In this rapidly developing world, we sometimes fear if our pace of learning and being creative is at par with the advances in this world. We tend to think of creativity as a separate concept that needed to be practiced along with our other activities. However, there are some creativity hacks revealed by the author Austin Kleon in the book Steal like an artist. It mentions some of the interesting ways which can enable a creative mindset and build a fresh perspective through everyday activities.

Here are a few of them that we can be conscious about in our daily lives.

1. Creativity is not productivity.

Creativity by its nature is not specifically measurable and hence, being productive or spending more hours at work does not necessarily ensure our creativity. There is no direct formula to be creative and the number of hours is definitely not the measure

• Walking keeps our thoughts moving.

Taking timely breaks to move around and go for a walk can help us to get our thoughts into the flow and the movement of thoughts can help us to have a fresh perspective

• Celebrate all phases

We live in an environment where early success is celebrated and looked up to which creates pressuring and competitive atmosphere for us. Hence, in order to not fall into the trap of ‘creativity pressure,’ we must make sure to celebrate success at all ages and respect the fact that time plays a different role for all of us.

• Pay attention to what you pay attention to

It is often said that by deciding where we want to put our attention, we are constantly designing our future with the choices we make. Hence paying attention to things that really matter helps us to keep our thoughts positive and constructive

• To change is to be Alive

Instead of being afraid of changing, embracing change and taking it sportingly can help us to look into the opportunities that new situations might bring. Changing is a sign that we are alive.

• Reflecting more

In this fast-paced world, we are always clinging to rising numbers; be it profit, productivity, scores, etc. Being in this undefined race of chasing high numbers,  we often do not make any time for reflecting back on our previous actions. It is very essential to learn from our mistakes, process our actions, and learn from them before jumping on another task. Hence, constant reflection can help us grow and help our mind to learn our patterns and systems. Stop-learn-observe-grow.

• Everyday is a seed

Focussing on one day at a time helps us to take charge of what is in our control and not be anxious about what we don’t have control over. Our life is an accumulation of several every day and for that, we need to be able to make most of our ‘today’.

What are your experiences in developing a creative mindset?

References:

Kleon Austin, Steal Like an Artist, New York, Workman publishing company, March 2012.