How To Be More Creative Without Trying

Being creative is a natural state of being. So when you wish to be more creative, it’s not actually about learning how to be more creative. It’s about not trying so hard and learning how to remove the barriers that stop you being more creative.

Here are 5 steps to becoming more creative without trying:

1. Stop trying to plan every project in great detail. Many of us begin a new creative project with an idea, then proceed to try to plan every step of the project in fine detail, feeling that only when we have an outline in place can we get down to creating. The reality is, overplanning usually leads to frustration and boredom, killing the motivation and energy the original idea gave you before it’s had a chance to get anywhere. Stop planning, follow where the idea takes you and start creating!
2. Stop trying to create what you think you should create. When we overlook our true creative passions in favour of creating the work we think our partner/ parents/ peers/ high school art teacher want to us to create, it’s a recipe for much angst and little creativity. Even if you do finish these kind of projects, there’ll always be an underlying bitter taste of resentment that somehow you’ve been cheated of creating what you really wanted to. Follow you desires and create the art YOU want and need to create.
3. Stop trying to achieve more than others. Comparing ourselves to other people is a highly dangerous habit that’s hard to break. If you compare your work to people you consider your peers and think they’re better than you, you end up depressed. If you compare and think YOUR work is better than THEIRS, you’ll always find someone at the next level up who you can say is more creative and more prolific to beat yourself up with. You lose both ways. So instead, focus on following your own path and aim to create the best YOU can create at any time.
4. Stop trying to cram creativity into tiny time slots. Trying to create huge amounts in a small amount of time will mean you always have one eye on the clock rather than giving your full effort to creating. Be realistic about what you can create in a period of time. If you expect to write a novel in an evening, of course you’re going to be frustrated. If you allow yourself to create regularly and aim for say 500 words each sitting, you’re being much kinder to yourself, and allowing your creativity the freedom to flow.
5. Stop trying to create the perfect project. So you hurtled into your new creative project with great enthusiasm and energy, creating like a raging hurricane, getting most of the project done in just a few hours. Then it comes to finishing, and you spend twice as long trying to “perfect” the project as you did creating the first 95% of it! Here’s the reality: You could tweak and tinker with a project for the rest of your life and STILL feel it’s not finished. Wouldn’t you rather say “this project has come to an interesting and natural point of rest,” and move on to the next one?

Follow these 5 steps and you'll find yourself being far more creative without trying, letting your creativity flow in the way it’s naturally meant to.