Creativity Skills

CREATIVITY SKILLS

Developing creativity

You can improve your creative ability by exercising it in the same way that you master mesmorising names or learning a new language.

Exercising the right side of your brain will inevitably develop your imagination and assist in developing creativity and creative thinking skills. Listed below are some ideas for exercising your creative ability, but a word of caution, they will only benefit you if you truly want to improve your creativity.

• Believe in your own capability

Telling ourselves that we are creative and have the capability to generate ideas, will ensure that we do not put any psychological barriers in the way of generating great ideas. The right side of our brain provides the capability to generate ideas, if we merely use and exercise it.

• Identify your own ideas first

When you need to come up with ideas or solutions, try to avoid going to the creative people you may have tended to rely on in the past. Take time to come up with ideas and solutions yourself first. In this way, you will naturally develop your imagination.

• Selectively read

Reading selectively means choosing material that will exercise your imagination such as a good mystery or a short story. One way to exercise your imagination with short stories is to read the first half and make up your own ending.

• Play games, puzzles or physical sports

Games that force you to map out strategies and make moves that depend on what your opponent does. Games of chess and checkers are both good examples, as well as physical sports such as football, basketball and tennis – all of which provide creative exercise.

• Associate with creative people

Look for people who are fun to talk to and have a keen sense of interest in life. An individual who will force you to exercise your imagination, as you interact with them. Talking with a wide range of people from different disciplines, backgrounds, cultures and experiences will help you to see things from different perspectives and develop your imagination.

Creativity simply means being able to come up with something new. If you can create something, not only will you enrich your personal life, you’ll have an advantage in whatever field you enter.

The first is technical creativity, where people create new theories, technologies or ideas. This is the type of creativity we discuss here. The second is artistic creativity, which is more born of skill, technique and self-expression. Artistic creativity is beyond the scope of these articles.