3 Tips for Creating Creativity

Cultivating creativity is tricky business. We've all been there: Staring at a blank computer screen, with absolutely no idea what combination of keystrokes stands between you and whatever it is you're trying to say. Being a musician/writer, I face this monster on a daily basis, and I'll be honest, there are days when I have to just put down the pencil and just walk away (or break the pencil in two and run screaming through my apartment flipping over furniture in a delirious rage; depending on my mood.)

But every monster can be taken down if you've got the right tools. I've come up with a few techniques that I've found help grease the wheels of creativity, whether it be writing copy, music, or even general ideas. Think of it as a creative supplement to get the ball rolling in the right direction.

1) Give yourself specific restrictions.
It may sound counter intuitive, but putting restrictions on your work can actually help inspire creativity. I was watching an online creativity conference when I was introduced to this exercise: Grab a pencil and paper and in 15 seconds, write down as many objects that you can think of that are white. Then flip the paper over and write down as many objects that you can think of that are white in a refrigerator. Typically, the list of white items found in a refrigerator is longer than the list of white items in general. Strange eh? But by giving your mind a frame of reference, you can think of more specific items.

Let's look at how this concept applies to the music industry. When Willie Nelson goes to write a new song, there are several restrictions already in place (both by his own writing style and by his record label). For example, you can assume that the song is going to be in the folk/country genre, and typically utilizes an acoustic guitar as the main accompaniment. This may sound obvious, but can you imagine if Willie approached songwriting without these restrictions? Imagine "On the Road Again" played to a rap beat with an accordion playing lead! On second thought, don't imagine that. Shudder.

So to apply this practice to your own work, place simple but rigid restrictions on your work. Can't start the first line of a event promotion? Give yourself a specific goal for every sentence, and then write those goals in sentence form. (ex. Introduce event and time. Establish that the event is casual, using colorful language. etc.) Giving yourself these boundaries will help you stay on target, and simultaneously stimulate fresh new ideas.

2) Give yourself five minutes to write down as many bad ideas as possible.
A large part of cultivating creativity is learning to silence your inner critic. Take the chisel to your writers' block by writing down the first ideas that pop into your head, no matter how raw or unformulated it may seem. Dedicating a small amount of time to "bad ideas" is a great way to train yourself to shut up your inner critic so the good ideas flow more freely. It's like stretching your legs before a race; it preps your mind for creative thoughts for the final copy. When you're done with your bad ideas list, scan over it and look for "diamonds in the rough", or ideas that can be manipulated into something more polished and final. Once again, it may sound counter productive, but you'd be amazed at how successful this tactic can be.


3) "Ghostwrite" for yourself
This is my secret weapon when writing music, and is really a great tool when writing any form of copy. Start by thinking of someone who is adept at writing the type of material that you're trying to produce. Spend a few moments thinking about that person's writing style, word choice, and personality. Then simply apply that particular style to your own writing, taking into consideration the restrictions I mentioned earlier. By overriding your normal writing style, you'll find yourself exploring new avenues of thought that you would have normally never considered. By putting myself in Willie Nelson's shoes, for example, I would create a completely different piece of music than I would, say, modeling my style after T-Payne. You can also use this method when revising your work. For example, think: "What would an English professor change about this article?", or "If this article had been written by a creative writing major, would there be more colorful language?"

Starting a project is always the most difficult part. Don't let yourself get bogged down when finding a starting point; use these techniques to give yourself a fresh perspective on the project, and you can get the ball rolling before you know it. The trick is making yourself take that first step.

For this week's listening recommendation, check out "Knights" by Minus the Bear!