Keys To Improve Your Creativity

Creativity is a fundamental human cognitive function. It can be defined as a different way of processing information. Like the ability to build an idea, concept or product in an original way. That is, they have characteristics that were not expected at first, as well as provide different solutions to common problems. Now, is it possible to improve creativity?

In recent years, creativity has begun to be valued exceptionally. The world around us yells at us that we have to be creative and everything suggests that creativity is a kind of hidden talent that you have to have. And while it is true that there are people in whom it seems that creativity flows so much that it feels natural, the truth is that creativity is a process that we can train.

Creativity, in general, is made up of three basic aspects: fluidity, flexibility and originality:

• Fluency : It refers to the ability to provide many ideas or solutions to a certain problem.
• Flexibility : Ability to find a different point of view in a given situation.
• Originality : Refers to the ability to find an unusual, but relevant solution to the problem posed.

Thus, these three aspects and, therefore, creativity can be improved simply with some daily tasks.

Read

Reading opens you up to real and imaginary worlds and new perspectives. It is a guaranteed alarm clock for your mind and your imagination. In the long run it helps you make connections and deduce things more fluidly and generally opens you up to possibilities that you once thought were impossible. The advantage is that the options of what you can read are endless, not only the classics of literature will open the doors to creativity, but science books, nature books and all kinds of readings, even the news are excellent so that your creativity is enhanced.

The benefits of reading for creativity have been proven by science. One study found that those who spent more time reading and writing scored significantly higher on creativity. Although the mechanisms are not clear, it is suggested that reading increases verbal fluency and mental representations. This, in the face of a situation or problem, would give us more resources to manage to find a solution, facilitating a more creative response.

To travel

Knowing new places can be a 360 degree turn in your imagination and in the way you see reality, it definitely breaks with pre-conceptions you have about life and people. It is also a way to find on your own a way to live far from home and to be surprised again by the novelty and beauty of things. Thus, separating yourself from the routine is definitely an incentive for creativity. And you do not have to go very far to exotic and unknown countries, you can travel in your own city to places where you have never been, revisit places of childhood or go to places close to which you have never been, any change of perspective is of great help.

Science supports these claims about the usefulness of travel to enhance creativity. In an investigation, a creativity task was applied to workers before and after the holidays. Cognitive flexibility was found to increase after their vacation trip, the second of the three basic elements of creativity. That is, the ability to consider different points of view and to adapt to new perspectives. However, originality was seen to remain at the same levels.

Innovate

By innovating, we basically mean  getting out of your comfort zone. For this you can face your fears and do something that you do not like and see it with new eyes. As well as being willing to make mistakes and learn from them. You can also challenge yourself to do different and new things. Going to new places, trying to do things differently, being inspired by people who do jobs or act in an original way … All this will get you in some way and help you to be more creative in your life without even realizing it.

Anything else?

To improve your creativity, the important thing is that you try to get out of the pot often. Always think further, how else could things be done, think if it would work. Every time you watch a movie, spend a few minutes thinking about an alternate ending or giving it different titles. Think about how you could change or improve everyday products …

In short, take advantage of your surroundings to improve this cognitive ability. In addition to being closely linked to intelligence, improving creativity helps us increase our behavioral repertoire and be more efficient and original in everything we do.