Creativity may be in more demand than ever. With the rapid
rise of the internet economy, creatives have begun to make unique work
opportunities for themselves. Online entrepreneurs are making things up as they
go because the commerce and industry we experience today is still a new
frontier. U.S. jobs and contract positions are now easily outsourced to
overseas locations where the cost of living is less.
The low wages paid to virtual workers edge out the chance of
Westerners competing with those prices. These overseas workers are highly
skilled and educated, and often don’t possess the entitled attitude that many
of us do in the U.S., so they are appreciated and sought after.
So how do you stand out from the crowd if you aren’t
naturally creative?
You practice being creative.
Artists have been hacking the creative matrix for years.
Here are some of the methods you may not expect to unstick the flow of
inspiration for extraordinary breakthroughs.
1. Do nothing.
Literally. Nothing. Especially if you are almost always
busy. Take yourself on vacation, sit at the beach or pool, and do nothing. If
you can’t go on vacation, take a staycation and sequester yourself for a day or
an afternoon. If your time is generally taken up by everyday projects,
requirements and tasks, there isn’t much room for creative thoughts to flow
because the mental space is filled up. You need to empty it. Get a little
bored, even. Just when you start getting bored and wondering why the heck you
are doing this, the ideas will pour out. Do nothing until they do.
2. Write it down.
Get in the habit of taking notes. One method might be
writing three pages in a journal first thing in the morning about whatever
comes to mind. Throughout the day when ideas come to you -- no matter how small
or insignificant they may seem in the moment -- write them down. The note app
on your phone or a simple pad and pen carried in your pocket will suffice. You
can even record voice notes. Ideas will often come while you are involved in
certain activities such as driving, showering, cooking, gardening. When the
mind gets into a meditative state in these activities, the subconscious is able
to do some freestyling. That’s where the
juice is.
3. Pay attention to
your dreams.
If you think your dreams are meaningless, think again. When
you study your own dream patterns by keeping a journal and learning to
interpret them, you may become the next Albert Einstein. The famous thinker and
inventor discovered the Theory of Relativity because of a dream he had as a
teenager.
Other ideas or works
of art that came out of dreams include: the sewing machine, invented by Elias
Howe, James Cameron’s breakout film The Terminator, Paul McCartney’s song
“Yesterday,” The Periodic Table by Dmitry Mendeleyev, DNA and the double helix
discovered by James Watson and Jack Nicklaus’ winning golf swing.
4. Laugh.
Seriously, people have studied and calculated that those who
have a sense of humor are more creative. Listening to something funny before
taking a test is proven to raise test scores. Most people think more creatively
when they are relaxed. Not to mention the endorphins released while laughing.
Humorous people tend to be able to think outside the box, which is necessary in
problem solving and creating. Besides that, funny people are considered more
valuable on the job. You don’t need to be an artist or comedian to be creative,
you just need to nurture the innovative side of yourself you may have left with
your broken crayons in elementary school. Exercising the creative muscle will
make it stronger and give you the edge you need to add value to your life and
work.
0 comments:
Post a Comment