Creativity is a rather like a muscle, I think. In that, the more we use it, the stronger it gets. Or perhaps a firing neuron is a better analogy … the more we are creative, the easier it gets. It becomes second nature to live a creative life, to use creativity in all arenas of life and in all kinds of small and simple everyday activities.
Here are three quick creative thinking techniques I have picked up over the years:
1. Fill in the squares
Or any shape. Draw a number of the same simple shape (circles, hearts, triangles, stars, moons …) onto plain paper.
Decorate them in any way you like, but making each one as different as possible.
You could keep this exercise very simple and fill each shape in with a pencil or pen. You could add colour with crayons, felt tips or paints. Or you could glue on various different materials, playing with textures.
Anything. The stranger, the better … go wild! Try fabrics, flowers, beads, birdseed, cereal, dried cat food …
Really. Anything goes!
2. Fill a matchbox
Choose a letter and fill a matchbox with as many things as you can think of that start with that letter.
Think outside the box! You could put a tiny piece of paper with a smile on it, in an S box, for example, or a crumb of soil or a few grains of sugar/sand, a sprinkle of glitter for sparkle (or sprinkle!) or a few strands of stuffing from a cushion.
Have a competition with a friend or the kids to make it extra fun.
3.Find different ways of using something
Choose an item. Any item at all, the first time I came across this was in a Sunday supplement I think, suggesting you choose something like a butterfly and I attended a workshop recently, where a paperclip was suggested.
List as many different ways of using it as possible.
A butterfly could deliver tiny mail, for example, or keep you cool like a fan or be a piece of organic, dynamic art. A paperclip can be used as a bookmark, or a hairslide, to make a hole in something, to pick a lock, to brand a shape on top of a cookie, to engrave a message onto a piece of wood, as a form of counting …
The possibilities are truly endless.
And this is exactly why these are such great creative exercises, opening our minds to possibilities, encouraging us to explore, to be curious and playful.
Why not try one and let me know how you get on? I’d love to hear from you!
Or join in my creative challenge this week: How many ways can I make a daisy?
Have fun! :O)
I love no. 3 – I think I’ll try this with my team at work as a ‘mental massage’ – unexpected + creative = perfect for capturing the imagination! Jen x
Glad you like it, Jen, let me know how it goes when you try it at work … it’s great to do in a group, it’s really interesting to see how different people approach it in very different ways, too!
I’ve been trying a slight variation, making a list of different ways I can craft daisies from things around the house, which was great fun and really stretched my imagination.
:O)