Five Ways To Make Creativity A Habit

The brain. It’s one of the most complex organs in our body. A biological supercomputer that we are still attempting to understand through ongoing research. And while we’ve gotten a handle on many functions of the brain, there are still many aspects we are still attempting to pinpoint and analyze.

Some questions, such as which part of the brain handles different body tasks, are more straightforward. But what about the more elusive aspects of our thinking? The traits that make artists and authors, musicians and poets, the leaders of innovation, and the behemoths of industry. Why are some of us seem more creative than others?

The neuroscience behind creativity

Unlike pinpointing the visual or auditory centers of the brain, there is no single dedicated region to trace the origin of creativity. On a broad scale, we know there are three networks in the brain.

The first is known as the default mode network. This network is active while we are awake, constantly filtering our experiences into the various regions of the brain, essentially helping the brain translate external stimuli into internal responses. The second encompasses the regions of the brain that handles decision making and emotional responses, including how we regulate and perceive our emotions. The third is largely responsible for filtering the things we notice and pay attention to versus the things we discard. This includes long-term and short-term memory.

Using technology combined with brain discoveries of the past, neuroscientists and doctors are constantly pushing brain research in new and exciting directions. Recently, there was research conducted using MRI’s and AI that were able to measure and predict the creativity levels of individuals quite accurately.

Based on these discoveries, scientists were able to formulate a theory in regards to creativity in the brain. They believe all three networks work in unison to generate creativity. The first network generates the ideas, passing them into the various regions for translation. The second network evaluates these ideas, while the last network decides which ideas transfer into our conscious minds.

Creativity: A blend of genetics and experience

Once scientists formed a theory from the data obtained through technological research, they focused on finding a scientific method to measure creativity. The most obvious method to measure creativity outputs is to compare creative levels in two individuals. In order to do that, scientists turned to genetics.

There have been many studies concluding that creativity is passed on in families. Before, this evidence was largely anecdotal, relying on psychological theories that perhaps creative parents raised creative children through behavioral reinforcement. However, they’ve discovered that there are comparatively smaller connections between the right and left hemispheres of the brain in more creative individuals. This suggests that while creativity has always been believed to be taught, it seems to have more solid cognitive origins as well.

Combining our understanding of how the brain works, along with physical characteristics in a creative brain, scientists determined that no matter the level of creative cognition a person is born with, there is strong scientific evidence that anyone can enhance their own creative skills, as well as anyone being able to cultivate creativity at any age.

Make creativity a habit

It may seem counterintuitive, or even meaningless to practice creativity if we’re all born with innate levels. However, studies have shown us that regardless of any genetic predisposition, creativity is a skill that can be lost or show significant decline if not utilized in our daily lives. There are quite a few factors that can contribute to this decline, such as working in the same place every day, dealing with stress, and fear of failing.

This is important to understand. We can actively increase or decrease our levels of creativity based on our focus and behavior. Science has shown that there are three methods employed to hone any skill, and these same methods can be used to boost creativity. Experience, practice, and play. All of which can be done when we make creativity a habit.

When we make something a habit, what we’re doing is rewiring our brain. The more we engage in a behavior, the more the neural pathways are reinforced, making the behavior easier for the brain to engage and execute. Like any muscle, as our brain gets stronger, it builds momentum. Engaging in these habits becomes easier each time, which reduces stress and improves problem-solving skills, thereby increasing the creative output our brain can generate.

While it is possible to build our creative muscles, it does take time. Participating in creative tasks intermittently or in short spurts isn’t enough to strengthen and develop strong creative skills. Hard work, innovation, and determination are key in building a solid creative foundation. But that doesn’t mean we can’t work on these skills and habits every day. Simply engaging in a particular art form for a longer period of time each day, or brainstorming on a regular basis can help improve ideas and cultivate creative output.

One of the most amazing things about our brain is how it is constantly trying to improve. This means that once we begin pursuing a creative habit, our brain will develop better, stronger neural pathways. Innovation and ideas will be easier to generate because our brain will get better at identifying the stimuli we need to boost our creative outputs. It’s a natural process that improves simply with daily focus.

