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How To Be Creative Like Picasso

11 tips to keep the juices of creativity flowing

By Mindsmatter.Published 3 years ago 6 min read
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How To Be Creative Like Picasso
Photo by Alice Dietrich on Unsplash

The home office is here to stay, at least for many, and although there are hundreds of advantages of being able to work from home, such as being able to take breaks to play with your cat, it can become monotonous very easily. Especially if you are a freelancer or if your work requires creativity, like being a designer, or a blogger.

Maintaining creativity can become a complicated task since it is not enough to be creative for an afternoon, we must constantly keep up with new ideas and initiatives. Inspiration and muses can come and go, but the to-do list will always be there and we can't just wait for a good idea to come to us. Luckily for us creatives, the brain is like a muscle, it can be trained and stimulated to achieve results.

Keeping the juices of creativity flowing is an art, but if you have the necessary tips we can all be Picasso. Creating habits, adjusting the environment around us, and staying active are just some of the things that can help us, although there are dozens of activities that you can do from home.

These are some tips that will actually help you to be and stay creative.

1. Always have a pencil and paper at hand

Of course, this is an expression, you can use the notes app on your phone. Are there still people who write by hand these days? How vintage!

You never know when inspiration will hit you and if you don't write down quickly the idea may go away. Don't trust your memory, I always do and I always forget things. Write down any idea that comes to you, when you wake up, when you take a shower, when you walk your dog, at any time the idea of ​​your next project can come up.

2. Write all the time

Even if you think you have no new ideas, don't be afraid to take a note and write anything down. Scribble, draw, write unrelated words. Sometimes having a blank canvas can be the key to getting ideas from the back of your head to the front.

Imagine that it is like having a coloring book but this time you do the drawings, then you can color them.

3. Sometimes for inspiration, we must stop looking

If you are a designer you should stop seeing the logos of other artists, if you are a writer, you should stop reading other people's blogs. Many times the problem is not that we do not have sources of inspiration, the problem is that we have too many!

Being bombarded with so many things, we have a hard time processing concise ideas. Creativity arises when we stop looking for it. Turn off the computer, leave your phone at home, and go for a walk in the park. Take time off and the ideas will come along, and even if they don't, at least you took a break.

4. Don't try to force things to work

You can find yourself in the temptation that by not having new ideas, you try to take the old ideas that did not work and squeeze them until they do.

Big mistake. That only gets you stuck in a loop of the same recycled ideas. You won't get bigger muscles by always lifting the same weight, right? When creativity arrives it is not necessary to force it, mold it and shape it to be good, it just works.

5. Eat your favorite snacks

When the time comes and you have to sit down to work and you need the light of creativity to illuminate you because the deadline is approaching, fuel can help you. Eat or drink your favorite snacks while you work, that's another advantage of working from home. The last time I brought an extra-large McDonald's combo to the office, my boss was quite upset.

Eating things we like produces effects on the brain comparable to the effects of some drugs. Inject that serotonin into your mind with your favorite chocolate bars, maybe a bubble tea, or fries with ice cream.

Oh God, being creative is terrible for my figure!

6. Listen to new music, go to new places

Our environment has direct effects on our behavior and performance. It will be very difficult for a plastic artist to live in a place where all the walls are plain gray.

Surround yourself with new things, that includes the art you consume. Explore new artists, watch new series or movies, you can also try going to new places. The perfect setting would be to go to museums or galleries, but even going to a new cafe works.

Oh and while you're there, could you get me a bubble tea?

7. Don't leave tasks half done

If you're going through a creativity block, you may want to check your to-do list. Are there many things that you have not done yet? That is a problem.

Even if you are not thinking about it consciously, all the pending things are spinning in your mind, taking up valuable space that could be occupied by new ideas. Make sure you don't leave things unfinished, a free and clear mind is much more likely to be more creative.

8. Surround yourself with people who inspire you

This data may surprise you, but we constantly take things from the people closest to us. And no, I don't mean like when Jennifer took my favorite dress and never gave it back.

We are always inspired by everything we see, even people. Don't be afraid to ask for opinions and show yourself to others who work in creative and artistic areas. We are a bit of all the people around us, like it or not, so why don't you take useful things?

9. Be consistent

As in all training, you must maintain a favorable pace to keep your mind racing on the treadmill of creativity. Trying just once or twice a week won't do you any good.

When creating new habits, repetition is the key to success. Whether doing new things or creating a suitable environment, small tasks must be done every day. Don't just seek creativity when you need it most.

10. Learn new skills

By enrolling in courses and classes to learn new things, we will not only develop new skills for our work, but we will also meet new people. If you are a designer, enroll in an Illustrator course, if you are a writer, take copywriting or SEO writing classes. Not only will it be PERFECT for your resume but you will have new perspectives on your field. Teachers and their classmates can become those people who will inspire you.

11. Think outside the box

Do not be afraid to take risks and do new things that may seem very far from what you usually do. The path of creativity can lead you to roads untraveled. The masterpieces of many artists throughout history have been inspired by works from different disciplines.

Did you know that the Matrix movie saga was inspired by a novel?

Do different things than what others are doing, you do not have to take the same path that everyone takes.

Creativity is not only necessary to fulfill our work tasks. These exercises can help you maintain an active and energetic mind and without realizing it, creativity will help you overcome day-to-day tasks and maintain strong mental health.

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About the Creator

Mindsmatter.

Mindsmatter is written by Bola Kwame, Jack Graves and Emma Buryd.

De-stigmatizing mental illness one day at a time.

Our socials: https://linktr.ee/Mindsmatter

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