“I don’t have a creative bone in my body.”

“What we need on this project is some creative thinking.”

“I just don’t have time to be creative!”

If these statements are routinely part of your self-talk, you are not alone. According to an Adobe study that interviewed 5,000 adults in the U.S. and aboard, a workplace creativity gap does exist.

The study reports that:

  • 80% feel that unlocking creativity is critical to economic growth
  • 1 in 4 believe they are not living up to their creative potential
  • 75% of respondents said they are under pressure to be productive rather than creative at work
  • 25% of time at work is spent being creative
  • 70% of Americans surveyed feel that creativity is being stifled by the education system

So how do we bring creative thinking back into our life and work? Turns out it can be learned. Or, in fact, relearned since as children we are naturally creative. Somewhere along the line, we get a message that creative thinking or original thought is not as cool as being just like everyone else. And, according to research, there is a direct correlation between our assessment of original thought and our self-esteem. For many of us, the higher the score on original thinking, the higher the score on self-esteem.

If original thinking does raise our self-esteem, what can we do to bring it back and feel better about ourselves? Check out these 10 tips for to get your creative juices flowing.

  1. Stop telling yourself you are not creative! Negative self-talk is the enemy of creative thinking.
  2. Be observant. Take the time to really notice the details of your life in general and then hone in to observe the areas that you want to start finding creative solutions.
  3. Be open-minded. Ask questions and try new experiences. Be curious about everything.
  4. Listen without judgment. We are often too quick to judge others and their actions with a press of a “like”, retweet, or comment post.
  5. Take time to reflect. To be creative, our brain needs to have to have time to process.
  6. Follow your passion. What did you love to do as a child? Connecting back with our childhood passions is a great way to get back into our natural creative mindset.
  7. Study, research, and play with your topic of interest.  Great painters don’t just pick up a brush and paint masterpieces their first try. A first draft is never a best seller for any writer.
  8. Take some risks. Playing it safe will surely keep us away from creative results.
  9. Be persistent. Remember Edison and the 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb?  Don’t make your first attempt the last and only attempt.
  10. Put in the time! Let yourself get lost in time with the creative adventure.

Following these 10 tips will nurture your natural creative mind and bring you on your way to gleaning brilliant results.

Nurturing a creative mind doesn’t happen overnight.  Like anything worth having, it requires time and effort. By investing in yourself and following these ten tips, you will be well on your way to gleaning brilliant results.