How to get your creative juices flowing? Hint: Channeling your creativity might be some sort of a discipline.

In 1666, while wandering through a garden, one of history’s most famous scientists was hit by a bolt of creative genius that would transform the world. Sir Isaac Newton observed an apple fall to the ground while standing beneath an apple tree. Newton asked aloud, “Why does that apple always fall straight to the ground?” “Why should it not travel sideways or upwards, but always to the earth’s core? The earth, without a doubt, is the cause. Matter must have drawing power.” 

The notion of gravity was therefore formed. One of the most famous representations of the creative process is the fable of the falling apple. It inspired genius that floods your mind during those “eureka” moments when everything comes together. Most people overlook the fact that Newton worked on his theories about gravity for over two decades before publishing The Principia: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy in 1687. The incident with the fallen apple was only the beginning of a decades-long train of thinking. Newton isn’t the only one who has spent years pondering a brilliant idea. All of us go through a creative thought process throughout our lifetime.

Our brains must establish connections between seemingly unrelated things in order to think creatively. Is this a natural ability or one that requires practice? The majority of studies have found that creativity can be learned and that no one is born with it. This is not to argue that creativity can be taught completely. Genetics is a factor. “Approximately 22 percent of the diversity [in creativity] is attributable to the effect of genes,” according to psychology professor Barbara Kerr.

How to Boost Your Creativity?

Here are a few practical techniques for being more creative, if you are ready to undertake the hard work of addressing your inner anxieties and working through failure and embarrassment.

 1) Adopt a positive outlook.

Positive thinking can lead to considerable gains in creative thinking, which sounds a little airy to me. Why? According to positive psychology studies, when we are pleased, we think more broadly. The Broaden and Build Theory is a notion that makes it simpler for us to link concepts creatively. Sadness and depression, on the other hand, appear to contribute to more restricted and limiting thinking.

2) Try writing more. 

I’ve been trying to write something every few days for over six years, whether it’s thoughts, ideas, or even fiction. The more I adhered to this plan, the more I discovered that I had to come up with around a dozen ordinary ideas before I came up with one that was amazing. 

3) Set aside time to have fun.

According to studies, really immersing ourselves in something we like — in other words, getting out of our minds, encourages outside-the-box thinking and silences our inner critic. Play with toys, make something, go outside and, above all, be like a growing child debunking his interpreted reality.

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