3 Unusual Ways to Feed Your Creativity

Sometimes churning out project after project for clients can really drain your creative mojo. I mean, let’s face it – most businesses develop a single product or service and market that one thing to their clients. I on the other hand have to develop new creative ideas for clients several times a day, and often for completely different industries. So how do you recharge your creativity when it’s being continually drained? By feeding your imagination.

Feed your imagination to boost your creative juices.

I’ve read a lot of articles about boosting your creativity by going to art galleries and museums, looking at design annuals, blah, blah, blah. But none of that really did much for me. After all, I’m trying to design things that are unique for my clients, not emulate someone else’s work. So I hit upon the thought that if I could somehow exercise my imagination (that creative part of my brain that makes me money) in unobtrusive ways, it would help me develop ideas faster and with more clarity.

Sure enough, it worked.

After experimenting with different techniques, I found a few things I can do to feed my imagination while I go about my daily business. And the beautiful thing about each of them is that I can easily do them while I work on other things. Which means I’m not trying to find "extra time" in my day to cram in one more thing. On the contrary, these techniques have helped me generate ideas faster, which helps increase my production and free up more time in my day.

So here’s some of the things that work for me:

1. Listening to classic "old time" radio shows.

We live in a very visual world today. Between television, the Internet, billboards, et cetera, we really don’t need much imagination to understand the ideas they present. That’s why I decided to "unplug" from image overload and try something different. One way I do this is by listening to classic old-time radio shows while I work (like "Suspense," "The Shadow," and the original "Green Hornet" to name a few – for those too young to know what I’m talking about, think primetime TV dramas before there was television). Now before you dismiss me as a geek (which I freely admit to), consider this: listening to radio dramas forces me to visualize the scene in my mind – exercising my imagination while I’m doing something else. This alone has boosted my creative thinking skills over the years, and helped me visualize creative design ideas faster.

2. Capturing those fleeting moments of inspiration.

Ever been half asleep in bed and suddenly have a flash of creative genius hit you out of the blue, then totally forget what it was the next morning? Yeah. Been there, done that. So I did something totally "old school" – I started keeping a small 4" x 6" wirebound notebook nearby at all times. Now when I have one of those inspired moments of brilliance, I just jot it down or sketch it in my notebook for later use. It’s kind of like downloading ideas from your brain so your brain can work on other things. Let me tell you, it sure beats trying to remember things! Plus, I’ve noticed that new ideas come to me easier when I’m not trying to force my brain to remember something else. I also keep an "ideas" folder on my laptop and toss in there anything that sparks an idea for me like PDFs, screenshots, articles I read, etc. Over time, these stored ideas become a well of creative inspiration you can turn to when you need a fresh idea.

3. Seeing things differently.

Everyone sees things a little differently. That’s why two witnesses to the same car accident will sometimes give different accounts as to what happened. They both saw the same accident, but each had a different perspective or view of the events. And when you make your living by your creative talent, the ability to look at things with a different perspective than everyone else is is what pays the bills. The good news is you can train yourself to think that way on command. The trick is finding opportunities to do so. Maybe you use your cell phone’s built-in camera to take unique photos of everyday object while you’re waiting in line (taking an object that would make a boring photo and taking the picture from an angle that makes it interesting). Or perhaps you pick up a small box of Legos® while you’re at the store, and the next time you’re waiting for your computer to finish downloading something you throw away the instructions that came with them and see what you can build on your own. It all come down to finding those opportunities to present yourself with a creative challenge, then finding a unique way to solve that problem.

Putting it into practice

The trick to making these techniques work is to pay attention to your daily grind, and find those moments of mental idleness that you can use to stimulate your imagination. For example, if you’re working on a design (visual work), listen to something that engages your imagination (using your hearing). Even the simple act of "doodling" on a piece of paper while you’re on the phone works. They key is to be feeding your imagination on a regular basis rather than letting it sit idle until you desperately need it.

What about you? Got some unique ways you recharge your creative mojo? Share them in the comments below!

Photo credit: laffy4k