This is a topic that I had been searching the answer to over the past year as it was something I really wanted to know.
I had always considered myself to be the least creative person I know. I always found those creative subjects in school the most difficult for some reason and so I always had it in my head that I am not a creative person.
I started challenging my own thinking and asking myself if I can learn to be more creative. It seemed like an impossible task.
However about 7 years ago I decided I was going to run the London Marathon with no running experience whatsoever. I love challenging myself and pushing myself to see I can succeed.
This blog was another challenge I set myself. I did not consider myself a writer or that I could learn to be a writer of a blog however here I am writing another article after 2 months of consistently writing.
What Others Think
I posted a poll on my LinkedIn site to see what people thought and it was pretty mixed. 56% of people believed that creativity can be learned and 46% believed it couldn't.
Obviously this is very dependent on what you believe creativity to mean and your interpretation of it.
What I Think
You have probably guessed what I think but I will say it anyway. I believe almost anything can be learned and the only thing stopping you from learning something is your own self doubt and negative thoughts.
Yes I am sure some people are born with a natural talent of creativity but that does not mean you can't nurture your creativity without being born with a gift.
You can be born with all of the talent in the world but if you don't put it to work it will amount to nothing. And you can be born with no talent but work harder than anyone else and you will be successful.
My Top 3 Pieces Of Advice To Be More Creative
There are so many ideas out there on how you could be more creative but these are my personal favourites that I have adopted:
- Be consistent. As with anything you want to get good at, it take lots and lots of practice and you need to be consistent with it. I try to write every day. Even if it is just in my scrapbook and it isn't going to be published.
- Research. Whether that is reading, visiting museums or whatever else is applicable to the type of creativity you want to inspire. I want to keep improving my writing so I need to read more so I can learn from others.
- Experiment. Try different things and make mistakes. Making mistakes is the best way to learn and improve. Be an Amateur as it is the fun part of being creative!
Books To Help Drive Your Creativity
These are two books that I would recommend. I have read both of them and picked up a few nuggets that have helped me on my creativity journey.
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Thanks for reading,
Gav
*For full transparency, the post above has affiliate links. If you click on affiliate links and make a purchase it is of no extra cost to you but I will receive a small commission from it.
