12 tips to Improve your creative abilities

Research studies prove that "people who keep learning and stay mentally active increase their odds of retaining good brain function as they age. The more you use your brain, the stronger it gets — and the longer it stays strong."

Can we improve our creative abilities?

If we are aware of the importance of "creativity" then we can definately try to improve it. We as a teacher usually don't encourage creativity among children. We are used to a system which teach us to follow instruction and we judge the best students by estimating the level they follow the teachers. It is good that development in education system has made it possible to develop creative skills.

According to "Wikipedia":

"Creativity is a mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts.

From a scientific point of view, the products of creative thought (sometimes referred to as divergent thought) are usually considered to have both originality and appropriateness. An alternative, more everyday conception of creativity is that it is simply the act of making something new."

Another definition says: "Creative thinking is the process we use to develop ideas that are unique, usefulm and worthy of further elaboration"

These tips are provided by the "University of Michigan College of Engineering" which is a global leader in engineering education and research.


"Tips to Improve Your Creative Abilities"

1- Keep track of your ideas at all times. Many times ideas come at unexpected times. If an idea is not written down within 24 hours it will usually be forgotten

2- Pose new questions to yourself every day. An inquiring mind is a creatively active one that enlarges its area of awareness.

3- Keep abreast of your field. Read the magazines, trade journals, and other literature in your field to make sure you are not using yesterday's technology to solve toady's problems.

4- Engage in creative hobbies. Hobbies can also help you relax. An active mind is necessary for creative growth.

5- Have courage and self-confidence. Be a paradigm pioneer. Assume that you can and will indeed solve the problem Persist and have the tenacity to overcome obstacles that block the solution pathway.

6- Learn to know and understand yourself. Deepen your self-knowledge by learning your real strengths, skills, weaknesses, dislike, biases, expectations, fears and prejudices.

7- Learn about things outside your specialty. Use cross-fertilization to bring ideas and concepts from one field or specialty to another.

8- Avoid rigid, set patterns of doing things. Overcome biases and preconceived notions by looking at the problem from a fresh view point, always developing at least two or more alternative solutions to your problem.

9- Be open and receptive to ideas (yours and others). New ideas are fragile; keep them from breaking by seizing on the tentative, half formed concepts and possibilities and developing them.

10- Be alert in your observations. Look for similarities, differences, as well as unique and distinguishing features in situations and problems.

11- Adopt a risk taking attitude. Fear of failure is the major impediment to generating solutions which are risky (i.e., small chance of succeeding) but would have a major impact if they are successful. Outlining the ways you could fail and how you would deal with these failures will reduce this obstacle to creativity.

12- Keep your sense of humor. You are more creative when you are relaxed. Humor aids in putting your problems (and yourself) in perspective. Many times it relieves tension and makes you more relaxed.


Source

More links:

- CREA Italia is a non-profit association dedicated to the development and promotion of creativity and Creative Problem Solving in Italy and in Europe, mainly in sectors such as education and business, but also for all those people looking for new and innovative personal development paths.

- THE AMERICAN CREATIVITY ASSOCIATION is a primary resource for learning and applying creativity, innovation, problem-solving, and ideation theory, tools, and techniques.

What they offer: They offer a global network of creative professionals in disciplines ranging from business and industry to education and the arts.