Everyone is creative

Whether you think so or not, you are. Creativity isn’t about making a masterpiece. It’s about perspective; thinking the same thing at different moments and settings to gain a new perspective, one that’s unique and true to you. A key for me is writing down my most exciting ideas and revisiting them on a regular basis. This is the easiest way I make progress on an idea, and remember, without progress all ideas are equal.

Think in silence for 5 minutes. Write down your most interesting thoughts. Tomorrow start thinking about them again, but in a new or different way. Rinse and repeat a few times. By now you’ve probably got an image or feeling in your head that you can try to bring to life through your favorite artistic medium. Whether drawing, painting, photography, writing or something else, you’re ready to create something. Save that piece and try to look back on it with a different perspective every time. Challenge yourself to start more projects or collaborate with others. Find a setting that inspires you and keep yourself in it. Don’t forget that unleashing your creativity requires you give a little effort and get a little uncomfortable.

If you’re struggling to come up with your own good ideas, try to stop paying attention to and thinking about other people’s. We often spend more time dissecting the thoughts and ideas of others than we forget how to come up with our own. Force yourself into situations where you’re starting with a truly blank canvas.