Building a Creative Mind
In any field of work, being able to think out of the box and present new ideas are qualities that are important for achieving success and being valued by every employer. By having a creative mind, you will be able to look at a problem from multiple perspectives and offer a solution that is both fresh and effective. Some of you might think that creativity is something that people is born with, and although that is true to some degree, it is also important to understand that creativity is a skill. And like any other skills, it can be learned and trained. In this article, we will give you some tips and tricks on how to build a creative mind.
Keep an open mind
Always seek after other’s opinion and feedback. You should never shrug off an opinion you disagree with without thinking carefully about it first. Brainstorming with various kinds of people is the best process to yield an inventive idea. Of course, there are people who just want to bring you down with their negativity so you also need to be able to discern between valid opinion and criticism from the unreasonable. That being said, it does not mean that feedbacks from someone less experienced should be ignored. In fact, they might bring a fresh pair of eyes to look at a problem and they can point out things that you might have missed! Idea can come from unexpected places, so the key to building a creative mind is to always keep it open!
Walk away and observe your surrounding
Confronting a problem head on with the same method multiple times is not a good use of your time. It may sounds counterintuitive at first, but walking away and taking breaks from the project you are working on for a while can help you refresh your mind and bring new insight. Your brain can only fully concentrate for a set amount of time and a rest can help to refresh your mind. You can also shake up your routine by taking a different road to work, eat at a new restaurant, or talk to a coworker you don’t talk too much with. A diverse environment can help stimuli your brain and may help you come up with a brand new idea. Working hard is essential to reach success, but it is not always enough. Just because you put in so much hour on a problem, does not mean you are guaranteed to solve it. Relax and let your mind fly from time to time and you may stumble upon an entirely new idea!
Write down ideas
Ideas can come to you in any moment of time. A random inspiration might strike you out of nowhere when you were out on a walk. A ludicrous thought might pass through your mind when you were in the shower. The important thing to do is to jot them down immediately and keep them saved somewhere, even if you think that those ideas are awful or absurd. Quantity over quality is true in this case because you don’t know when those ideas might come in handy. Or, a brainstorming session might yield an alternative take on that ‘absurd’ idea and turns it into an actual practical solution. You never know!
Learn new things
Broadening your perspective by continuously learning new skills is part of the process of building a creative mind. Those skills will give you access to ways of thinking that you would not have otherwise without it. For example, a chef may benefit from learning how to draw to better conceptualize the aesthetics of their dishes. A musician who is learning all kinds of instruments and style will be able to bring a unique sound to their own music. Being able to see things from various angles will broaden your horizon and bring new inspirations to your work.
Having a creative mind is a benefit to your everyday life, not just in your workplace, and can certainly make your life much more interesting. With the amount of information we receive every day in this age, it is up to us to process and utilize it in the most creative way possible. These tips will help you achieve exactly that!