Thoughts on Creativity

There is no shortage of creativity in the world today. But what does it mean to be creative? Is it thinking outside the box or finding new ways to capture. Well, the short answer is its both! Being creative is not something that only a handful of people in this world have. Everyone has creativity inside of them. Allowing your imagination to run free cultivates your creativity. In this months’ blog I’ve added some tips I’ve accrued for getting the creative juices flowing:

1.       Read Fiction

Reading fictional novels and short stories is an easy way to become more imaginative. When we read stories, everyone must fill in the gaps that the words leave by painting pictures in our mind of what characters look like or scenery they are in. This process lights up the brain creating new neural pathways that enhance your brain’s ability to think outside of the box. Unlike nonfiction, fiction generally stimulates the reader to feel emotions deeper and to stretch their imagination to paint a picture.

2.      Be Bored

This sounds like it could be counter-productive but it’s not. Some of the best ideas ever conceived came from boredom. Isaac Newton was bored one day while sitting next to an apple tree. When an apple fell on his head, he started to wonder what caused the apple to fall. Boredom is similar to meditation it forces you occupy your brain with new information that you must conceive. Its not easy but its one of the most effective ways to start stirring up ideas.

3.      Try uncomfortable things

Whether it is going axe throwing or trying a new sport, getting outside of your comfort zone can really help with creativity. It helps to try new things to find out what skills you might have that you never knew as well as all the things that might interest you. When you come back to trying to think of ideas and be creative this will help to freshen up your brain and to think differently.

Creativity in Photography requires thinking outside of the box. Trying new things like new settings, new lighting, new lens are examples to freshen up things and find your creative spark.