Creative Thursday: 9 Ways to Discover Your Creativity

I’ve often had people tell me, “I’m just not creative.”

Perhaps, that person isn’t a musician, dancer, artist or writer.  However, that person most likely still has some creative flair.  Often it’s just discovering what the passion is and taping into it.

I’ve seen these same people become excited about designing a room, throwing a party, or working on various crafts.  All of these are creative outlets.

So, how can you recognize your creative side?

  1. Passion—notice the things you are passionate about, such as designing a room, throwing a party, putting together an outfits, looking at floral arrangements, cooking, gardening, etc.

    Where is your passion? How do you experiment?
    Where is your passion? How do you experiment?
  2. Enjoyment—what are the things that you enjoy doing?  How can you experiment and put a creative flair to the hobby?
  3. Experiment—be willing to tap into the left side of your brain.  Step out of your comfort zone and experiment with a craft or hobby you’ve always wanted to learn.  What do you have to lose?  You may discover a new passion that was lying dormant.
  4. Unconscious Behavior—what are some things that you do unconsciously?  This could include singing in the shower or car, doodling in a meeting, dancing around your house to your favorite songs, acting out stories, telling yourself or your children stories you’ve made up, etc.  How could you take any of these behaviors to the next step and turn it into a hobby?
  5. Dreams—do you have a secret dream you are too afraid to admit?  This could be to perform on stage, be a speaker, appear in a film, show a piece of art in the studio, etc.  Ask yourself if you can realistically sing or create art, can you learn to and take baby steps to realistically reach your goal.
  6. Natural Talent—do you have a natural talent in an artistic field?  Be willing to take lessons and develop this talent, even if it’s for your own personal enjoyment.

    Give it a try and often the pieces will fall into place!
    Give it a try and often the pieces will fall into place!
  7. Divine Inspiration—do ideas and thoughts come to you, or do you feel inspired?  Be willing to take a chance and act on this inspiration.  My first book came about the same way, I was inspired by a story, but thoughts “I can’t write that.”  A little voice told me, “you don’t know if you don’t try.” I discovered a talent I didn’t know I even had.
  8. Be Quiet—take time each day to just be quiet, without outside distractions such as the television, radio, children, etc.  Listen to your thoughts and discover what may come to your mind.  Sometimes it’s in those quiet moments that our most creative thoughts rise.
  9. Expose Yourself to Something New—step out of the comfort zone and try something new.  This can mean attending a museum, theater production, reading poetry, discovering a new author, listening to a different type of music, writing a letter, taking a nature walk and taking photographs, taking a walk, etc.

 

How have you tapped into your hidden creativity?