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Do You Want To Become More Creative?
I’m pretty sure everyone would like to be more creative whether it is for leisure or for one’s career. That is because creativity can assist you when solving complex problems because it allows you to bring new ideas to life. But it is interesting because creativity is often seen as a skill that people are born with which is incorrect because everyone has the potential to be creative. Creativity can be learnt and improved just like any other skill we possess and it isn’t a skill solely for artists or people in creative industries.
Creativity Is A Process
In addition, creativity is a process that will help you develop and connect remarkable ideas while solving complicated problems. It is funny because creativity doesn’t have to be the creation of new ideas, it could be simply connecting universal concepts in a unique way. So whatever technique you choose to use when developing or connecting ideas, the foundation of every creative process stays the same which is divergent and convergent thinking.
So if you are trying to become more creative, here are two simple creative processes you should use to develop innovative ideas.
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Creative Flow Exercise
The first creative process that you can use to jump start your creativity is called, “Creative Flow”. To start the creative flow process you will need to use divergent thinking to brainstorm and then convergent thinking to connect your ideas. Simply take five minutes to write down as many ideas about a question or topic on a piece of paper. But do not waste time adjusting or judging your ideas, write them down even if they aren’t “feasible”. The trick to the creative flow process is going for quantity because the more ideas you record will mean a greater chance of coming up with quality ideas.
In addition, once you start getting into a rhythm when jotting down your ideas you’ll notice that your ideas begin flowing and leading into others. This experience is the main benefit of creative flow because you are simply developing new ideas and connecting them with one another subconsciously.
However, once you finish five minutes of writing down ideas it is time to use convergent thinking with that fresh list of ideas. To use convergent thinking all you need to do is diligently read through your list to find and evaluate the most relevant solutions to your situation. Then once you are finished using the creative flow process you will notice that the variety of quality solutions you have developed is exponential.
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Mind Mapping
The second creative technique that you can utilize to jump start your creative process is called, “Mind Mapping”. Mind mapping is similar to creative flow in the sense that idea quantity is crucial for developing quality and relevant solutions.
Basically, the concept of mind mapping is based off of a specific question or topic. Firstly, you need to write the foundational question or topic on the center of a page. Then you need to start making branches off of your center “question” while writing ideas or solutions relating to the main theme. Furthermore, continue this process by making sub-branches and linking similar ideas together. Basically, by linking similar themes and ideas with one another you are essentially coming up with new ideas and solutions about the main topic.
Furthermore, once you have completed your mind map analyze it and converge your new ideas with your main problem in mind. Additionally, one pro tip to coming up with original ideas when using a mind map is by forcing yourself to connect unrelated branches with one another. This exercise will force you to create unique associations with seemingly unrelated concepts.
Practice And Implement Creative Processes
So if you want to become more creative or solve complex problems, simply use the tried and true processes of the world’s greatest creatives. Additionally, always remember that creativity is a process and not a “talent” that you are born with, anyone has the potential to be creative. Thus, if you want to improve your creativity start utilizing creative processes such as creative flow and mind mapping to unlock your greatest ideas and solutions.
In addition, if you found this article helpful then read my blog post called, “Unlock Your Creative Potential“.
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