When people think about art, their minds tend to circle around things like painting, drawing, sculpting, or photography. But writing is just as much a creative art form. And as a content writer, you have to make sure your creative juices are constantly flowing.
Is Creativity Really That Elusive?
As a content writer, your livelihood depends on your ability to capture creativity and turn it into well-crafted sentences that satisfy your clients and motivate your readers to action. And with all of the pressure to constantly produce content, creativity can seem rather elusive at times. But is this just a figment of our imaginations?
We often reserve the notion of “creativity” for famous people and titans of industries – such as Steve Jobs, Eli Whitney, Walt Whitman, Mark Zuckerberg, or Ludwig Beethoven.
“Such people always seem to be far beyond the reach of the ordinary,” Dr. Srini Pillay writes. “Their inventions and creations appear to be inspired from a world beyond the reality that we know, and their creative talents seem mysterious, to say the least. Some may even opine that these people are born with a special creative ability.”
But if you study the actual data, you’ll come to realize that genes only account for 10 percent of personal creativity. Research shows that the rest of it is learned or acquired.
Though it isn’t always easy to come by, you can find creativity in the midst of any day, experience, project, or challenge. Some days you’ll just have to work a little harder to find it.
6 Ways to Enhance Creativity
We all have our own unique ways of writing, so sometimes it’s helpful to learn from what others do. Here are some of the different strategies and techniques content writers use to enhance creativity on a day-to-day basis. Take a look:
1. Improve Your Mood
Your mood will, to a degree, dictate your overall level of creativity and happiness – two factors that are integral to success as a content writer. In order to improve your mood and spearhead your success, Nu Skin suggests doing five things each day:
- Adopt an attitude of gratitude by writing down three to five things you’re thankful for.
- Write down one positive experience that you’ve had within the last 24 hours and reflect on it any time you need a pick-me-up.
- Perform at least one physical activity or exercise routine.
- Spend a minimum of two minutes meditating and focusing on breathing.
- Engage in one random act of kindness to a friend or stranger.
2. Be Okay With Some Chaos
“Most people try to organize their days as much as possible. But there is reason to believe that too much organization will rob you of your creativity,” Dr. Pillay says. “Rather, start by saving an hour of your day for non-planned activities.”
It’s best to have a loose schedule with some free time built into it where you can pick and choose what to do. This gives you a blend of structure and freedom, which is where creativity is maximized.
3. Keep a Wheel Book
In Henriette Anne Klauser’s book Write it Down, Make it Happen, she advocates for keeping a Wheel Book. A Wheel Book is simply a small notebook that you keep with you at all times. You use it to jot down thoughts, ideas, reminders, inspirations, or anything that comes to your mind. You then review it on a regular basis.
As you review your Wheel Book, you’ll begin to see things in a new light, connect original ideas, and change the way you think. It really is helpful.
4. Change Up Your Environment
Your physical writing environment will have a significant impact on your overall level of creativity. If you’re working in the same boring office with four white walls, a door, and a cheap desk, don’t be surprised when your creativity wanes.
The best thing you can do for yourself is to regularly change up your environment. Thanks to things like WiFi, hotspots, and cellular data, you can work almost anywhere – in your car, at a coffee shop, or even on a trail in the woods. Take advantage of these opportunities.
5. Interact With Others
It’s easy for writers to get caught up in insolation. But regardless of whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, you need to interact with others on a daily basis. Doing so will force you to see things from other perspectives. Whether it’s an early morning chat on the phone, lunch with a friend, or a mid-afternoon break with a coworker, making time for human interaction will spur creativity.
6. Try Something New
As human beings, we face a natural tendency to repeat things that make us feel comfortable. It’s why we love routines. There’s something comforting about doing the same things in the same order with the exact same results. But this sort of repetitive behavior will also force you into ruts – where creativity doesn’t exist.
There’s tremendous value in doing something different. In terms of writing, you shouldn’t be afraid to mix things up a bit. Try semi-weird things like:
- Writing with your eyes closed the entire time. (You can come back and clean up the mistakes.)
- Writing while loudly playing classical music out of your speakers.
- Writing an entire blog post in third-person only.
The more you mix things up, the less likely it is that you’ll end up a creativity-stifling rut. You’ll also realize that you have infinite potential inside of your brain – it just needs some prompting to flow out.
Don’t Lose Focus
It’s easy to let a lack of creativity push you into a struggle with writer’s block. But writer’s block is nothing more than a brief period of time where you lack inspiration and unique thought. If you prioritize creativity during every minute of every day – rather than just when you think you need it – you’ll discover that periods of writer’s block are fewer and further between.
Hopefully this article has given you some inspiration for ways you can keep your creative juices flowing. What tips or techniques would you add?
Get even more creative by reading our eBooks on content curation!
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