Simple Ways to Exercise and Improve Your Creative Skills

As you stare at a blank (literal or figurative) canvas, pressure seems to build to be creative.  Somehow, you need to come up with an idea. But, it is simply not happening.

From people that are not involved in the creative arts or those ‘creatives’ that struggle with inspiration, comes a misconception that only a select few are blessed with a constant flow of creative genius.  As someone who is not a ‘natural,’ this is not true at all.  It takes practice.

The truth is creativity can be compared to a muscle that needs to be exercised in order to see significant results. You must practice consistently in order to improve that skill.  The longer the time elapses in between these workouts, the more likely the skill will atrophy into inexistence. But keep working and harnessing your creative skills, and ideas will soon come to you quicker.

This doesn’t mean there are not natural creative geniuses.  I am pretty sure Jimmy Hendrix, Michelangelo, Mozart, and Shakespeare fall into that category.  But, I can say confidently that even those creative geniuses had uninspiring days.

So how do you unleash your creative skills?

Absorb every stimulating creative piece of work you come across.  By stimulating, I mean inspiring and provocative, even if you disagree with the piece.  Read articles that conflict with your beliefs.  Sometimes, this can trigger deep-seated thoughts that have been lurking in the dark. These thoughts will get the ball rolling.  Take it all in!

Take in as much knowledge as you can find, and keep your mind open to the infinite alcoves of the creative mind.  Thought-provoking inspiration will open up the gates of creativity.  These stimulating ideas will exercise that part of your brain.  At first, it will be exhausting to put that much energy into thinking.  But, just like any new workout program, this is a natural reaction to exercise something new.

This may not be as hard as it sounds.  When you are driving to work, try a new route.  When you get your fancy coffee, try a new flavor.  Come up with a new greeting as you walk past people in the hall or at the grocery store.  Make lists of ideas or a top ten list of a category.

Of course, you will have to step it up a notch to get real results.  But, start slow.  Get the blood pumping.  Even doodling can be a creative activity. Practice drawing for a couple of minutes each day. Put together a scrapbook, if that is an interest of yours. For writers, an easy and often neglected task is keeping a journal.  Exercise your creative brain by writing in it on a regular basis!

Before you know it, you'll have built yourself up a creative little niche.  You can choose an area to grow upon based on your interests.  As a writer, you may discover story-writing is fun.  Those daily activities have unleashed your creative self.

Walk around your neighborhood and be alone in your thoughts.  Taking time to have undistracted thinking is a hard habit to maintain. With all the technological and commercial distractions, it is hard to focus.  Enforce this habit.  Explore your world outside of your blank canvas or computer screen.

Discover a new neighborhood in your community. Meet new people. Try a new restaurant by yourself. Spend an afternoon in a museum that you've never visited. Strike up a conversation with a stranger.  Some of these steps may be uncomfortable, but as you force yourself out of your comfort zone more each day, your sense of adventure grows and so does your enthusiasm for life. Some of these adventures can turn into writing or artistic stories.

Just as your body gets used to the same exercise routine after awhile, you mind gets tired of routine. Nothing kills creativity faster than boredom.

Often times, it helps to have someone to push you when you need some motivation. People with similar creative interests can be the motivation you need.  Discussing your ups and downs, your hills and valleys, with someone who you can relate to makes you feel that you are not the only one hitting some obstacles along the path of creativity.

When someone you know is successful at his or her art, it will provide the inspiration you need.  Knowing that others are having success can make you feel that it is possible to achieve the goals you set out.  We all have slumps, so that extra motivation may be the very push we need to get out of the slump.

I hope this article has inspired you to start thinking beyond your "limits." Get out there and exercise your creative self, and you will find that it can come easy to you as well, with a little time and practice.