You might be surprised to hear that you can actually train your brain to be more creative. Oftentimes, people think that creativity is some mystical, innate skill, and you either have it, or you don’t. But research has shown that there are some strategies you can use to stimulate creativity in your everyday life and benefit from new ways of thinking and problem solving.

1. Switch up your regular routine

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut of doing things the same way every day. But the more you stimulate your brain with change and novelty, the more flexible and creative your brain gets.

Keep your creative mind on its toes by reading new books, trying different foods and places to eat, even trying different routes through your neighborhood. Switching up your usual routines will stimulate your mind and get you thinking about new possibilities and approaches to life.

2. Relax the rules

So much of what you do is bounded by shoulds and oughts. From those eight glasses of water you’re supposed to drink, the right foods to eat, and how much and when, to whether it’s okay to talk in the elevator, much of your life is probably restricted by how you think you should behave.

Try breaking some of the rules today. Smile and say hi to the waiter or the bus driver. Crack a joke in that silent elevator. Open up a bit and allow your creative, maybe even slightly anarchic brain to flourish.

3. Look around you

Another good way of relaxing your mind and allowing your creativity to grow is to simply sit in the present and observe what’s going on around you. Work your way through each of your senses and really notice your environment. What can you hear, see, smell, feel, even taste? Notice everything and then write down what comes into your head.

When you walk down the street, look up and around. Chances are you’ll be the only person not looking at their phone or frowning into the idle distance. Don’t miss out on noticing the signs of spring or autumn. Look up and around and see how many colors and textures are right there in front of you.

4. Really talk to people

How much of your conversation is either you talking or being talked at? Step back a little and really engage with other people. Don’t just talk or think of what you’re going to say next. Practice active listening and give the other person space to speak.

Real conversation can open up all sorts of possibilities and creative solutions you might never have thought of.

You might think that being creative doesn’t stack up well with business. After all, the stereotype of the suffering artist or writer wrestling with the Muse doesn’t sound like a great candidate to be running a company, right? But in fact,creative people make outstanding entrepreneurs.

Researchers have found that there are a number of characteristics creatives share, which can make them innovative and successful businesspeople.

1. Creatives are innovative

Creative people tend to take a different, even quirky view of the world. They have flexible, adaptive minds and can often find solutions to tricky problems. And they’re really good at coming up with lots of new ideas.

2. Creative processes mirror business processes.

It might sound surprising, but the stages of developing a creative project are very similar to those involved in setting up a business. Commonly there are four steps to each enterprise. There is a research phase, gathering information about an issue, product, or problem. There is an ‘incubation; stage where this information gets processed, followed by a big breakthrough Eureka moment when the solution becomes clear. Then comes the final testing phase, where the creative/entrepreneur tests the solution to see if it works. This applies whether you’re setting up a business, launching a new product, or writing a novel.

3. Creatives and entrepreneurs work in the same conditions

Both creatives and entrepreneurs work in a flexible, highly changeable environment. There is the freedom to float and test new ideas in a less structured environment than a regular job or company.

There are risks and sometimes high stakes involved, but for the creative and entrepreneur alike, this is fertile ground that can allow innovative ideas to flourish.

4. They make connections

One of the hallmarks of the creative mind is being able to think outside the box and make connections between superficially unrelated ideas. They are also intensely curious and want to know the ‘why’s and ‘why nots’ about the world.

Entrepreneurs are also eclectic thinkers who are not afraid to try new strategies and ideas to see what happens. Both types are big on the ‘what if’ approach to the world.

5. They are great at communicating their message

Both creatives and entrepreneurs are likely to be passionate about their work and have great powers of persuasion. They have thought about it and worked at it and lived it, so they know it inside out, and they care about sharing their passion with the world.

You know the feeling. There’s a deadline looming, and your mind has gone completely blank. Nothing, nada. It’s like your brain has frozen. Luckily the latest research shows us the most common roadblocks to creativity, and how to move past them and get on with the job.

1. Fear of failure

Most people are afraid of failing because they see it as a one-way street to disaster, rejection, and a stain on their reputation forever. Perversely, fear of failure is the mirror image of perfectionism. The idea that nothing you can do will be good enough, and that this failure defines your identity.

Fear of failure means you’re less likely to take risks, and you put off even starting. And those are two things that can kill creativity stone dead. Redefine creativity as a series of experiments, with failure as a kind of course-correction and an inevitable part of the process.

2. There’s not enough time

The ticking clock is another creativity killer. If you’re like most people, your schedule is probably crammed, and you feel like you’ll never catch up. If your checklist just keeps growing, you won’t be able to relax in the creative process and let the ideas flow.

A surprising way to find more time is to quarantine some chillout time in your diary. Priorities some downtime to listen to music, meditate, or just sit quietly. You’ll feel much less stressed and open to the creative flow.

