🔋ATP#15: How to Boost Your Creativity

Some people blow our minds due to their power of creation and innovation. Who do you think of when you think about exceptionally creative people?

Everybody has their own list, but many certainly include:

• Steve Jobs

• Stephen King

• Joanne K. Rowling

Their creative potential is stunning.

On the other side of this fascinating group are many people who complain about “not having ideas” or “not being creative at all”.

The truth is: Everybody can be creative. 

In this newsletter, you’ll learn how to boost your creativity with simple yet effective hacks.

Let’s dive in.

What is creativity?

Creativity consists of 2 components:

• Divergent thinking: The ability to come up with multiple solutions to an open-ended problem or question, where “open-ended” means that there’s no official or correct solution but rather many ways to solve it. It requires thinking outside of the box.

• Convergent thinking: Finding a sudden solution to a closed-ended problem. Closed-ended means that there’s a correct solution to the problem, just like Archimedes’ discovery of how to determine the volume of an object with an irregular shape while taking a bath.

These 2 components rely on different brain networks, as revealed in a recent meta-analysis:

• Divergent thinking requires activation of your brain’s default mode network (the network that activates when your brain is “idle”, e.g., during daydreaming).

• Convergent thinking relies on a brain network that is associated with higher cognitive functions (executive functions), which mirrors the fact that a lot of information must be analyzed simultaneously to trigger a solution.

How to supercharge your creativity

Creativity rarely strikes while you’re glued to a screen.

Friedrich Nietzsche once said,

Immanuel Kant was known for taking long walks every day.

Is there a link between Nietzsche’s and Kant’s creativity and the walks? Almost certainly.

Walking helps you let your mind wander or daydream - one of the best ways to boost creativity.

We’ll now discuss how mind-wandering, solitude, and mindfulness can make you more creative.

1. Mind-wandering

Mind-wandering or daydreaming often occurs unintentionally when you find yourself lost in thoughts.

But you can also use it with purpose by taking a break from what you’re doing and letting your mind wander. It activates your brain’s default mode network, which, as mentioned above, is essential for divergent thinking.

What helps you make your mind wander?

Interestingly, taking a shower or brushing your teeth is one of the best activities to promote mind-wandering, according to Dr. Matt Killingsworth, director of the “Track Your Happiness” app, who has gathered tons of data on mind-wandering in everyday life.

Another activity (with many more benefits than “just” making you more creative) is walking. In a study where participants were asked to come up with unconventional uses for everyday objects, walking outside boosted idea generation.

Walking has numerous benefits, so you should incorporate it into your routine anyway (ideally daily). Walk without your phone and have a notebook and a pen handy to jot down ideas.

2. Solitude

Thomas Edison once said,

and Nikola Tesla wrote,

Why is solitude powerful?

Sitting with yourself means fewer distractions (so, please, no phones!). Reduced distractions can promote both components of creativity:

• Divergent thinking: Mind-wandering is easier when you’re alone, and we already discussed how mind-wandering fosters creativity.

• Convergent thinking: It requires analytical thinking and integrating different information sources while ignoring irrelevant information. This also gets easier with fewer distractions, as in moments of solitude.

So: Make time for being alone and don’t be afraid of boredom.

But solitude per se may not be enough: Often, a combination of moments of solitude AND interactions with others can give rise to exceptional solutions.

3. Mindfulness

Mindfulness or “present-moment awareness” may also be beneficial.

According to a recent meta-analysis, both divergent and convergent thinking benefit from mindfulness interventions, but the effects are bigger for the latter.

This may be because mindfulness reduces mind-wandering thoughts, enhancing present-moment awareness and attention, according to the study authors.

Longer mindfulness interventions (over several weeks) had a greater effect, but even a single session of just a few minutes can boost creativity.

10 things that creative people do differently

According to the book “Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind”* by Scott Barry Kaufman and Carolyn Gregoire, which presents insights from the lives of creative people and current research in cognitive psychology, there are 10 things that creative people do differently.

We already treated 3 of them above, but here’s the full list:

1. Imaginative play: Playing as if you were a child

2. Passion: Passion and inspiration go hand in hand.

3. Daydreaming: Let your mind wander to come up with new ideas.

4. Solitude: Make time for yourself and sit with your thoughts but without your phone.

5. Intuition: Years of experience in a field feed your unconscious mind, leading to sudden breakthroughs or “gut feelings” that drive you toward a solution. Steve Jobs called intuition “more powerful than intellect”.

6. Openness to experience: Maintaining an open mind for inner and outer experiences.

7. Mindfulness: Paying attention to the present moment.

8. Sensitivity: Many of the most creative individuals are shy, introverted, and sensitive. They turn these characteristics into a superpower.

9. Turning adversity into advantage: Loss, suffering, or trauma are potential sources of inspiration and motivation.

10. Thinking differently: Thinking outside the box and resisting conformity has been linked to creative breakthroughs.

Wrapping up

Creativity may seem like magic, but it’s actually not. You have more creative potential than you might think, and you can train your brain to be more creative.

So put away your screen now and watch the magic happen!

If this edition inspired you to try something new, you can buy me a coffee here. ☕ That’s how I keep this newsletter free.

Until next time!

Best wishes,

Patricia (Dr. Schmidt) from creatorschmidt.com.

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