writing novels. These 7 suggestions will certainly help with arty endeavours, but they should also help you to kickstart your own creative process!
1. Colour outside of the lines
Sometimes you can get so hung up on following the rules, or sticking to a formula you’ve been given, that you lose sight of your original quest.
Rules are great but where’s the creativity? Colour outside of the lines and create yourself a new art movement* (* feel free to create whatever you want. That’s the point, yeah?)
2. Go looking in unusual places
If you look in obvious places, then you’ll have obvious ideas? True, you might see something obvious in an unusual way. But why not look in less obvious places?
The best creative ideas can spring from the weirdest scenarios. So don’t be afraid to go looking for ideas where you wouldn’t expect to find them. They’re there.
3. People Watch
People are a goldmine of inspiration. If you want to have creative ideas, then you’d be surprised how many you get by observing others.
Take the train instead of driving. Take half an hour to have coffee in a busy cafe. Talk to the waitress. Listen to people browsing in stores.
4. Capture everything
Be curious about the world around you, and capture everything. Make a habit of revisiting your photos. Flick through your camera roll. Share your images with others. Check theirs out. Immerse yourself in different ways of seeing the world. You never know when your Instagram feed might spark an idea.
5. Be cultured
As much as you want to go looking for ideas in unusual places, don’t be afraid to seek them out in traditional places. Go to museums. Visit art galleries. Go on guided tours. Learn about the exhibits. Find out about the working processes of artists. How did they solve creative problems? Let their genius be your guide.
6. Gorge yourself
I’m not telling you to go and eat a whole packet of M&S Yum Yums, though quite frankly who could blame you if you did? But forget about moderation. Find something that interests you, and learn everything you can about it. Immerse yourself in it.
Then find a new obsession. Your brain will be working through it all even while you sleep.
7. Challenge the norm
Just because something has always been done this way doesn’t mean it should always be done this way. Can you think of a better way to do something? Is it quicker? More practical? Cheaper?
Hell, is it more fun? That’s creative thinking right there. Toss out the rule book and challenge the status quo.
What methods do you use to have creative ideas? Share them in the comments!
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I adore the gorge yourself one. I wrote a post about bingeing recently and I do it with a new author I love or a TV series I find but I hadn’t connected the dots I also do it with a new subject I love and actually that IS where 90% of my ideas come from. Love this post.
Thanks! 🙂
Visiting museums, especially those which have the so called old masters on display. You can look at those pictures, see endless amount of details. I used to hate looking at them because they were so detailed, now I look at them because of those details – I can find a motive for a murder usable in my books, or an alibi, or some questionable behavior. Impressionists allow for your imagination and your feelings to run wild, you can look at a lunch scene by the Seine, and think about what did those people do before that lunch, where did that happy couple go after it? And walking around in any huge museum, you can do a lot of people watching too.
Museums are amazing sources of inspirations!