Lockdown forced people to get creative. Whether it was out of necessity for businesses pivoting online, an opportunity for people to try something different via the creator economy, or purely to pass some time at home, creativity flourished.
As we re-emerge back into the old thrum of daily life and our calendars fill up again, a lot of the time we had for creativity is gone. But research on everyday creativity has shown how beneficial it is for us. According to this study, when people reported feeling happy and active, they were more likely to have done something creative that day. Whether it was writing, making up a recipe or drawing, undertaking a task for the purpose of being creative is considered a means of cultivating positive psychological function.
If you're trying to maintain online content for a business, bolster your resume with a new skill, work on a side hustle or just have some fun, the following strategies can help boost creativity in your daily life post-lockdown, and in turn, boost your mood.
You don't have to be professionally trained to try your hand at something creative. Schedule time, in the same way you would a meeting, where you simply have to work on something creative within a set timeframe. Even if it's a short time period, allow yourself the space to create something without judgement of how it turns out. It may not be groundbreaking (or good for that matter) but keep it consistent to help boost creativity.
The easiest way to get creative when you're already sitting in front of a screen all day, is to do it right then and there. You have access to top-tier tools that are free, easy-to-use and literally at your fingertips.
Creative Cloud Express from Adobe is one such platform that quickly and easily allows you to create and share your own content, from social media posts and stories to logos, flyers, banners and presentations. Made with small business owners, solo-preneurs, and side-hustlers in mind, the platform is simple - no design experience required. Plus, it's powered by the same Artificial Intelligence technology that Adobe's pro tools programs use to help cut down on time-consuming tasks like searching for stock images.
Take time out of your day to stop. Studies have shown that meditation can promote a divergent way of thinking that leads to new idea generation. If meditation is not for you, other studies have shown that straight up boredom can also assist in coming up with creative ideas.
Either way, giving your brain a break is a great way to boost creativity.
Sharing your work with someone, brainstorming or building something together can help boost creativity. Not only is having someone else on board a good tactic to make sure you stick to working on a new creative skill, but two brains are better than one.
If you're creating your own content, Adobe Creative Cloud Express helps everyone in the team create content that's always on-brand. Creative Cloud Libraries enable access to shared logos and assets to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Following creative people can help you generate more out-of-the-box ideas yourself. Especially if you're someone creating social content for a business or side-gig, seeing what others do online can foster your own creative thought process.
For everyday creators, you can design your own content for social media easily with Adobe Creative Cloud Express. With a unified web and mobile offering, anyone looking to make and share stand-out content from thousands of templates, fonts, and high-quality assets can do so quickly. Instead of recreating work from scratch, you can also produce templates to reuse for consistent content and save valuable time and money in the process.
The post 5 ways to boost your creativity - and why it's important to do it appeared first on Business Insider Australia.