Can You Start Thinking More Creatively?

Whether you’re looking to get into some form of art or you think you might have once had a creative spark but lost it, it’s not uncommon for people to yearn to be a more creative soul. However, it’s not something you’re necessarily born with. It’s something that you can work on, just as much as any other skill. Here are a few ways to do it.

Have a thought? Write it down

We all have creative and interesting and inspired thoughts from time to time. The difference between a creative thinker and someone who is not is just usually how much time we’re willing to spend with those thoughts. Spend more time with the creative thoughts you have by writing about them. It doesn’t always have to be a whole book. A short story. A paragraph. Even a journal entry of your thoughts can get you more used to exploring your own mind.

Read widely and read what you haven’t tried before

We tend to get stuck in loops of media and story consumption that see us engaging with the same types of things that we have liked before. The stories that we really liked as a teen or young adults can leave a heavy impression on us. However, engaging with stories outside of our wheelhouse, such as the true oddities that can be found at Phreeque, can get you thinking about things that you normally wouldn’t. Putting yourself in the shoes of someone who you’ve never considered before or trying to picture events that you haven’t heard of before can be an excellent creative thought exercise.

Unlock your dreams

It might seem a little outside the box, but the truth is that dreams can be an excellent starting point. After all, the welling of our subconscious thoughts can be a lot less structured and more free-flowing, yet also in ways more emotionally resonant than our everyday thoughts. The guide from The Creative Independent can help you get into the habit of starting and keeping a dream journal, and thinking about and interpreting your dreams. It doesn’t always have to be from a psychoanalytic angle, you can think of your dreams as purely creative exercises, too.

Toy with others’ ideas

No one creative mind is an island. A good creative mind is just as effective as putting a spin on an idea that they have heard from somewhere else. Of course, if you’re trying to get into creative works, you want to be careful not to blur the line between inspiration and plagiarism. The idea that creative people conjure ideas up out of the blue is a misconception. The best creators are usually those who have engaged with all manner of creative thought, ideas, and media from as wide a range of sources as possible.

Anyone can unlock the creative thinking sides of their brain a little more easily. It’s all about working out those mental muscles and thinking in ways that you haven’t before, often by exposing your mind to materials and sources of engagement that you haven’t before.