Inspiration and fresh ideas to encourage growth in any area of your life all come from within yourself. It comes through the creative connection everyone on the planet has with the Universe. Every day you create, even if you don’t think you do.  For example, planting seeds and flowers in your garden is creativity at work. Creating a beautiful feast for your family, finger painting with your kids, or dancing to your party mix are all additional examples of your creative abilities.

You exercising your creativity regularly allows ideas to flow from your inner self. It keeps you open to the unlimited potential and possibilities the Universe has before you. Instead of you staying on the same old path doing the same things you’ve always done. You know, stagnation.

Creativity about how you think causes innovation that benefits everyone around you. Your personal growth affects those people you interact with because they see your originality and your development causes great things to happen in your life.  Why? Because you are creating them with your thoughts, goals, and right actions. And when you have an obstacle or take a misstep, your ability to think outside the institutional box with your creativity enables you to problem solve, quickly and effectively.

See, although there are ways to measure intelligence, it’s your creative ability that brings you success in life. Let’s look at five ways for you to foster your creativity by engaging in the following activities regularly. 

You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. ~ Maya Angelou

1.      Keep Your Sense Of Wonder

The world around you is an awe-inspiring place. I want you to begin to observe through the lens of a five-year-old child seeing everything for the first time. There are unbelievable intricacies everywhere you turn. When you start to perceive what is happening around you, the more information you amass, the more patterns you see, and the more capable you are at correctly responding as new circumstances arise.

Your ego wants to be analytical all the time, but that’s not where creativity is born. It comes from divergent thinking. Innovation is a combination of critical thinking and creativity in action. Your imagination fosters growth in all areas of your life.  So each day plant seeds by asking questions.  As you go through your day, seek the answers from within yourself, but also by observing the wonder you experience, but take for granted.

Just like a child blowing on a fluffy white dandelion and watching how the wind carries the seeds through the air, your questions go out into the Universe. But the answers you seek will come to you by your ability to observe and realize the solutions come when you have no constraints of the analytical mind. It comes through your creative channels. Don’t think questioning is disrespectful of others, or trying to stir the pot, see it as a way to stir things up, so other solutions can rise.

Logic will get you from a to b. Imagination will take you everywhere. ~ Albert Einstein

2.      Nurture Curiosity To Help Creativity

Being curious, asking questions, and taking missteps are the cornerstones of learning and growth. When circumstances challenge you, get inspiration to think differently and try new things. See, curiosity fuels creativity.

When you explore the possibilities, the unconventional, is where divergent thinking occurs and the cause of innovative and surprising solutions. When this type of thinking meets with analytical thinking, it not only produces new ideas but also provides novel ways of implementation.

So gather some members of your tribe who have different working styles than you do, who will share their unique perspectives, have diverse skill-sets from you, and whose primary purpose is to help you move your project forward. This diversity allows for a range of thought that incorporate differing experiences, beliefs, perceptions, and more.

When you are dedicated to creativity through nurturing your curiosity, innovative use of your creative ideas will drive your continued growth to staggering levels. See, questioning allows new pathways for thinking, and the more you practice, the easier it becomes to foster this process of self-expression.

Everyone wants to express themselves, and this happens through your creative manifestations.  You sharing your unique talents and gifts with the world come through your ability to encourage out-of-the-box, divergent thinking.  Do you understand creativity is the heart of how you are to work towards your personal growth and your goals?

It’s no accident that AHA and HAHA are spelled almost the same way. ~ Mitch Ditkoff

3.      Recognizing The Serendipitous

Recognize that some of the most creative ideas you’ll have will arise spontaneously seemly out of nowhere. Remember, your questions go out into the Universe like the seeds of that dandelion, and you never know where the answers will come from. Therefore, be open to talking to someone who would have a different viewpoint than you do. Allow yourself to daydream.  The creative answers you seek will find you. Stay open to allow them to come through means that may seem unusual.

Serendipitous moments or happy accidents occur all the time if you are open to the creative thinking behind those instants. Did you know the discovery of penicillin occurred because mold grew on samples while the scientist was on vacation? Now he could have just thrown them away, but he was curious and investigated what happened, why it occurred, and what it could do. When you ask questions, creative answers emerge if you are receptive.

