14 Simple Habits of Creative People

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Help yourself be more creative and realize your ideas by developing one or more of these habits of creative people.

Habits of Creative People

Creativity can be an elusive beast. Often, we try so hard to think of new ideas that we put too much pressure on ourselves.

Creative people develop many of the following habits to help build an environment around them that encourages creativity rather than suppressing it.

So if you’re stuck on a writing assignment or can’t seem to finish a piece of art, focus on building these habits. Over time, you’ll learn how to be creative faster, easier, and for longer.

1. They allow themselves to lose track of time

Creative people are at their happiest when they’re lost in their own worlds of creativity. But achieving a state of ‘deep focus’ can often be difficult.

To do this, creative people don’t set too many boundaries. They dive in and see what happens. At the same time, they don’t let emails, notifications, and other distractions pull them from their creative time.

2. They go for long walks

Being outside is useful not only for mental and physical health but also to get the creative juices flowing.

Those who are highly creative will often go out for walks, bike rides, trips to the beach, and anywhere in nature that is fun, exciting, and can potentially lead to new ideas.

3. They keep a journal on them and write down ideas

People who are creative-minded will be the first to tell you that their best ideas and moments of inspiration come to them at the most random of times.

Whether it be in the shower, or the middle of a yoga class, creative people keep a journal or book on them, or near, at all times. That way, they can write down anything that comes to their head before they forget it.

4. They record themselves talking

Some creative people express themselves best when they are talking naturally, as if to a friend. This is where recording yourself can come in very handy.

With some simple audio recording software, such as the free voice recorder on the iPhone, you can document your thoughts and feelings aloud and then listen back or use speech recognition software to transcribe the audio file.

5. They are constantly observing the world around them

Those with creative minds are curious. Creative people understand that our greatest inspiration is the world around us.

They look up when they walk through cities. They visit parks and soak in nature. And they people-watch often.

Drawing in new things, experiences, and visuals is how the moments of inspiration come to us rather than looking at the same social media posts over and over again.

6. They take things apart and understand how they work

Creative-minded people want to see the bigger picture. They love looking behind the curtain, exploring processes and how things work.

This is why creative children love spending time with jigsaws or legos. They can build new things and worlds and then take them apart at the end of it all.

Understanding something from a different perspective, rather than just accepting it at face value, helps generate new ideas and ways of approaching tasks.

7. They practice overcoming fear

Putting yourself and your ideas out there to be scrutinized can be so scary. It can become paralyzing. This is why the most effective and prolific creative minds practice overcoming fear all the time.

They share their work online. They learn how to internally deal with criticism. And they do their best to do things that scare them, like public speaking.

Creative minds realize that the more they put themselves in situations that make them uncomfortable, the more they’ll learn to overcome that fear.

8. They understand their body and work when they have energy

Creativity is something that cannot be forced. Often, the more you try to be creative, the more difficult it is to get into a creative mindset.

When possible, creatives will work when they feel most creative. They know their bodies and understand when they are productive and when they struggle.

This could be early in the morning or late at night. Often, it can even be 1-2 hour intervals. But creative people learn when they are most creative, and they do their most creative tasks during these hours.

9. They try new things

Inspiration is a key driver behind idea generation and creativity. If you look at and are influenced by the same things, over and over again, that is only going to stifle creativity.

Those who are creative are always looking to shake things up. They listen to new music. They watch documentaries and shows. They take trips to places they have never been, and they purposefully go out of their comfort zone to break linear thinking.

10. They work in creative and inspiring environments

Generally, sterile and grey office environments with cubicles are not the best places to feel inspired and creative.

This is why creative people put themselves in fun, inspiring environments. They will often write and draw from coffee shops, libraries, and public places.

They put inspiring art on their walls. They collect weird and wonderful gifts on their travels. And they allow their workspace to accommodate a little chaos and fluidity to keep themselves in a state of excitement and motivation, not monotony.

11. They observe trends but don’t copy them

Creative minds are constantly observing the world around them. Naturally, they notice trends and let new art, ideas, and in-things inspire their work.

But they also know where to draw the line. They realize that by simply replicating what is already out there, you’re putting a time limit on the relevancy of your work.

Creative minds use trends to guide and inspire them, but they will always try to create new and exciting things that intrigue and challenge their audience.

12. They don’t work to a rigid schedule

Sometimes, no matter how much we alter our environment and work when we have energy, creativity still doesn’t come to us.

This is why creative people try to be as fluid in their schedule as possible. They will leave paper, art, and writing tools out in case they suddenly feel a rush of energy. If they try to do creative work and it isn’t happening, they go do something else rather than force it.

13. They exercise and stay active

Feeling lethargic, tired, and aching does little to help the mind stay sharp, engaged, and creative. Just as with many things in life, exercise is important in helping us get into the right frame of mind to do what we’re striving to achieve.

Creative people move around. They take breaks from their workspace, change environments, and go out for a run or cycle ride at least a few times a week.

14. They channel emotion into their work

Creative people know they do their most innovative and exciting work when driven by emotion. This could be a desire to tell a story, a way to express themselves, or a longing to solve a problem that affects them and people close to them.

Try not to restrict your process. Let everything and anything come out of your head. Use lined paper or word association games to trigger innovation and ideas, and keep asking yourself ‘why’ you want to do this creative work.

With meaning and purpose behind your work, you’ll be far more motivated to work on the project and try to come up with creative solutions to the problem, brief, or activity.

Don’t continually try to force yourself into a state of creativity, and end up just frustrating yourself. Instead, look to build some of these habits of creative people slowly, over time.

The more honed these habits become, the longer and more frequent you’ll be able to work and do things in a fun, creative way.

Whether you’re trying to finish your debut novel or create a brand for your new business adventure, good luck getting those creative juices flowing. At the end of the day, creative people are the ones who change the world!

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Want to be more creative, for longer? Keep this list of habits for safekeeping by saving it to one of your self-improvement Pinterest boards.