Creativity And 9 Methods to Develop It

I am a firm believer of the fact that Creativity and Spirituality are inseparable. I do not mean religious beliefs when I talk about spirituality, however, what I’m referring to instead is the human spirit, our inner-self that is the center of our Life. It’s known as “Infinite Intelligence” as stated by Napoleon Hill. Mr. Deepak Chopra refers to it as “Pure Consciousness” and one of my friends has put it beautifully as, “the place in us that never ends.“

This beautiful place is indescribable and can be felt only through one’s heart.

Harnessing one’s creative side is all about reaching out to that place within us and connecting with our “Infinite Intelligence.” It’s a diamond that we all possess unknowingly. We are all without exception an extension of the universe and possess that jewel within us, waiting to be polished and used.

When we tap onto our creative side, we lead ourselves to abundance, where nothing is impossible. Scarcity and Limitations only arise when Competition is given preference over Creation.

One cannot be more or less creative since we ARE all blessed with the same levels of creativity. What’s in our control is to practice and hone our creative skills to get attuned and conscious of our creative energy that is always available to us in abundance.

Following are 9 effective methods to help you develop your creativity:

• Relax – Take some time out to indulge in something that brings smile on your face; something you admire and love; that leaves you awestruck. Go for a walk, jog, swim or just meditate. Pick up a book that you always wanted to read or begin with maintaining a diary by penning down your thoughts.
• Show Gratitude – Feel grateful for all that you have been bestowed with. Such realization will fill you up with positive vibes and energy. As you start appreciating all the beautiful things that you have been blessed with, you’ll feel relaxed and deeply satisfied from within. Such life state facilitates channeling of creative energy.
• Explore Your Imagination – Imagine and get visual about your dreams. Close your eyes and experience the fun in seeing vivid images. Settle down in an undisturbed place and close your eyes. Visualize something that you always wanted to see. Explore and settle the finer details of the environments by making wishful changes. Feel the colors and smell the fragrances. Follow it up by asking yourself questions like, How does it feel? What do you see? What’s the smell like? Etc.
• Relish the Moment – Any musician worth his/her song will tell you their experience while composing music. They immerse themselves in the flow of the moment, devoid of any other thought. It is termed as “being in the zone” by athletes. You can experience this feeling right away by immersing yourself in whatever you’re doing right now (reading of course!) Try it while exercising, making bed, while meditation etc. Books like Eckhart Tolles’ “The Power of Now” are highly recommended in this regard.
• Get Inspired – Practice moving your emotions by seeing beautiful things. Read a book with vivid images, visit an art gallery, initiate a conversation with someone who has a calming effect on you or maybe just pick up anything inspirational and start reading.
• Sketch: It may sound little amusing, but it’s one of the best ways to connect on your creative side. Sketching enables you to view things in a totally different light. Pick up books like “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” and the workbook by Betty Edwards. It was designed specifically for people who have never explored their drawing skills. It has tremendous insights to gain from.
• Search for Alternatives – Someone said, “Normal is Boring.” There are always multiple ways of doing any task and you must constantly look out for alternatives. Cultivate the ability to find alternatives even in the seemingly impossible situations.
• Be Open to Ideas – No idea is crap or junk as we often sometimes refer to them as. Don’t get judgmental about the various ideas that come to you and give them their due by giving them a shot. Such habit will enable more and more ideas to surface from within you.
• Pen Down Your Thoughts on Paper – Catch hold of some loose sheets (no notebook) and start penning down all the random ideas, words, phrases, thought etc. that occur to you. Get graphic by drawing lines and connecting your ideas on paper. It begins with seemingly crappy thoughts, but eventually shape up into something bigger.