One of the best ways to stay open to serendipity is to play in a self-directed way that involves using your imagination. Where there are no rules, and the concern isn’t the end product but the process. This allows the right side of the brain to engage in new areas and look for patterns or structures that weren’t consciously put there. The process opens you to be receptive to other ideas and concepts.

There are no rules here–we’re trying to accomplish something. ~ Thomas A. Edison

4.      Be Patient When Creating

Answers flow, they aren’t forced. What do I mean? Creativity only happens when you have inspiration or are inflow with the Universe. Therefore, trying to have your egoic mind force a solution will only cause you to waste time and get frustrated.

Creativity isn’t pretty and organized. Usually, it’s the opposite. An unorderly process isn’t how the analytical work. But it is how the creative process occurs. When you release the ego’s pursuit of searching for the answer, its ridged thinking, you allow the creative solution to arise. This can be difficult because the egoic mind wants the solution now, not when it occurs.

So, get quiet. In the stillness, you calm down, align with the Universe, and the resolution reveals itself. The mind must be freed from the egoic thoughts trying to control your responses so a more effortless arrangement can emerge. You’ve planted the seeds with your questions, you’ve nurtured your curiosity, you’re looking at the serendipitous, and now you are allowing time to inspire fresh growth.

Only in the silence can the muse come to you because only then can you hear the answers the Universe is providing. Whether it’s journaling in the morning, taking a walk in nature, or meditation, these grounding exercises open you up to hear the responses you are seeking.

A busy calendar and a busy mind will destroy your ability to do great things in this world. If you want to do great things, whether you’re a musician, or whether you’re an entrepreneur, or whether you’re an investor, you need free time and you need a free mind. ~ Naval Ravikant

5.      Revel In Uniqueness

Beginning today, I want you to applaud others on their individuality.  Why? Because it will help you build the muscle of applauding yourself when you live your truth, no matter what other people’s opinions are, by completely being your authentic self.

People pleasers are not innovators, they are conformers. They are comparing and competing while putting on masks and labels to blend into society.  Instead, be the person who inspires others to be their unique and authentic selves.  Be the change and celebrate the creativity you see in those around you.

For example, when I turned fifty, I decided that my authentic self was no longer conforming to society’s idea of beauty and quit coloring my hair. I’ve had gray in my hair since I was in my early thirties. And since I’ve allowed my natural gray to come through, I’ve received more compliments on my hair and my courage to be authentically me. This also encouraged me to stay firm when others in the business world made negative comments.

When you encourage others for their uniqueness, it reminds you that the differences in everyone are to be celebrated because conformity is the death of creativity, innovation, and growth. Besides, has there been any “normal” person you’ve known done anything thought-provoking or game-changing? Probably not. Normalcy is a lie of the ego to keep you stagnating.

The principal mark of genius is not perfection but originality, the opening of new frontiers. ~ Arthur Koestler

Creatively Moving Forward

Your growth mindset allows for more flexibility, a more adventurous attitude, and your ability to see many perspectives. These attributes are vital for creativity to flow. Be determined to use them every day as acts of self-care and self-growth.

In her book, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert defines creativity as “the relationship between a human being and the mysteries of inspiration.”  I love this verbiage because it so perfectly describes the creative process.

The ability to observe the wonder all around you is part of the nurturing process of your curiosity.  And through the recognition of the serendipity in your life, it intensifies the inspiration of your soul to seek the answers from the Universe. All your creativity comes from your heart, not your rational mind. It actually obscures it.

How to unlock creativity: slow down, study another field, get into nature, get out of the office, music (lots), sketch, do cardio before/after, nibble on small ideas, throw stuff away, atomize the work, look for orthogonal inspiration, breathe, learn about circadian rhythm, paint. ~ Brian Norgard

As you become more mindful of your creative self and use these five steps to cultivate your personal growth through creativity, you can alter the course of your life.

Do you need help to discover your originality? Are you looking for support in learning how to have a growth mindset? Do you want a strategy to help you create an extraordinary life? If so, please get in touch with me, and we can put together an action plan for you to cultivate growth through creativity and live an authentic life.

To learn about how I tapped into my creative side and became a more authentic version of myself, you can do so by reading my book, Raven Transcending Fear, available on Amazon or you can go to RavenTranscendingFear.com for more information.

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