by Rachel Smith
10 July 2015
I’ve written before about my experiment with a change of scenery to spark creativity. It worked, to a point, but as a long-time freelancer who’s also battling the sleep deprivation that comes from being a new parent, I’m good friends with the creative block no matter what. I went hunting for solutions recently, and found a heap of research about the brain and creativity – and some strategies to bust through a block.
Doodle every day. Stop struggling to fill the blank page with words and instead grab a pad, a pen and get doodling. Doing so opens up our neural pathways, unlocking your brain and leading to creative breakthroughs according to Sunni Brown, author of The Doodle Revolution. “It’s an incredibly powerful tool,” she says in her Ted Talk. “We think doodling is something you do when you lose focus, but in reality, it is a preemptive measure to stop you from losing focus. Additionally, it has a profound effect on creative problem-solving and deep information processing.”
Go for a walk. It sounds simple, but recent research has found just how powerful a little exercise can be in helping you come up with fresh ideas and new perspectives, especially when you’re sure you don’t have a single creative thought left in your head. As part of the study, Stanford University researchers asked students to do creativity tests before, during and after a walk on a treadmill. Almost all of the students experienced a significant boost to their capacity for coming up with ‘novel’ ideas while actually walking, and they produced better ideas after walking and while at rest, too.
Don’t tidy up. I’m not sure I fully agree with this one – for me, a tidy desk definitely sparks my creativity – but a recent study conducted at the University of Minnesota found that working in a messy environment can actually spark better ideas. “Disorderly environments seem to inspire breaking free of tradition, which can produce fresh insights,” said psychological scientist Kathleen Vohs, who led the study. “Orderly environments, in contrast, encourage convention and playing it safe.”
Get the noise level right. It’s probably a no-brainer that blasting Metallica probably won’t help your creativity, but what IS the optimal level of noise to get those ideas flowing? According to a University of Chicago study, ambient noise is better than silence if you’re hoping to come up with some gold. My absolute favourite app for ambient or ‘white noise’ is Rainy Mood. It’s pretty much on most of the time in my house because it puts my baby to sleep, but I’m going to give it a go in getting the creative juices flowing, too! Of course, if all else fails…
Hop on a plane. Sometimes the best antidote to a work slump is to literally get the hell out of town. And, exposing our brain to new environments, habits, sounds, languages, tastes and so on, say neuroscientists, can literally change our neural pathways and revitalise the brain. But don’t just go to Thailand and sit on a beach – get in there and immerse yourself in your new environment. Speak the language (or try, at least!). Talk to the locals. Do stuff you wouldn’t normally do. Get out of your comfort zone. “Someone who lives abroad and doesn’t engage with the local culture will likely get less of a creative boost than someone who travels abroad and really engages in the local environment,” explains Adam Galinksy, a Columbia Business School professor who’s authored numerous studies about the links between creativity and foreign travel.
Got a no-fail strategy for sparking your creativity? Are you a fan of the messy desk or a tidy environment for being more creative? And can you come up with ideas when the music is LOUD? I’d love to hear your creative (!) thoughts in the comments.
