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The Idiot Savant’s Guide to Being More Creative
20 Tips for Anyone Wanting to Get Out of the Box
Psychologists tell us that human beings are most creative at the age of five. After that it is a slow and steady decline into conformity, conventionality and trying to figure out where you put your receipts. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Reigniting the flame of your innate creativity is simpler than you think. What follows are 20 ways to get the party started.
1. Identify what blocks your creativity
When Michelangelo was asked how he made his iconic statue, the David, he explained, “I simply took away everything that wasn’t.” From his point of view, the statue was already in the stone. All he had to do was remove what obscured it. What do you think is blocking your creativity these days and what can you do to remove it?
2. Immerse
Creative people have a unique ability to dive in and stay with a project for long stretches of time. They don’t just hit and run. Instead, they get absorbed. That’s why Einstein once said, “It’s not that I’m so smart. It’s just that I stay with problems longer.” How can you make more time to focus on your most compelling creative project?