How to be creative part 1

Do you ever hear yourself say “I don’t have a single creative bone in my body”? I hear it from others all time and it makes me giggle. Of course you are creative, you just might not recognize it yet! For a lot of people there seems to be a need to be able to label themselves creative before they really feel creative. That’s a bit backwards, but hey, that’s creative too!

So before I share my ideas with you, I need you to label yourself creative. Just pretend. Go put on your favorite shirt, inside out, then if anyone asks, call it your stain prevention plan. Now you’re creative and we can move past the arguing and convincing stage and jump right into the actual being stage.

First and foremost, there’s really not a “how to be creative” checklist. However, I’m going to invent a checklist for you, just incase you are a list needer. I just thought the title might get you to stop and look long enough to knock some sense into your fighting creativity mind.  You are already creative – I truly believe you have been since the day you were born. You might not know how to use that brilliant thought process, or you might have really poor hand eye coordination, but that creative gene is in there, I promise.

To get you on the right track, you need to first stop a few bad habits. Get all that negative juju out of your head so the creativity has more room to move. Once you have a nice clear mind, prepped for ideas to flow, you might be amazed at how brilliant you already are.

Let’s get going, 6 steps to set you on the path to being creative every day

Stop comparing

Creativity is a unique experience for everyone. Comparing your talents and skills and abilities with others is just setting yourself up for failure. No one looks at the world in the exact same way, so why should the way you show off what you see be the same? Let other’s inspire you, not make you feel incapable.

Don’t criticize

When you take the time to come up with an idea or make something with your own brainpower and two hands, be proud of what you’ve accomplished. Don’t step back and find all the faults in what you’ve done. If your friend did that, would you really want to be friends anymore?

Don’t doubt

Doubting just builds a wall with a giant KEEP OUT sign hanging on it. The least you can do is add pretty little painted flowers to the sign, maybe even a big SWAK smooch on it.  Stop getting in your own way, that’s not your job as your biggest fan. You can do it, you just need to bother to try.

Stop being so literal

If you want to be able to come up with new ideas, you have to stop looking at everything with an absolute literal view, literally. “Yes dear, I know that’s a wooden spoon, the package even says it’s a wood spoon.” It’s not what you call something or what other’s have label it, it’s how YOU see it that makes it creative.