3. You’re still staring at the screen

Sitting at your desk, staring at the computer or the blank page is not a good way to get creative. If you’ve been trying to write or problem-solve and it’s just not happening, the best thing you can do is go for a walk or make a coffee. Get out of the environment that’s keeping you stuck, get moving, and your mental gears can disengage and relax enough to be ready when inspiration strikes.

4. You’re feeling negative

Negative thinking can stop creativity in its track. If you’re sitting there frowning, and thinking you can’t do it, you’re pretty much guaranteeing that you won’t be able to do it.

Pessimism and negative self-talk set up a vicious cycle of gloom and low energy. Reject that self-defeating attitude and give yourself a pep talk. Reframe your task and just promise yourself you’ll write down whatever comes into your head, just to get the process started. Remember, first drafts are invariably not your best product, because that’s what a first draft is for! You’ve done good work before, you’ll do it again. Tell the muse you’re ready and get writing!

You might not realize that creativity has a measurable effect on your brain function. Science has shown that blood flow to your frontal cortex increases when you’re engaged in a creative task. Creativity can boost neural pathways, and measurably increase your cognitive function.

Here are five tips backed by science that will help you encourage your creativity and increase your brainpower.

1. Go into brain-training mode

You can think of your creativity as a kind of muscle that responds to exercise. Just as you work out at the gym, you can go into training and encourage new connections throughout your brain. The easiest way to do this is to schedule regular screen breaks throughout your day. Get your brain out of scrolling mode and into active thinking. Allow your mind to wander, daydream, and muse.

2. Change your environment

You may not realize that your brain responds to changes in your environment, even small ones. Rearrange your desk, or work in a different office or have your team meeting in a café or park. Contextual changes big and small act as creativity nudges, making your brain sit up and take notice, make adjustments, and solve different problems.

3. Learn something completely new

It’s natural for humans to want to stay in their individual comfort zone, but you can kickstart your creative thinking by learning something completely new. It can be as challenging as learning a new language or taking a ceramics or metalwork course.

Whatever you choose, your new learning will help your brain develop new ideas and ways of thinking. And these new ways of thinking promote more creative thinking in the workplace.

4. Write it down!

Whenever you have a new idea, make sure you write it down in a notebook or on your smartphone. It’s one of those quirks of human nature that you often think of something when you’re in the shower or driving or just dropping off to sleep, situations where your brain is free to roam around and come up with solutions.

You can be guaranteed you won’t remember that phrase or question later, so make sure you write it down as soon as you can. It doesn’t have to be the whole thing, just a few words to prompt your memory later will do it!

5. Set yourself some challenges

It’s easy to slip into regular routines of thinking or problem-solving at the office or at home. Your brain gets bored and detaches, making it harder to think creatively. You can give your brain a kickstart by setting yourself challenges. Try and get that presentation done with a time limit, or do some brain-storming with colleagues.

Are you living up to your creative potential? Have you thought about how encouraging your creativity could help boost your skills? People with highly creative minds commonly have more energy, are skilled at problem-solving, and have high productivity. Here are seven habits of highly creative people to kickstart your own creativity and help you reach your creative potential.

1. Aim high and learn new skills every day.

If you really want to be a more creative thinker, cultivate your curiosity and learn something new every day. Whether it’s a skill or a fact or a new idea, just make sure you’re learning every day. Once daily learning has become a habit, you’ll find a new confidence and a growing curiosity about the world.

2. Learn to connect

Creatives are highly skilled at joining what may seem like random dots. They see patterns where other folks just see a mess. And what they create as a result is fresh and unique and will stand out from the crowd.

Stepping outside your comfort zone or your area of expertise also helps you get a different perspective on things and find innovative solutions to problems.

3. Be open to potential solutions

Creative minds can see potential solutions to even the knottiest problems. When you bring your imagination to the task and are not bound by what already exists, you are free to blue sky all sorts of ideas.

This is where techniques like brainstorming and mind-mapping can help free up your imagination. It doesn’t matter how crazy the thoughts are, put them all down and see what emerges.

4. Protect your creative space

The blue sky stage of creativity can be a vulnerable time. The last thing you need is someone coming along with a pail of cold water and dousing your good ideas with criticism or skepticism.

Keep that creative phase quarantined, and just map out all your ideas without editing or critiquing or showing them to anyone else. Plenty of time to refine and shape your project later!

5. Keep an open mind

The key to preserving and enhancing your creativity is to stay open to different perspectives. Creativity is flexible and adaptive. If one thing doesn’t work, try another. Be open to new ideas and approaches and stay curious about the world and why people do things differently.

Some of the most successful creatives are like magpies, collecting new ideas and strategies, and seeing how they apply to their own work.

