You are highly creative! Creative people believe they are creative.

The term “creative type” is often used to describe a solitary, complicated person who works somewhere in the fine arts. But thinking in that stereotype is limiting because despite what we’re told, everyone has creative impulses and the potential to develop fresh, original work. It’s a matter of noticing and fostering that creativity. Creativity is found in all walks of life — from an architect mapping landscapes to a teacher designing lesson plans to a florist arranging flowers and to a writer brainstorming ideas. To some people, creativity is mystical and comes from the realm of the muses. To other people, creativity is a methodical process of combining dissimilar ideas in new ways. What does creativity mean to you?

Here are some ways to find that creativity and let it flourish:

Dream freely. Remember childhood days when you’d just let your mind wander for the afternoon? That may not have been for naught. According to a 2012 NYU study, daydreaming can lead to more insights and epiphanies. It involves the same brain processes associated with imagination and creativity. Who knows, maybe your next screenplay idea is hidden somewhere in your daydreams.

Keep your eyes peeled. Observe everything around you — people, places, things. Jot down details and observations so you don’t forget them. They’re stimulating material for how you see the world, which is essentially what creative work is based upon. Ray Bradbury was a big proponent of also writing lists for self-discovery, saying, “If you are a writer, or hope to be one, similar lists, dredged out of the lopside of your brain, might as well help you discover you, even as I flopped around and finally found me.” This brings us to the next point.

Embrace solitude. It’s important to be in tune with yourself so that you know your creative voice. Everything else can too easily be a distraction. By listening to your thoughts when you’re alone, your work will reflect that. It will come across as genuine, ringing true for others.

Schedule wisely. Notice what time of the day you work the best and stick with it. Henry Miller’s writing commandments include, “Discard the Program when you feel like it — but go back to it the next day. Concentrate. Narrow down. Exclude.” Focus on consistency.

Stay positive. When you hit a roadblock, take some time to step back and see if the situation can enlighten you. Again, reflect on how your environment is internalized. And remember, it is normal to have many fails before a success.

Be open. New experiences, ideas, and emotions awaken your senses. They can help you question preconceived notions, connect with others, and feel less alone. You’re able to explore both the outer and inner world. Although David Foster Wallace was talking to writers, his words can apply to creative work overall: “Really good work…comes out of a willingness to disclose yourself, open yourself up in spiritual and emotional ways that risk making you look banal, or melodramatic or naive or unhip or sappy, and to ask the reader to really feel something.”

For more tips on creativity, check out this article on Huffington Post.

Guest post for ScreenCraft from Tiffany Lew. Tiffany is a recent graduate of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She covers arts and culture. Check out her other recent post here: How to Stop Procrastinating and WRITE!





