Five Ways to Boost Your Creativity

Written By Stephanie Broder

Creativity is a learned skill. Say that louder for the people in the back! Creativity is a learned skill.

Don’t beat yourself up if you have trouble with creativity in your art or writing practice or even struggle to have an art or writing practice! Here are a few tried and true methods that can help you stretch your brain and boost your creativity.

Explore New Mediums: Try working with materials you haven’t used before, such as watercolours, if you usually use acrylics, or digital tools if you prefer traditional methods. This can spark creative thinking as you experiment with new techniques. It’s all about taking creative risks instead of thinking too much about a final product!

I'm typically a digital artist but every now and then I just need to GET MESSY and play! This always boosts my creativity.

Change Your Environment: Rearranging your workspace or creating art in a different location can provide new perspectives. Nature, cafes, or art galleries can be great sources of inspiration and help support a creative process.

Engage in Daily Sketching: Set aside time each day to sketch anything that comes to mind. This practice hones your skills and helps you tap into spontaneous ideas and thoughts. And when you sit down to work on a larger piece, your own sketchbooks can be a source of inspiration and ideas!

Set Constraints: Challenge yourself with specific limits, like using only three colours or creating a piece in under an hour. Constraints can foster innovation by forcing you to think outside the box. Not only can this boost your creativity, but it’s also a great way to improve your skills and add variety to your portfolio.

To create this gouache portrait, I limited myself to three colours (+ white). I chose a blue, red and yellow that were decidely NOT primary colours so I could create my own unique colour wheel. 

Collaborate with Others: Working with fellow artists can introduce you to new styles and concepts. Join a class, participate in group projects, or seek feedback on your work to broaden your artistic horizons. This can also give insight into the way other artists work and is an opportunity to brainstorm some fresh ideas you might not otherwise think of.

 

And remember, the creative mindset is a skill that takes time, insight and creative risks! Be ready to embrace failure and push yourself toward innovation; you’ll see a big boost to your creativity over time.

Stephanie Broder
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