{"id":4204,"date":"2021-06-28T14:02:57","date_gmt":"2021-06-28T14:02:57","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2021-06-28T14:23:29","modified_gmt":"2021-06-28T14:23:29","slug":"creativity-exercises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/en-GB\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-exercises","title":{"rendered":"Three creativity exercises to boost your artistic thinking"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are ample benefits to thinking creatively\u2014not just at work but in our everyday lives as well. The theory of cognition<\/a> argues that creativity is actually a necessary basis of human life. Creativity can lead to better problem-solving skills, mood, and health<\/a>, and an overall increase in personal fulfillment and happiness\u2014for everyone, not just for those who have creative jobs<\/a> or think of themselves as \u201ccreatives.\u201d Basically, when you\u2019re given the chance to be creative, whether at work or in your personal life, you\u2019re able to thrive. Here are some creativity exercises to get you started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three easy creative-thinking exercises<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Use the easy creativity exercises below to stretch your creative muscles and push the boundaries of your daily creative thinking<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While creativity knows no bounds, the act of creative thinking itself involves a bit of structure and planning<\/a>. The first step of any creative thinking is to set a clear intention so that your thoughts are focused, organised, and useful. Orna Ross is a poet and proponent of creative intention<\/a> setting. Ross argues that our goals, including creative ones, are often coupled with self-doubt. \u201cGoals are often made from a mindset that sees you as flawed, in need of fixing,\u201d Ross writes. \u201cCreative intention recognises that before you start, you stop and see that, actually, you are good enough as you are.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Creative intention setting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s say you\u2019ve been tasked with creating a new company product. Initially, you might experience overwhelming negative feelings of uncertainty and self-doubt. Maybe you don\u2019t know where to start <\/a>or don\u2019t think you\u2019re \u201ccreative enough\u201d for this challenge. By setting clear and affirming intentions, you\u2019re able to remove all those negative thoughts that get in the way of the creative process. Ross says when you remove all of that clutter, you are able to fill that space with new, creative ideas. Setting clear intentions also helps free yourself of any self-doubt and insecurity and allows you to focus on only whatever creative endeavor lies in front of you, which helps the ideas to flow easily<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Eidetic imagery<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jacqueline Sussman is an author, speaker, seminar leader, coach, and one of the foremost practitioners of eidetic imagery psychology\u2014a method that allows people to uncover stored images in their minds for personal creative development. Sussman has worked with some of the world\u2019s top companies, including Google and Mattel, to help them establish a more creative work environment<\/a>. The goal of her eidetic imagery method is to envision what you want to create in very concrete and specific ways so that you can better understand how to materialise it in reality.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cImagery and creativity go hand in hand,\u201d Sussman says, \u201cbecause any time we want to do something creative, we\u2019re likely seeing images in our minds.\u201d When you read a recipe, for example, you likely picture all of the ingredients the dish calls for. Maybe the recipe is for a delicious salad. As you read the ingredients list, you\u2019ll likely start imagining the bright red tomatoes and the vibrant green lettuce. For this creativity exercise, what your mind is actually doing is calling forth eidetic images to assist you in creating that meal. 
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Eidetic images are vivid images stored in our minds from all of our life experiences. You\u2019re able to picture those tomatoes and lettuce because at some point in your life you\u2019ve seen both of these vegetables. Eidetic images can be powerful tools to help flex your creativity because they allow you to concretely envision whatever it is you want to create\u2014whether that is something as big as the design of a new company product or something as commonplace as choosing what to wear to work<\/a> in the morning. By using eidetic imagery, your creative thinking<\/a> becomes less abstract and distant and more concrete and tangible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While working with Mattel, Sussman used eidetic imagery to help the design team unlock ideas for new toys. She says the first thing she did was have the designers work in a child\u2019s playroom to try to get them into the mindset of how children play. \u201cThe adult has already been cut off from the real experience of how children play and create, which is kind of magical,\u201d Sussman says. \u201cBut when you use imagery, you can literally see through the eyes of children and how they play.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She then had the group begin picturing kids at play in their mind\u2019s eye, asking various questions like how<\/em> are they playing? What<\/em> are they saying? Are they standing still or moving around? Then she was able to move on to the toy itself: How does it look? How does it feel? How big or small is it? What is it? The goal was to try to see through the eyes of the child to better understand what was actually enjoyable and useful. \u201cWhen practicing the eidetic imagery method, it\u2019s important to not just sit and freely imagine these vivid images,\u201d Sussman says, \u201cbut to also record all of the creative ideas that download in your mind throughout the process as you\u2019re recalling these vivid images.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The eidetic image method as a creative thinking exercise<\/a> can be used in group brainstorming settings<\/a> as well . <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Sketchnoting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sketchnoting<\/a> is a visual thinking method in which you take visual notes\u2014rather than just text-based notes\u2014in real time, during a lecture, meeting, or the like. According to Craighton Berman, the founder and creative director of product design company Manual Chicago and sketchnoting extraordinaire, this creativity exercise helps you process information by drawing images, text, and diagrams<\/a>. But don\u2019t be confused: Sketchnoting isn\u2019t doodling; rather, it\u2019s a deliberate process that requires hefty brainpower. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s say you\u2019re sitting in a long, important meeting where a bunch of information is being thrown at you in various presentations\u2014information you\u2019re going to be required to recall later. Sketchnoting forces you to listen closely to the speakers, synthesise what they\u2019re saying, and then represent that information through imagery that captures the idea. Instead of recording everything that\u2019s being said, you are forced to decide on the most noteworthy information to creatively represent in your notes. This creative thinking exercise thus allows you to hone your skills<\/a> in observation, listening, structuring information, and thinking creatively. You can practice it every day by watching TED Talks and taking sketchnotes, for example.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practicing on-demand creativity at work is not easy, but there is inspiration to be found<\/a> and creativity exercises to help. And if you train your creativity as you would train a muscle, it can get easier. <\/p>\n\n\n

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