You may not realize that there are some differences between ordinary folks and highly creative people. If you’re friends with people who are highly creative, you’ve probably noticed they see the world in a slightly different way. But scientists have now found that their brains not only work differently, but their neural hardwiring is also unique. Creatives can sometimes be challenging to get along with, but it helps to understand why.

1. They’re always thinking

Supercharged creative people always have something on the go. There’s always part of their brain that’s still in the studio or still writing. Creatives are usually very curious people, always wondering what if, or why? The problem-solving part of their brain just doesn’t slow down.

2. They push back

One of the key characteristics of highly creative people is not taking the status quo on face value. They like to push back, to poke and ask the difficult questions. You’ll often hear the words ‘why?’ or ‘why not’ on their lips.

3. They follow their own path

To thine own self be true is the creative’s motto. Living authentically and in a way that’s aligned with their values is an absolute priority for them. They don’t just question the status quo, they reject following the herd, and they don’t mind having unpopular opinions.

4. Their path isn’t linear

A highly creative person’s mind often works in loops or spirals. They don’t tend to think in a linear, logical fashion and will often make great creative leaps. Einstein famously said that imagination is more important than knowledge, and this is exactly what he meant. The creative’s capacity to see connections can sometimes border on genius.

5. Creatives need downtime and space.

Highly creative people will often work for extended periods and then need equal amounts of downtime to recover their energy. This can mean solitude, but not always as quiet companionships can be just as reviving as being alone. Scheduling doesn’t work so well and can even stifle the creative spirit.

Similarly, creativity needs space, quiet, and separation from the day-to-day.

6. Creatives are storytellers

Highly creative people are often highly sensitive to images, metaphors, and stories. Creativity is fundamentally about conveying a story from the artist to the viewer or reader. The narrative is the most ancient way of passing on deep truths like creation stories, heroic sagas. Creativity is the bedrock of humanity and a key element that separates us from other creatures. Telling stories helps us understand the world, to explain what we experience and to transcend the everyday.

You might think that creativity is something you can’t do. So many people say, ‘oh I’m just not the creative type.’ But it is within everyone to be creative. And it’s not just good for the soul to sketch or play with clay or embroider. Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes, and it has some unexpected benefits for the rest of your life.

1. Creativity helps you solve problems

Fostering your creativity trains your brain to be more adaptable and flexible in dealing with all sorts of problems. Not just how to get that pot completely balanced and smooth, but how to solve that problem with a work project or a relationship or a career issue.

Being creative takes you out of the linear thinking mode and the confines of regular logic. Options stop being only black and white. Your mind can look at your problem from many different angles and sees potential nuances that you otherwise might miss.

2. Creativity can help you live longer

Surprising but true. Studies have shown that being creative can actually reduce your mortality risk and add years to your life. Making, drawing, woodwork, knitting, or painting all fire different neural pathways in your brain and help to reduce stress and anxiety. Creativity slows cognitive aging and enables you to lead a happier, more fulfilling life.

3. Creativity grows your confidence

Learning a creative skill takes application and lots of practice. You’ll make a lot of mud pies and lopsided pots before you can create beautiful and functional tableware. Mastering your chosen artform helps you develop confidence in your abilities that will overflow into other areas of your life. As you overcome failure and succeed in making beautiful things, you will see that persistence and optimism is the way to success.

4. Creativity is immensely satisfying

There is nothing like starting with raw materials and being able to make something unique from them. Whether you start with a lump of clay or you make your summer wardrobe from scratch, you know you have the skills and creative spark to make whatever you want. You aren’t dependent on stores and other people’s work. You know you can start with zero skills and learn a completely new skill.

5. Creativity helps you express yourself

Making an artwork or a piece of writing or an item of clothing allows you to make something that is completely yours. No one else can make the exact same thing that you can.

Living a creative life can help you see that whatever you bring to the world is unique and special.

It might surprise you to hear that meditation can kickstart your creative process. After all, meditation is about getting chilled, right? Well, yes, meditation is often recommended for calming the mind and reducing your stress level, but it also has a physical effect on your brain. But how does this help creativity?

Meditation and Your Brain

The simple act of regular meditation frees up the parts of your brain that deal with memory, focus, and cognitive ability. Research has shown that the act of meditating stimulates the high-frequency brain waves that signal attention and perception—all qualities associated with creativity.

The Creative Brain

You probably know that your brain is a complex machine. It has built up capacity over millions of years, but not all the historical layers are as useful as they were when humans were hanging out in caves, alert for the sound of saber-tooth tigers.

The ‘newest’ part of your brain is the neocortex. That’s where the creative stuff happens: Envisioning, problem-solving, creative thinking, and strategizing. Great and useful for the modern world, right?

