How to Be Creative

1. Realize that creativity isn't about coming up with something new. Instead, it's about making new connections between ideas or experiences and then expressing those connections. You can be creative in your thinking, in business, in arts and crafts or in any other activity.

2. Find the main expression of your creativity. Anything you already excel in might express your creativity. If you don't see creativity in anything you currently do, seek out a new art or craft activity to participate in. Arts and crafts are the easiest activities in which to find your creativity because you're actively creating something you can share with others.

3. Seek and record inspiration in the world around you. Whenever something interests you, even if you're not sure why, make a record of it. You can record it in any way you like: Take a photo, write about it, clip it from a newspaper, audio record it or sketch it. Keep your inspirational items in one place so they're easy to locate.

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4. Refer to your inspirational items on a regular basis. Allow yourself to daydream over them and ponder why they're so interesting to you.

5. Focus on going beyond creating something or expressing yourself when you engage in your creative pursuit. Instead, think about how what you're doing relates to something larger. Use your inspirational items to find that larger thing. It could be anything from a theory to a political situation to the experience of life as a human to your understanding of the universe as a whole.

6. Immerse yourself in the creative spark. Creativity requires you to use your intuition and allow your mind to make leaps that might not make sense at the time. Just allow yourself to do what you feel like, without editing, censoring or critiquing your actions.

7. Reflect on your work when you're at a stopping point. Think about what works well and what you can improve. Dwell upon your successes so your creativity continues to grow.

8. Look for ways to use the same inspiration, intuition and immersion as you use in your creative pursuits in your everyday life. Become aware of the creative potential within each moment and seek to express your creativity in everything you do.