Restriction, distance, invention of absurdity and other unexpected ways to become creative.
Creativity originates from the search for unexpected and going beyond its own experience.
Masaru Ibuk
When it comes to creativity, many grab their heads and think about how to generate more good ideas than those that come to mind. Studies in this area do not give clear and certain answers. Below are the most successful practical methods that will help you develop your creativity.
All these methods are good for everyday tasks that are found in our life. Try some of them yourself and see which of them is most suitable for you.
Limit yourself
Research has revealed an insidious problem. It turns out that many choose the path of the smallest psychological resistance ”and as a result rely on existing ideas, try to use those resources that are at hand.
Voluntary restrictions greatly increase creativity. They even help creative people go beyond their comfort zone (they also have it).
One of the most famous examples when Dr. Susa created the most sold from his books – “Green Eggs and a Horn”. He did this after a dispute with his editor, who challenged him: write a book using 50 different words.
Working with the texts, you probably found that when there are any restrictions, they lead to a rather inventive bypass routes. For example, when you were going to create a text in 800 words, and you need only 500.
Try to establish a number of restrictions in your work – and you will see how your brain will find creative solutions within the framework that you set.
Consider the problem again
Typically, creative people have the habit of comprehending problems and do it more often their less enthusiastic colleagues. This means that instead of making a quick final decision, such a person sits down and considers the situation at different angles before starting to work on it.
Here is one example: I often need to make an article that will be popular. If I go to work on the text with the thought of a la “that I can write this to get a lot of retweets?”, Then I can hardly come up with something good. But if I take a step back, look at the problem from the other side and ask myself the question “What articles really resonate with people and attract their interest?”, Then in the end I concentrate on a more fundamental part of the task and, most likely, achieve the goal.
So, if you have a stupor in solving a common task like “what to draw such cool?”, Try to comprehend the problem repeatedly, focusing on its more significant aspect:“ What picture will call for those who look at it, familiar to almost everyone, a feeling of loneliness after a break in relations?”
Follow the psychological distance
It has long been known that if you have been distracted from solving the problem for a while, this can eliminate blocks on the way to its solution. The creation of a psychological distance also helps. People were able to solve twice as many problems when they were asked to think about the source of the goal as a distant.
Try to imagine your creative task, distanceing a little from it, as if at a certain distance.
Pophantase … and then return to work!
Although many studies indicate how useful it is to switch and dream, it seems that all these conclusions miss one important part.
The less work was invested in solving a certain problem, the less fantasies and dreams work to achieve the goal. That is, it helps to dream when you have already invested in the solution of the problem a lot of creative efforts. Therefore, before using daytime sleep and dreams as an excuse for your laziness, be honest with yourself and first put it on!
Come up with something absurd
Reading or experience of absurd experience helps to recognize images and develops non -standard thinking (the subjects read Franz Kafka, but the researchers also proposed stories such as “Alice in the Wonderland”).
Our brain is always trying to figure out things that he perceives. Surrealistic art transfers him into a “accelerated” mode of operation to the short period of time during which we read or look at such an object. You may, for example, help read the story of Isaac Azimov “The Last Question”.
Share creative thinking and work
The technique of the absorbent state helps in the process of preparation and acts much more effective than attempts to combine work with creative thinking.
For example, if you are a writer, then it will be much more productive to first conduct all the necessary studies and only then begin to work on the text.
Create a powerful charged mood
For a long time, scientists said that the state of happiness is ideal for creative. But the 2007 study on creative processes at the workplace showed that thinking is stimulated due to both positive emotional peaks and negative.
Of course, a bad mood can be a murderer of a desire to create, it is not as universal as positive emotions caused by joy, excitement, love and so on. No one advises to bring himself to negativity, but the next time you find yourself under the influence of strong emotions, try to apply them to create something useful. The final result may be very surprised at you.
Move
Sports also help to improve our creativity. Thanks to physical exertion, you get adrenaline and good mood. And as we already know, a positive attitude stimulates creative thinking.
If you have a stupor in solving a problem and you want to relax, then spend a break on physical exercises. While your brain continues to work at a subconscious level, training will accelerate the emergence of useful ideas.
Ask yourself what could happen
According to a study on the processes of hypothetical thinking, a look at past situations with the question “what could happen?”Allows for a short period to increase creativity.
According to research, analytical, strategic tasks are better to solve using a subtractive model of thinking, thinking about what could be obtained in the circumstances. It is better to solve expansive problems with the help of counterfactic thinking, thinking about what could be added to the situation.