But there are older parts of your brain that deal with survival (the reptile brain) and emotions (the limbic system) that can prevent the neocortex from getting on with its job. If you’re stuck in fight or flight mode due to lots of stress, or if you’re emotionally out of balance, those parts of the brain dominate and don’t allow your neocortex to get a look in. And that makes sense because if you are confronted with immediate danger, you need all your survival instincts working. But this response is no longer so useful in the twenty-first century. Basically, if you’re stressed out and unhappy, your brain figures you don’t have the luxury to get creative.

Meditation as a Circuit Breaker

Modern life has a way of keeping you permanently wired, with your reptile brain and your limbic system constantly overstimulated. Research has shown that mindfulness meditation is not just calming during your meditation session, it can reduce the hypervigilance of your reptile brain, even out your emotions and stimulate your neocortex. Mediation helps get you out of rigid thinking modes and allows you to start thinking in more creative and innovative ways. Cue better visioning, problem-solving, and strategizing.

Meditation calms down your entire neural system and makes sure the neocortex gets all the resources it needs to get your creativity flowing.

You’ve probably heard about mindfulness, and maybe you even have a regular mindfulness practice. But did you know that mindfulness is useful not just for keeping you calm and focused, it can stimulate your creativity and open up your thinking? If you’re interested in reaching your creative potential, here’s how mindfulness can give you a boost.

Understanding the Creative Process

To understand how mindfulness can boost your creativity, it helps to look at the creative process. It can be a delicate synchronization of four steps:

· Information gathering and idea stimulation. This is the blue-sky stage where you research and fire off as many ideas as you can. Your brain needs to be in free-roaming mode here, with your cognitive control network stood down to let you get on with it!

· Incubation. Once you have as many thoughts and ideas down on paper as you can, your brain can get on processing and mulling over options for the next stage.

· Stage three is inspiration. That Eureka moment when you make connections and get creative insights.

· The final stage is the verification or testing phase when your critical brain can analyze and evaluate.

Different parts of your brain dominate different stages of the creative process. Stage one relies on divergent thinking, which is freewheeling and non-critical. The incubation stage is taken care of by the brain’s memory organization area. The inspiration is controlled by your brain’s salience network, which is basically an early warning system for great ideas and making good choices. The verification stage is where you can allow the cognitive control network to get analyzing and critiquing.

But it’s essential to keep these phases in sequence and in balance. If any of these stages get side-lined, say if your Inner Critic jumps in at Stage one or two, your creative process is in danger of falling apart.

The Role of Mindfulness

Mindfulness can help with each stage of the creative process. It boosts divergent thinking necessary for brainstorming, it calms distracting thoughts allowing the incubation of all your brilliant ideas. Mindfulness also strengthens the salience network, so that bright spark of creative insight doesn’t get lost in the crowd. Finally, mindfulness promotes cognitive function, helping you analyze and evaluate your project during the final phase of the creative process.

As well as assisting with the mechanics of the creative process, mindfulness meditation will help you develop self-compassion and non-judgment. Because not all creative projects work out, and that’s okay. Mindfulness will help you develop insight into your own creative process and how you can reach your creative potential.

Have you ever wondered what drives creative people? What makes them different? Creativity can challenge you, give you energy, and allow you to reach your full potential. And the good news is that your own innate creativity can be encouraged and developed if you choose to. Here are seven characteristics of creative people that you can incorporate in your own life.

1. Creative people are focused

Highly creative people usually have high levels of energy and stay focused on their project for long periods. Even when they are out of the studio or away from the computer, their minds are still thinking about their creative work.

2. They hold onto a sense of wonder

Creative people are often brilliant, but they don’t think they know everything. Just the opposite, they retain a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world.

3. Creative people work hard

The stereotype of the writer or artist spending their time propping up a bar doesn’t hold up. Artists usually work long hours on a project, and they don’t stick to a nine to five schedule. Creatives are persistent and determined and totally focused on their work.

4. Creatives are not loners

Research suggests that creative people often combine the best of extroversion and introversion. While most people tend to favor one or the other of these personality types, creative people combine elements of both. They find ideas and inspiration in their social interactions and then retreat to the studio to work their creative magic.

5. They are open and sensitive

Creatives tend to be very empathic and sensitive. They are open to all the possibilities of the world and find inspiration everywhere. Sensitivity is necessary to be able to create artistically but can be a double-edged sword, leaving the artist vulnerable to criticism and rejection.

6. Creatives are not bound by assigned gender roles

Research has shown that creative people tend to resist traditional rigid gender roles and stereotypes. They are open to the male and female characteristics of their personalities and draw on the strengths of both.

7. Creatives can daydream and be realistic

The traditional picture of the daydreaming artist isn’t necessarily reflective of the creative mind. Creativity is grounded in imagination and daydreaming, seeing the possibilities and wondering ‘what if?’ But creative people are also very practical, and the next stage is testing the ‘what if’ idea to see if it works.

Creative thinking is essential for innovative problem solving that works in the real world.