“Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things” – Ray Bradbury
Creativity is the essence of everything we do at Soulheart. We live and breathe ideas off the beaten path and in a world that has no absolutes. There is no black and white process and the expected destination is often far from what you get when you arrive. Abstract is more concrete than this world filled with side roads and offshoots of those roads that take you to places you’ve never dreamed of before. A world that doesn’t yet exist.
Creativity makes you vulnerable. You must explore your own path and discover your own self – or, rather, lose it. It’s the ultimate paradox of what it means to live, create, produce, craft.
Albert Einstein told us to pass it on, Picasso said to try and keep it when you grow old, and Van Gogh said to not listen to the voice trying to negate it. And yet, with all the flowery language we can come up with, here are the three best ways we know how to inspire creativity.
1. Look away from the screen
Everyone tells you to explore Dribbble, Pinterest, or search Google until your eyes are burning. But if you want to find real creativity, leave the room. Go outside. Go into the world and observe. Pay attention to the little things in life. The gears on a bicycle. The wiring at a stop light. The design of a billboard. Inspiration comes from many sources but often it takes a new environment to fully appreciate what’s all around.
2. Watch a video that stirs your soul
When we are hitting those blank stretches where nothing you do seems to change anything, then strike a new chord. An emotional one. Find a video on Vimeo that stirs your soul. Tugging on the heartstrings often rejuvenates your inner self and sparks some new life in your mind. Maybe it’s a beautiful nature video or a stirring song played on a cello on a stage with no audience as the camera pans forward slowly. Whatever kicks life into your spirit is what you need to pursue wholeheartedly.
3. Pick up some crayons
This is entirely random in a set of inspiration, but it is extremely purposeful. Remember back to when you were a kid and an art teacher had you start drawing lines on a page. From there, you turned those lines into a masterpiece. Even if drawing is not your thing, there’s something to be said about holding a crayon and a blank canvas. Go wild and create three or four art drawings and hang them on the fridge or in your office. Let yourself be set free from constraints and do something you haven’t done in years. You never know if it will provide the right lines you need to accomplish what you need.
There are many more ways than three to inspire creativity, but sometimes it’s helpful to focus on some new ideas and new methods to help take you to a new, yet familiar, place.
