Fostering Creative Thinking in Business, Art, and Life

Use these tips to improve your creativity.

Guest post provided by Patric Seeley. See below for more information on this author.

Everybody is always saying that to be successful, you need to think more creatively. But then again, nobody seems to be explaining just what creative thinking is supposed to be.

For the record, the general consensus about creative thinking is that it refers to the ability to look at things from a fresh perspective.

When talking about creativity, artists and writers are often the ones who are attributed with this quality.

From small ideas come forth big changes

Creative thinking is also often referred to as ‘thinking outside the box’, and is a valuable trait not only in daily life but even in business.

For instance, Sarah Blakely, the creator of Spanx underwear, started by thinking of a better alternative to uncomfortable girdles based on her observation that pantyhose gave her a smoother silhouette whenever she wore it.

Now, the company that makes Spanx easily rakes in several million dollars a year from worldwide sales.

Creativity does not limit itself to the exotic or the exciting.

Memory foam mattresses actually had their origins in a space travel lab but ended up being a rather prosaic product.

Still, memory foam mattresses ended up changing the game for the sleep needs industry. All it took was someone who thought about other possible uses for this material, and then slapped it into a kingsize mattress mold.

Fostering Creativity

One common attribute for highly successful people (think Steven Jobs, Donald Trump, Bill Gates) was that they sought to disrupt what was established and accepted.

You could do that too, if only you develop the habit of creative thinking until it becomes something of a second nature.

Take a look at the following ways by which you can teach yourself how to think and act more creatively. Get yourself out of the intellectual rut, and who knows—anything may happen.

Put in a sense of yourself in every project

One of the easiest ways to turn yourself into a zombie is to do everything like an automation. Creative thinkers have passion for almost anything they do—be it work or personal life.

Most people are afraid of failure, and they compensate for this by not investing emotionally. And yet, this is actually a self-defeating tactic: you can’t win until you start caring about winning.

Can the negative self-talk

Most people have adapted the habit of negative self-talk before they have even let themselves explore all the possibilities. You can try to override this tendency by allowing yourself to think randomly and freely every now and then.

When faced with a problem that you just can’t seem to solve, get a pen and a pad. Write down anything that you could think of the moment that it pops into your head.

Don’t edit it or examine it for feasibility, etc. Put the list away for a few hours and look at it with fresh eyes.

Even if you don’t find a solution from all of your random musings, the exercises trains your mind to be more freethinking.

Get a hobby

All work and no play does indeed make Jack (or Jill) a dull one.

Hobbies are essential to give your life a sense of balance. No matter how busy your life is, find something to do just for yourself.

You will find creative juices flowing when you are in a more relaxed state of mind.

Author Information:
Patric Seeley is a Global Brand Manager at Mattressnextday, the UK’s no 1 mattress brand and the best suppliers of bed frames and divans.