Five Creative Habits

1. Try By Doing

This one may seem obvious but the data surrounding the effects of focus and effort are indisputable. When people are trying to think clearly, they always can. Again, this comes down to reinforcement and strengthening our neural cellular connections. But in order to do this, we have to dedicate time every day to actively thinking.

Active thinking means cutting off distraction. No e-mail, no social media, no television, etc. In the same vein that meditation requires us to focus on the moment and be present, actively thinking requires the same dedication and behaviors. Whether our active thinking encompasses brainstorming sessions, dedicated time to a specific task in our creative endeavor, or utilizing our skills in a free and unconstrained way, simply practicing without rules or criticism will strengthen our brain.

2. Change Our Surroundings

Data has shown that creativity can improve by making small changes in our surroundings. This change can be as small as a warm cup of tea instead of cold juice, or placing a different color in the room with us. Rearrange our desk or sit facing a different direction or in a different position in our chair. Small changes in our environment forces our brain’s default network to work a little more actively, which can help spark those creative ideas in new ways.

And these changes aren’t limited to our physical surrounding, either. Change up our social settings by meeting new people. Talking and interacting with new and different personalities in new places takes our brain from passive to active. Even a five minute conversation with a new barista can help creativity. Say hi to a stranger on the train or a new co-worker in the elevator, and see what new ideas our creative brain might generate.

3. Learn Something New

Research has shown that when we broaden our knowledge on unfamiliar topics, we develop divergent thinking which leads to new ideas. An easy exercise to engage in is called ‘The Expert’s Group’. In it, people with extensive knowledge on a specific topic give five minute long lectures. Afterwards, each individual listening has to come up with at least three new ideas for products and services. Even if the information presented is seemingly meaningless in our everyday lives, by focusing on a specific challenge, our brain will hone in on the information presented and generate ideas.

If we can’t participate in a group, we can still use this method on our own. Watch a YouTube video on a subject outside of our area of expertise and come up with a marketing plan, or use of the product. How would we sell it or make it better? By engaging in these questions on topics unrelated to our creative focus, we’re helping our brain hone these active skills, which helps it get stronger, faster, and better when activated and used in our specific creative efforts.

4. Write It Down

This may seem like another obvious one, but when we have an idea, write it down. As we’ve mentioned, your brain is constantly filtering through stimuli. The sheer number of thoughts and observations our brain discards is astounding. What seems like a cohesive thought one minute, may slip into the discard pile by the end of the day.

Beyond simply being able to refer back to that physical piece of paper or note in our smartphone, writing our ideas down has powerful neurological science behind it. Every time we write something down, we are encoding that idea into our brain. The action of writing tells our brain: this is important, and it will automatically place a higher priority on what we’ve written.

Not only does this help us remember, a skill that needs constant focus, especially as we get older. But this also helps the momentum of creativity. We identify it’s important which does more than simply place it in our long-term memory. It also works along the neural pathways of innovation and ideas, working in the default network of our brain. It may not feel like an idea is processing, but it is, and because our brain has placed priority on it, anything we come across will also be filtered into a more important pathway rather than be discarded. This is creativity momentum at work.

5. Challenge yourself

Setting specific daily challenges is the best way to actively exercise our brain. No matter what our creative focus is, we can find a way to challenge ourselves in it. Are we focused on being a writer? Set timed sprint challenges where we write as much as we can. Painter? Sketch a complicated piece in ten minute intervals? Singer? How many scales can we do? For stimulation at work, take on a challenge in the industry. What are the overarching questions and issues in the field and start to brainstorm open-ended solutions.

Challenges are a catalyst, priming our brains to be active and engaged in a specific focused area. This focus helps with spontaneous ideas, sparking solutions, and thinking creatively. It doesn’t matter if the challenge is answering sets questions, timed sessions, or attempting to improve the time it takes to complete a task. Simply engaging in a focused challenge will strengthen our brain and improve creativity.

Conclusion

The science of the brain is constantly evolving. New research, technology, and scientific understanding means that there are new experiments being conducted which will lead to new theories, improving our understanding of how the brain works. There is no one size fits all method to improve our brain’s functionality or creativity; however, by utilizing these methods we can develop healthy habits to improve overall brain health. And that’s always a good idea.