How to Help Your Creativity Thrive

Creativity doesn’t just happen. It’s not some inherent talent that some are blessed with and others are not. Creativity can be developed. It can also be neglected, or hindered by bad habits.

We writers need to take good care of our creative abilities. If we neglect the care and feeding of our creative selves we will never reach our creative potential.

What can we do to help creativity thrive?

Creativity thrives when we:

• Give ourselves the freedom to make mistakes. Mistakes are part of learning and growing. Writers who are afraid to make mistakes will limit themselves to what they are already good instead of experimenting with new things that might lead to failure (but also might lead to breakthroughs).
• Take creative risks. Muscles don’t strengthen unless we challenge them. In the same way, our creative muscles need to be challenged in order to grow. We don’t know what we are capable of unless we try.
• Make lots of art. Studies show that artists who produce lots of works are also the ones who produce the best, most creative works. In the process they also produce many mediocre works, but that is OK. Without all the not-so-great art to experiment with, they would never have developed the truly brilliant ones.  
• Seek wide and varied inputs from all areas of life. This includes exposure to excellent art in a wide variety of forms as well as an attitude of life-long learning in other areas. The more good material our brain has to play with, the better.  
• Embrace challenges and discomfort, because we know they will force us to grow and adapt. Bad stuff happens in life. We can use those things as an excuse to quit or we can work despite the challenges. The most creative ideas tend to come out of the most severe constraints.
• Welcome a little bit of mess. It turns out a little chaos is good for the creative process. Don’t stress over the mess so long as you can still find what you need. Additionally, get your hands dirty now and then doing something creative. Creativity is enhanced when we interact with our messy world.
• Have the courage to dig deep into our souls and explore dark and uncomfortable places. Staying on the surface feels safer, but it won’t lead us to our most inspired work.
• Find encouragement and feedback from writers and non-writers. Creative work is not easy. We all need support along the way. We also need honest, useful feedback to help us improve. How intentional are you about developing your creative support network? About encouraging your fellow creatives?

11 ideas to encourage and stretch your creative thinking

1. Go to an art exhibit. Pay attention to the moods and thoughts the art evokes. Can you figure out why?
2. Read a highly rated book in a genre you don’t normally read. Pay attention to how the author uses his craft.
3. Learn something new. Take a cooking class, sign up for dancing lessons, study a new language. Anything that engages the brain in a new way is good for overall creative function.
4. Get together with a non-writer and discuss a subject that interests you or a topic tangentially related to your story. (Philosophy, medical breakthroughs, ancient history, psychology, a hobby…)
5. Watch the director’s commentary on a movie you’ve seen before and appreciate all the kinds of art that happen behind the scenes. What do you learn about good storytelling?
6. Make something with your hands. A picture, a birdhouse, a fancy cake. Creating stuff is good for the soul. It also builds new neural pathways while giving the language processing areas time to relax.  
7. Write something in a different genre. A poem. A few scenes of a fantasy. A radio drama. It doesn’t matter how good it is, what matters is that you climbed outside your box.
8. Experiment with different kinds of background music while you write. Notice how different types of music affect your mood and your writing.
9. Attend an event your main character would enjoy, such as a wine tasting, a car show, or a political rally. The more it takes you outside your box, the better.
10. Make up distinct voices for your primary characters and read scenes aloud. Better yet, hold verbal conversations with your characters (but maybe not in public).
11. Take a virtual shopping trip. Pretend you are one of your characters and shop for things that character would buy that you wouldn’t. For best results, don’t just browse the internet but actually go to a store and handle the objects.

I hope these ideas inspire you to new levels of creativity.

Lisa E. Betz believes that everyone has a story to tell the world. She loves to encourage fellow writers to be intentional about their craft and courageous in sharing their words with others. Lisa shares her words through dramas, Bible studies, historical mysteries, and her blog about intentional living. You can find her on Facebook  LisaEBetzWriter Twitter @LisaEBetz and Pinterest Lisa E Betz.