5 Critical Beliefs that boost creative thinking

After starting a 3 month adventure to strengthen my creative thinking skills earlier this year, I have been reflecting on my creative practice – both the graphics practice I do with clients in workshops and meetings, and also the play I do in my studio.

A couple of ideas have persisted.

One is that I have a set of beliefs that underpin all my creative activities. And reflecting on them has reminded me to document these, as I want to see if they change in the coming months and years.

Here’s my beliefs that I think are critical to staying creatively fit:

1. that through maintaining a sense of CURIOSITY and INQUIRY, I notice ideas and links that I would not have otherwise done
2. that INSPIRATION can be found in the oddest places – some are forgotten until I flick back through my old journals and notebooks… and then have the opportunity to think about the original object or idea in a new context. This underscores habit taught to me early in my journey – that it’s really important to photograph / draw / document ideas that appeal as you encounter them
3. that placing CONSTRAINTS and RULES on any activity can have surprising results
4. that at my core, I am a CREATIVE being – I’ve met my inner ARTIST and rather than fear that she has only one or two things to offer the world, I have found she is BRIMMING with ideas if I just give her the pen more often and
5. through regular practice, my creative thinking ‘muscles’ become stronger and so, over time I am likely to produce MORE not less ideas.

I also hold a very strong belief that EVERYONE has an INNER ARTIST with amazing potential for creative and novel thought.

We just need to get to the Creative Thinking Fitness Gym more often!