“No, I am not a creative type” – People like to label themselves or are given a label from society. However, everybody has a creative quotient within them.
You need not be a painter, musician or writer to unleash your creativity, you can still be creative in your right. In this article, understand that “creativity is not a domain just for a chosen few” and learn how to build creative confidence.
Practice Self-Efficacy
The concept of Self-Efficacy is central to psychologist Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory. Self-Efficacy is your belief in your ability to tackle various situations and succeed. In order to build self-efficacy, believe in yourself that you can do it and celebrate your success to affirm your mastery.
Creativity is a Choice
The first step towards creativity is to decide that you want to make it happen. Most of us think we are not creative when we compare ourselves to others. But creativity is relative to each person and everybody has it in them. When you adopt the right mindset and choose to think outside the box, you have taken the first step towards being creative.
Don’t Fear Judgement
Your ability to be creative is subject to your own self-inhibitions; you might fear what other people might think and restrict yourself. Or you might have come up with a novel idea only to be subject to a creative-crushing moment with some harsh criticism. Therefore, you stop ideating altogether. You should never fear judgment and understand that you have every right to exercise your thought.
How to Build Creative Confidence
Let’s face it! Creativity is multi-faceted and need not be complex. Here are some ways you can unleash your creative power and act upon your ideas:
1. Alone Time
Take a time out from your busy life and just do nothing for some time. This will actually help you focus better and create an avenue for the inception of new ideas. Some of the best ideas come when we are not engaged with the outside world.
2. Meditation
Meditation is such a practice with immense benefits that is not just good for the body but also your mind. Simple meditational practices are said to improve creativity and increase your attention span. It doesn’t really matter if you’re a right-brained or left-brained, but the balance between both the regions is critical to draw out creative ideas. Meditation is proven to bring about a state of balance in your brain.
3. Observe Everything Around You
Observe your external world like sight, sound, smell and touch. Also, observe internally your emotions, thoughts, memories and bodily sensations. Simply notice them without analyzing it too much or processing it judgmentally. This will help you view the world in a whole new dimension and open up your creativity.
4. Accept the Situation As It Is
You cannot control everything or change anything to your advantage. But you can certainly accept the present moment as it is and try to do something about it. From “I cannot do this, it’s too difficult” change your mindset to “This may be hard, but I ought to try to face it head-on to see what I can do about it”.
5. Practice a Healthy Lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle is a key to a healthy mindset. This is because an unhealthy lifestyle can throw off your state of balance and ability to think clearly. It is important to have a daily routine in your life. Some important practices you should incorporate in your daily routine is tongue scraping and drinking water first thing in the morning.
They serve a crucial purpose and strengthen a connection between the senses, body, and mind to unify them. Also daily oil massage help to control the wind element in your body and balance the Vata dosha in order to improve focus and generate new ideas.
Eating right with a wholesome plant-based diet is another aspect. And so is getting quality sleep so that it strengthens your brain function.
Remember that creativity is not reserved for certain people. We have got creativity within all of us; it is just waiting for a chance to come out. So, remove negativity and be positive to encourage the freedom of thoughts, which is essential to creativity.