Creativity originates from the search for unexpected and going beyond its own experience.
Masaru Ibuk
When it comes to creativity, many grab their heads and think about how to generate more good ideas than those that come to mind. Studies in this area do not give clear and certain answers. Below are the most successful practical methods that will help you develop your creativity.
All these methods are good for everyday tasks that are found in our life. Try some of them yourself and see which of them is most suitable for you.
Limit yourself
Research has revealed an insidious problem. It turns out that many choose the path of the smallest psychological resistance ”and as a result rely on existing ideas, try to use those resources that are at hand.
Voluntary restrictions greatly increase creativity. They even help creative people go beyond their comfort zone (they also have it).
One of the most famous examples when Dr. Susa created the most sold from his books – “Green Eggs and a Horn”. He did this after a dispute with his editor, who challenged him: write a book using 50 different words.
Working with the texts, you probably found that when there are any restrictions, they lead to a rather inventive bypass routes. For example, when you were going to create a text in 800 words, and you need only 500.
Try to establish a number of restrictions in your work – and you will see how your brain will find creative solutions within the framework that you set.
Consider the problem again
Typically, creative people have the habit of comprehending problems and do it more often their less enthusiastic colleagues. This means that instead of making a quick final decision, such a person sits down and considers the situation at different angles before starting to work on it.
Here is one example: I often need to make an article that will be popular. If I go to work on the text with the thought of a la “that I can write this to get a lot of retweets?”, Then I can hardly come up with something good. But if I take a step back, look at the problem from the other side and ask myself the question “What articles really resonate with people and attract their interest?”, Then in the end I concentrate on a more fundamental part of the task and, most likely, achieve the goal.
So, if you have a stupor in solving a common task like “what to draw such cool?”, Try to comprehend the problem repeatedly, focusing on its more significant aspect:“ What picture will call for those who look at it, familiar to almost everyone, a feeling of loneliness after a break in relations?”
Follow the psychological distance
It has long been known that if you have been distracted from solving the problem for a while, this can eliminate blocks on the way to its solution. The creation of a psychological distance also helps. People were able to solve twice as many problems when they were asked to think about the source of the goal as a distant.
Try to imagine your creative task, distanceing a little from it, as if at a certain distance.
Pophantase … and then return to work!
Although many studies indicate how useful it is to switch and dream, it seems that all these conclusions miss one important part.
The less work was invested in solving a certain problem, the less fantasies and dreams work to achieve the goal. That is, it helps to dream when you have already invested in the solution of the problem a lot of creative efforts. Therefore, before using daytime sleep and dreams as an excuse for your laziness, be honest with yourself and first put it on!
Come up with something absurd
Reading or experience of absurd experience helps to recognize images and develops non -standard thinking (the subjects read Franz Kafka, but the researchers also proposed stories such as “Alice in the Wonderland”).
Our brain is always trying to figure out things that he perceives. Surrealistic art transfers him into a “accelerated” mode of operation to the short period of time during which we read or look at such an object. You may, for example, help read the story of Isaac Azimov “The Last Question”.
Share creative thinking and work
The technique of the absorbent state helps in the process of preparation and acts much more effective than attempts to combine work with creative thinking.
For example, if you are a writer, then it will be much more productive to first conduct all the necessary studies and only then begin to work on the text.
Create a powerful charged mood
For a long time, scientists said that the state of happiness is ideal for creative. But the 2007 study on creative processes at the workplace showed that thinking is stimulated due to both positive emotional peaks and negative.
Of course, a bad mood can be a murderer of a desire to create, it is not as universal as positive emotions caused by joy, excitement, love and so on. No one advises to bring himself to negativity, but the next time you find yourself under the influence of strong emotions, try to apply them to create something useful. The final result may be very surprised at you.
Move
Sports also help to improve our creativity. Thanks to physical exertion, you get adrenaline and good mood. And as we already know, a positive attitude stimulates creative thinking.
If you have a stupor in solving a problem and you want to relax, then spend a break on physical exercises. While your brain continues to work at a subconscious level, training will accelerate the emergence of useful ideas.
Ask yourself what could happen
According to a study on the processes of hypothetical thinking, a look at past situations with the question “what could happen?”Allows for a short period to increase creativity.
According to research, analytical, strategic tasks are better to solve using a subtractive model of thinking, thinking about what could be obtained in the circumstances. It is better to solve expansive problems with the help of counterfactic thinking, thinking about what could be added to the situation.