Top Ten Tips for Creativity
30/6/2013

With umbilical-like attachment to universal consciousness through social media, it falls upon us all to elicit gems of genius to share with our world… and sometimes the childbirth analogy doesn’t end there…


Whether you are writing a blog, a course, a speech or a letter to a colleague it requires focus,  inspiration and sometimes a hell of a push! So, I thought I’d share some of the techniques I have discovered to ignite creativity:

  1. John Cleese talks about making space … putting aside time in the schedule and a physical space in which to “play”.  Have all the tools and equipment you might find useful (flip charts, coloured pens, plasticine …) and be open-minded about the outcomes.  “Play” is a deliciously freeing word here.
  2. Julia Cameron in “The Artists’ Way” recommends writing daily, early morning streams of consciousness in three A4 pages to unleash your creativity.  I find this fascinating and incredibly useful.  It is as if I take an issue to bed, sleep on it and in the morning my not-quite-awake self spills out the answers.
  3. 50:10 This is where you put on a timer and work on the subject in hand for 50 minutes and then stop.  For the following ten minutes do something entirely unrelated, and I would suggest physical, to free your mind. My favourite is to run outside and do 10 minutes of frantic gardening, filling a brown bag and returning, muddy but content, to the task in hand.
  4. Note pad ideas.  I set myself a date as a deadline for a piece of creativity and then write ideas and topical references as I get them on that page of my filofax. This way, when I come to write, I already have lots to work with.
  5. Get out of your own way (Taming Your Gremlin by Rick Carson) by which I mean let go of all the self-limiting beliefs (“Me?  Write? Who am I kidding?”) and do it anyway with no attachment to the outcome. Particularly relevant to all you perfectionist types out there.
  6. Talking into a recording devise on random ideas … sort of audible free wheeling … can help formulate ideas.  Sometimes hearing myself say stuff out loud clarifies how I feel about it, having to audibly express my thoughts helps me to organise them into a coherent structure. This is useful for car journeys and walks – on your own of course … be a bit weird and possibly irritating to onlookers! Having said that, recording a healthy debate with an intelligent teenager could be really useful.  Teenagers have an interesting view on the world and may give you an unexpected perspective!
  7. Use a different tool.  If you normally write on a computer then try writing with pencil and paper. 
  8. If your To Do list is crowding your creativity then buy yourself some headspace by delegating some of your workload to build in creative time. There are brilliant Virtual Assistants out there who will take on one-off projects or regular assignments (some will even write it for you!)
  9. If you struggle to think straight in the office then take yourself out to an unfamiliar coffee shop, it may give you a whole new perspective. If you work from home then go into the garden or use a different room. Snuggling under a duvet with a cup of tea and a hobnob can give a piece an entirely different feel, particularly if you are someone who by nature is highly professional and want to come across a bit more friendly!
  10. … and yes, you could always get a coach … to deepen the learning and forward the action!