How To Increase Creativity Output
When we think of the creative process and how to increase creativity we imagine all we have to do is come up with more ways to get ideas. While not enough ideas might be a problem, most folks have more ideas than they know what to do with.
You likely go through the creative process something like this:
- You are inspired by something
- You get an idea
- You let it age like a fine wine
- You do it.
If you’re dealing with creativity as a hobby, you probably have no problems coming up with an idea and then doing it right away. You have no concerns or restrictions, since it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t come out perfect, it’s just fun to run with it and there aren’t any real consequences if it goes wrong. You’ve set up a very free environment for yourself. When something strikes you, you do it.
What you may not notice is that you create only when you want to, if you don’t want to create anything, you just don’t.
The creative process changes when you have to create.
Your creative environment has turned from one of ‘create when you are inspired’, to, ‘create on demand’. Suddenly your muse has gone on vacation and not one single idea comes to you.
You may find yourself in a situation similar to this:
- “I got a book contract, I couldn’t be happier. But I’m in a panic, I have to finish this book in 6 months or I lose the contract. Now I have writer’s block.”
- “A company just loves my photos and hired me to get some photos for their next advertising campaign. It’s the opportunity I’ve been waiting for and never expected. But I can’t think of what I should photograph. I think I have creative block.”
The creative process has changed and you’re stopped cold. You have to change how you think about being creative and how you go about doing it.
Believing that when you have to do something within boundaries or with certain restrictions attached will stifle your creativity is working against yourself. It causes a negative effect. Instead you should be viewing it as an opportunity to stretch the creative process. To go beyond your limits. To reach for something more. Turn it into a positive effect.
So how do you deal with it? How do you go from ‘work when I’m inspired’ to ‘work right now’?
You change your mind set. It’s now a business and not just fun and relaxation.
Pretty simple in theory, a little harder in practice, but only a little. It does take a bit of doing at the start, but as you get to doing it regularly, it gets much easier.
You make a plan – set goals – set your deadlines – and do it.
If you have each goal set out with deadlines in place it gives you some structure. You know where you’re going and why. That eliminates a lot of the dithering.
When you set out your goals, break them down into tiny bits. You can have your main goal be “Finish the project by ..” But then you need to break it down into weekly and daily goals as well. Break it down into as many tiny parts as you need, including any research you may need to do. Include time for doing the creative process, getting any ideas you need to flow for you.
Deadlines help to keep you on track. You’ll be amazed at how you can come up with ideas if you have to think of something within a timeframe. Urgency can be very stimulating and also eliminate a lot of indecision. If you don’t have all the time in the world, you don’t take all the time in the world.
Knowing how to increase creativity just means you change how you look at the creative process and how you execute it, you still create what is in your soul, that never has to change.