Simple Creativity Practices
Ahh summer…it has a way of loosening things up. Meetings are shorter or cancelled, inboxes get a tiny bit quieter, and many of us are outside more, moving and thinking about work a little less directly.
That moving more is of course a side effect of living in the upper midwest in the summer AND it is also something that researchers say is key to sparking creativity. In fact, you may be doing a number of these practices already without even knowing it.
As we are in the home stretch of summer, here are some great ways to spark creativity and build upon that summer energy to establish some solid practices for the rest of the year.
Walk Before You Run, um…Plan
One of the easiest and best things you can do before your next brainstorming event, planning session or making a big decision is to go for a walk!
A well-known Stanford study* found that creative output increased by and average of 60% when people walked instead of sat. The walking itself was the key ingredient - it didn’t matter whether it was outdoors or indoors on a treadmill. Plus, the boost didn’t vanish the second the person sat back down, it lingered on for several minutes after.
Try this: Next time you’re feeling stuck on something - a plan, program idea, content… - take a 10-minute walk first.
Constraints Are Key
Yes, this might feel counterintuitive, but did you ever find it “easy” to brainstorm freely when prompted? When a blank page is presented, there is a tendency to try to create perfection. Right?
I find that when you have constraints, you have a tendency to play and push the edges more. The “smaller box” tends to produce the more usable ideas, faster.
Try this: Instead of the “brainstorm as many ideas for a new service” approach, try “come up with three ideas, 10 words each” or even “what would this look like on one 3” x 5” index card?”
Borrow a Brain
This is an approach that I love and the basis for how we curate our Circles. Some of the best ideas come from asking what someone completely outside of your world would do. For example, a manufacturer thinking like a creative agency. The mismatch can create some interesting ideas.
Try this: In person is always best, find someone who is outside your industry and ask them “How would you handle this?” If you are short on time, pick an industry that has nothing to do with you and ask yourself "How would they handle this?”. Either way - it gets you outside of your norms.
Let It Sit
Summer is a fabulous time for this practice. Drives, weeding the garden, showers…these are the activities that let your brain keep working on a problem in the background while you consciously stop swirling on it. Our founder, Myrna Marofsky, came up with the idea for The BWC in the shower!
Try this: Stuck? Stop. Truly step away, don’t try to push through. Come back to whatever it is later, the next morning, etc. Notice if something has shifted after time away.
Change The Scene
You know this one already. Sometimes a little something new or novel nudges your brain out of the “usual”. And this newness doesn’t have to be big, it can be a different coffee shop, working outside for the afternoon, taking a different route to work…
Try this: Work somewhere different this week, even for a short time.
Pick one practice from above and try it. Today, this week - the sooner the better. And if something good comes out of it, let us know, we’d love to hear about it!
*Oppezzo & Schwartz, 2014, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology