9 Major Components of Creativity and How to Develop Them

When we think of creativity, we think about people with “creative” professions like painters, writers, composers or designers. But in reality, creativity is not a skill, reserved to a small group of people. It is our inborn right to be creative, to use our imagination and to invent and re-invent our life!

But what is creativity all about? What can we do to untap our creative potential and make our life more fun and exciting?

It may seem that patience has very little to do with the creative process. After all creativity is all about spontaneity and “Aha!” moments… And this is true! We need this and we will talk about it later. However, if you are paid for your creative output (as I am) you know that it is very risky to sit and wait for inspiration to strike you. You have to earn your insights and great ideas. You have to give them enough time to mature. And you have to be patient with yourself.

There will be days when your creativity is on fire, when ideas flow naturally to you. But there will also be days, when everything you come up with will seem dull, boring, and unoriginal, no matter how hard you try to think creatively. And this is perfectly fine!

Do not judge yourself or your work too harshly and ignore the little critical voice that tells you – “It sucks!” Critical judging and creativity are mutually exclusive!

Focus is an essential component of creativity. You cannot create until you are fully engaged in the process, and you cannot be fully engaged in the process if you are distracted every 30 seconds by email notifications or your own thoughts.

Sometimes the easiest way improve your focus it is to lock your door and enjoy the solitude!

There is a reason, why many famous scientists, writers and artists get their best ideas while taking a shower, walking outdoors or sitting in the kitchen with a cup of hot tea. When we are alone, we can get in touch with our infinite source of Creativity and become completely absorbed in the process of creation!

If you want to boost your creativity and focus, get away from all the hustle and bustle and enjoy the tranquility of solitude and the healing effect of silence!

Have you ever been fully immersed in what you were doing? Lost track time? Forgotten about hunger and fatigue? Felt focused, energized and relaxed all at the same time? If yes, you know what being in a state of flow feels like. It is a wonderful feeling of total engagement, when your mind and body are working in perfect harmony.

It is rather easy to get into a flow when we are having fun and enjoying what we are doing. But this is not always the case. Sometimes we have to be creative even when we do not feel like it.

Then what do you do to boost your creativity?

Let go of the idea that you must produce results and just start working on the part we enjoy the most.

I sometimes have to write 3-5 paragraphs just to establish emotional connection with my writing, or start in the middle of a sentence, not really knowing what I am going to write about in the introduction part. However, at some point, writing gets easier – the words start to flow effortlessly and I no longer have to think of the best way to phrase my thoughts.

The same method can be applied to any type of creative process. The main idea is to start and then simply follow the flow!

Creative stimulation is a great way to trigger new ideas and insights. Whenever you feel creatively stuck, read something inspirational, flick through a magazine, listen to music that you love, have conversations with offbeat people or change your surroundings by going for a walk.

Do not let routine and mundane tasks let your creativity die down. Challenge your comfort zone and explore your new talents! There are many ways you can make your life more adventurous and exciting:

• Train yourself to see beauty in everything that surrounds you
• Meet new people, see new movies
• Experiment with new dishes
• Take a different route from work
• Invent new games that you can play with your children

Art for the sake of art is a concept that deserves to be respected, but usually when we are trying to think outside the box, we have a clear objective in mind: we are either trying to solve a very concrete problem or express our ideas, thoughts, and feelings in a very clear way. A good friend of mine, who is a professional web designer, once told me that the first question he asks himself before even opening Photoshop is “What am I trying to communicate with my design?” Creativity is incomplete without clarity!

Just like a painter takes a couple of steps back to evaluate their work and see what adjustments have to be made, we need to zoom out to see things more clearly.

Whenever you are trying to think of the best solution for a problem or come up with an original idea, imagine your creative task or situation as distant and disconnected from your current location. This little trick will boost your higher level thinking!

The creative process in many ways is similar to meditation. In fact, it is an active form of meditation. This is why it is close to impossible to achieve the peak of creativity without calming your mind first.

When a situation needs a shot of creativity, the real task is to collect as much information on the subject as you possibly can and then let it “stew” in the back of your mind. Sometimes letting go of the expectation that we should be creative NOW, is the fastest way to unleash your true potential.

I know that it is not always easy to relax and stay calm, when you have a deadline hanging over your head, like the sword of Damocles reminding you that you have less and less time to complete the project (sincerely I do not respect this tip all the time). Although, I do know that I am more creative and efficient when I am very unstrained and relaxed.

We all get our insights, “aha!” moments and sparks of genius once in a while. Insights, unlike rational conclusions, dawn on us the moment we find connections between apparently unrelated situations or facts. And although insights can be forced, they can also be triggered naturally.

Janus Thinking is a method of “bringing two opposites together in your mind, considering their relationships, similarities, pros and cons, and then creating something new and useful.”

Next time you are stuck for an idea, try the following:

• Look at the situation from a slightly different perspective. Try to imagine how a child, friend, artist, or accountant would approach the same problem.
• Open a dictionary, randomly select a word and then try to formulate ideas incorporating this word. You would be surprised how well this works.
• Instead of simply going with the first idea you have, consider other ways of approaching the situation.

Creativity comes from many hours of work. The more you know about the topic, the more creative you are likely to be. You or I could not come up with a concept about gravity or invent a computer, simply because our knowledge is insufficient to generate great ideas in these areas. But there are other areas of life, where we could express ourselves and contribute to the world in some way. All we have to do is keep on gaining experience!

All knowledge contributes to creativity. No matter what you read, see, hear, or try, it might become part of a brilliant new idea. Truly creative people are life-long learners. They are always hungry for new knowledge, always experimenting with new ideas and always looking for ways to improve their work!

Being creative is not about hanging around in a black turtle neck waiting for the idea to strike you. It is about spending hours of trying ideas that might not work, just to find The One that will.

The first creative step that you can take is to break away from the commonly accepted notion that mistakes equals failure. No one said that you should get something “right” the first time you try it! In fact, trial and error is the fastest way to learn something and improve your skills.

Therefore, challenge the idea of failing and treat every unsuccessful venture as an experiment with one single objective – finding out if your idea can work out.

Truth be told there are no bad ideas. Only bad decisions.

The decision to let your ideas die without implementing them is one of the worst you can make!

What in your opinion are the most important components of creativity? What do you do to get your creative juices flowing?

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