If you work in a job or field that demands thinking outside the box and coming up with fresh ideas, you know that creativity can be quite elusive. Creativity is one of the traits we value most in each of our team members and at Living Proof Creative, we pride ourselves in creating an environment where our team can develop creative habits and where those habits can flourish.
While you may or may not want to take a morning ice bath like Victor Hugo or count the exact number of coffee beans for your morning coffee like Beethoven, there are a number of slightly less peculiar habits of creative thinkers that you can employ. In this blog post, we’ll breakdown 7 habits of highly creative people that we’re trying to adopt and add some of our own personal tips into the mix.
Know your productive hours
I’m personally more productive at around 10 am. I’ll sit down at my computer, have my first cup of coffee while answering emails and messages. Once all the “urgent” matters are out of the way, my brain is clear and also, the coffee has begun to work. This process helps me get my head in the game and get jittery. Jitters are good for creativity. Write that down.
Some people are more creative in the early morning before the hustle of the day, while others thrive later at night, once all the boxes have been checked and they can finally focus. Find what time works for you and stick with it.
Beautify your space
Creativity thrives when you’re comfortable in your space. Invest in making your office space a place you love to be in and where you look around and feel happy. Motivational quotes, pictures of your cats, beautiful plants, the macaroni art from your child’s latest school project; whatever makes you feel yellow. Deep, bold yellow.
Respect your own creative process
Great minds this alike, but creative minds think completely differently than anyone else. I have witnessed this first hand when working with children and have since noticed this trait manifested in the creative habits of many adults as well. Some prefer to work with music playing, while others feel more creative when putting pen on paper.
I am most creative when I pace the room spouting ideas and a coworker takes notes. We later sit together to polish it and make it sound pretty. We call it the channel and vessel method. It works for us.
Find a friend
The point above leads me into the next tip. Find a friend — saying the words out loud helps get the juices flowing. Bouncing ideas off your SO, coworker, or friend helps you hear your thoughts out loud, which is another great example of the habits of creative people. That leads us to our next tip.
Spout ideas until one of them works
They can’t all be gold. The Harmon Brothers offered this as one of their creative habits in a youtube video and I have adopted it as my own. I use this phrase as an excuse in every brainstorming session: spout ideas until one of them is good! If you don’t get the ideas out, they become stagnant in your brain and you’re unable to keep those creative juices flowing. Have 100 ideas and one of them will work.
Take breaks
After writing out the layout for this article, I went to hang some laundry. Believe it or not, my creativity came to me when I was up and away from my computer — the words started to flow. I grabbed my phone and texted myself so I wouldn’t forget when I sat back down.
Originally when I wrote the title for this section, that was not the type of break I had in mind, but I had to include it since it was literally what inspired me.
If you’re not the laundry-hanging type, try a set of squats, a headstand, a shower (another personal favorite), or even a change of clothes. Stand up from your desk and do something to give your creative genius a break.
Eat a snack
Is there something about the rhythmic chewing or is the brain being fueled by delicious flavors and/or nutrients? Or could it be those priceless seconds where you reach for another bite and your brain disconnects from the tedious task and your slate is wiped clean, ready for a new, fresh idea to come to mind. No matter the cause, snacking while working gets our creative juices flowing.
The habits of creative people are certainly intriguing and can be helpful to implement, but what I have found most true is that a truly creative person must find what makes them tick. Explore your own creative habits and stay true to what works for you.
We hope that the tips and these 7 habits of highly creative minds have helped peak your interest in finding a routine that works for you and stimulates your creativity.
