5 Tips to Improve Your Creativity

I think everyone has a bit of creativity. You might not think you are creative but it's in there, deep down. Those of you that already know you're creative I bet you love what you do and there are still things you'd like to learn or try. Creativity is just the rationale for doing something different. Do it, go ahead and use the excuse every day – it's an adventure!

Show off your creativity

Here are 5 things I think everyone needs to help show off how creative you are:

1. Good Tools – You can have all the brilliant ideas in your head, but if you don't have the tools you need to make that brilliant idea, no one will see it. You don't need top of the line tools, just good useful tools. If all you have is safety scissors and duct-tape, by golly, get cranking and make something amazing! (I've seen duct-tape skirts, they rock).

2. Fearless Ideas – maybe the ideas themselves are not fearless, they could be big fraidy-cats. The person coming up with the ideas should not be afraid of them. Don't hold back – let them suckers out and see what fantastic things happen. If you think great creators all have brilliant ideas that turn out brilliantly in person – you need to stop watching so much cable. Even the most seasoned artists think something up in their head and produce a “what the heck is that!?” piece of junk from time to time. That's what we call a serendipitous masterpiece – go with it, everyone will think you are a genius.

3. Think Beyond the Typical – if you're just now exploring your potential creativity, go ahead and use this one as a goal to reach, don't scare yourself into thinking everything has to be different. Try making something you've seen in a tutorial but add your own little twist of color or flavor. There is rarely a designer, artist, inventor, songwriter, etc. that has come up with something out of no where. We're all inspired by other things around us. It's the way we decide to create our own greatness that makes the difference – that's what's atypical and makes us produce a WOW. If you are the best chocolate cookie baker ever, YAY you! Maybe it's your ability to hum the Star Spangled Banner while you bake that makes your cookies so darn tasty.

4. Don't Under-Estimate the Power of Simple – stop comparing yourself to magazine articles and Pinterest eye-candy. You don't have to create picture perfect things constantly. Who has that kind of time? You can't be that great every second of the day and unless you are living in a photoshop window, there's no way you can possibly look your best 24/7. That's ok. What's important is that you let that creative genius out to play – no censoring and no judging. Just let her come out and see what happens. Have you seen my doodles? I love Michelangelo – but I'm not drawing like him today and I'm ok with that!

5. Surround Yourself with Creativity – the best way to feel creative and become inspired to be creative is to see creativity around you. Collect images you love or songs you sing along to. Create a recipe book full of beautiful food pictures and the yummy instructions to make all that fattening goodness. Refer back to #4 through this process, but don't let the creative community stop you, make it inspire you. Make friends, brainstorm together, share ideas and show off what you've accomplished.

Now I expect you to be fully charged and ready to go – get out there and make something fabulous today! I want to hear all about it.