We all have the capability to be creative – it’s not a superpower. But a combination of factors can all add up and result in creative blocks, killing your natural instincts without you realising it, and stopping you from coming up with ideas. One of those factors is your home life, believe it or not. Here are some of the reasons why your current lifestyle at home could be contributing to creative roadblocks.

Repetition

It’s easy to pick up the bad habit of doing the same old thing after every day at home. You walk through the door, make dinner, clean up after the kids – and so on and so forth, every day of the week. But routines are creativity killers, and if you confine yourself to a restrictive environment doing mundane tasks time and time again, don’t be surprised if you lose your imaginative spark. So, mix up that routine. Go out more, and try something new every day – whether it’s reading a different type of book or cooking an original recipe. You’ll find that your ideas start to come back when you experience new things.

Kids and the ‘why’ question

Kids are incredibly creative and remain so for a surprising amount of time. You can tell this by the way they question you about absolutely everything – ‘why’ is probably the most popular word for a toddler! However, as any parent will tell you, that ‘why’ questioning can certainly start to grate. And it can have a negative impact, too. The trouble is that once you start to stop asking why, you end up accepting the world as it is – not how it could be. Be more like your kids and start questioning everything again – it will give your creativity a significant boost.

The environment

Do you strive to keep your home in super tidy condition? If so, you could be damaging your creativity. Tidiness and blandness give off subtle, psychological signals of conformity, which stops the flow of your creative juices. Lighting can have a big impact, too. Low level, warm lighting is much more inspiring than the clinical bright lights that you might find in a shop or office, so consider investing in a few lamps and get more control over your lights.

Your guests

As you get older, we tend to fall into groups of people that are very much like us. Try and fight this as long as possible, however. If the only people you invite to your home have a similar education, family history, religious views, political standing, principles and beliefs, your life will become stale. Try and bring people into your home that challenge your views and make you think. Make friends with people from all walks of life, not just a narrow corridor. It will get your brain working, whirring, and generating ideas in no time at all.

How do you get out of your creative blocks? If you have any tips you would like to share, please do so in the comments section below!

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