You have been working on your design project for hours and days, but nothing worthy is coming up. You have hit a wall, and you don’t know what to do. You are starting to doubt your creativity and feel insecure, “Did I choose the right path to follow? Was studying architecture the right thing for me?” Well, don’t get there. Don’t go on thinking about the meaning of life and why you exist, when the deadline is approaching faster by the minute. Research is always there for you! Creativity isn’t something that bursts out from nowhere – approaches like environmental architecture or biomimicry can enhance your creativity. There is also some stuff you can do on a regular basis to upgrade your workflow, check out these easy-to-follow tips which can help boost your creativity and get over different sorts of obstacles.
How can I increase my imagination and creativity?
Here are 7 ways to boost your creativity
1) Do you listen to music while you are working?
Make it a bit louderYes, certain levels of noise can boost your creativity. A journal article has revealed that an ambient noise level of 70 dB can enhance the performance of tasks that require creative thinking. This level of noise is equivalent, for example, to a TV set on loud or several people talking on the phone. On the other hand, a lower level of 50dB is equivalent to the noise of a working refrigerator. The argument here is that this specific level of noise gives an acceptable amount of distraction which may unleash the imagination. However, higher levels of noise will not probably induce the same effect.
2) Get out in the world
Get your legs moving you have probably tried that yourself, and it seems there is scientific evidence to support it. Exercising and preferably regular exercising, four times a week at least, makes you more creative. Jogging, cycling, aerobics, or any form of exercise you prefer will not just keep you fit but will, also, raise your creative potential. Scientific tests have also, proven that you are possibly the most creative right after exercising. Many creative figures have claimed that they get their best ideas while exercising, so why not try? And better take your jogging tours out there in the open air, surrounded by all sorts of people, moving around and providing the perfect distraction, or surrounded by nature’s relaxing green and the sky’s clear blue; colors which are thought to be creativity boosters themselves.
3) Squeeze a softball with your left hand
There is another tested technique that might give you the needed push. You know the theory of “right-brained is creative and left-brained is logical”? Combine it with the scientific fact that the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body and the left hemisphere controls the right side of the body, and you might get the idea. Squeezing a ball with your left hand hard enough for about a minute could, possibly, activate your right hemisphere and enhance your divergent thinking. However, further research has shown that the ball shouldn’t be hard but soft and malleable enough like gel balls, for example, or you might get the opposite effect
4) Take a nice warm shower
Remember the famous Archimedes “Eureka” moment in the bath? Well, that might be, actually, something. Taking a warm shower could be a trigger for increased dopamine flow in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that sends signals to nerve cells. Also, a warm shower makes you feel relaxed and a bit distracted at the same time, which is a good environment for new ideas to come out.
5) Talk to a friend and brainstorm together
Group of creative people having a meeting from overhead
While we tend to make jokes about time-wasting peer talks when the deadline is just around the corner, these talks can be quite useful. Remember how many times you were telling a friend about one of your problems and then realized halfway through that the solution was, actually, quite obvious or an idea just came by without prior notice. Yes! They have a habit of showing up when you finally decide to ask for help. The way our brains work is such a curious thing.
6) Play a game called “The 30 Circles Test”
This is a game you have probably played as a child, not necessarily with circles. There is a random shape drawn on a piece of paper and what you need to do is turn it into an object. Now, this is taking it to the next level, you have got to turn into “30” different objects. So, can you do that? Push the limits of your creativity and broaden your visualization capabilities.
Actually, Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO design firm, suggested the game in a TED talk about the relationship between creative thinking and play. Here, you can check out the complete talk.
7) Go get some sleep! Good decisions are made first thing in the morning
Staying up late until you have come up with a good enough idea might not be your smartest move. After all, you have been up all day consuming your brain to its full extent. Sleep instead, and wake up early in the morning with a fresh clear mind and give your design problems a second thought; ideas might come hailing at you.
