Lack of creativity (I'm a painter)

Exercise is directly related with the thinking capacity of a person. If you exercise regularly and are physically fit, your brain will have more energy to think which will improve your creative thought.

The more you exercise, the freer and more flexible your mind will be to think of new and creative ideas.

Regular meditation will help you enhance the focus, calmness and clarity of your brain and mind which will help the free flow of creativity.

Regular meditation promotes divergent thinking, which is basically a thought process like brainstorming, where you generate and explore many possible ideas in a creative manner.

If you are new to meditation or don't know which meditation method to choose, check out our solutions.

It has been seen that peope who are confident do not get afraid of applying their creative ideas and thoughts into actions. Try to be more confident which will help your creativity to flourish.

You can watch this great TED talk called "How to build your creative confidence" by David Kelley.

People who are organized have relaxed brains which can enhance creativity. Therefore, try to be more organized with your tasks, for example, every morning you can create a bullet point list of your daily tasks and give your brain more space for being creative.

Classical music helps the nerves to calm down which assists your body and mind to be more creative. 

According to the Mozart Effect, Mozart's music is said to boost creativity and other cognitive functions, and put you in a creative mood.

The three main benefits you can get from spending more time in nature are: restoration, contemplation and inspiration - all being very important for boosting your creativity.

Nature clears the mind, gives you a new perspective, decreases stress, relieves fatigue and among many other things - increases creativity. So go on a hike, have a picnic in the woods, or just take daily walks in the closest big park - it's your choice.

Practicing yoga refines your inner emotions while balancing your body, mind and soul so that your artistic expression and creativity can come to surface.

There are some specific yoga exercises and poses which help in enhancing creativity and you can check them out here.

A rested brain is vital in terms of being creative and proper sleep helps your brain do just that.

Having a relaxed and rested brain allows you mind to explore different ideas and different solutions - so try to have a comfortable sleep of at least 6, but even better 7 hours every night.

Seeing new cultures and meeting new people with different lifestyles will help you think differently. Thinking differently will grow your mind's capacity for creative thinking in the best possible way.

Noise works as a distraction, and if you're at a place where it's noisy it can hinder your creativity.

Therefore, reduce the noise levels in your home or in your workplace so that you think straight, and if you're unable to do that you can cancel the noise by using noise cancelling earplugs.

You can buy these high-quality Hearheed earplugs on Amazon for $17.90 (image above), or go for a cheaper option by bying the Mack's ear seals for $2.95 (image below).

Surround yourself with creative people from different fields - musicians, writers, artists - the more versatile people, the better.

This way you will be more motivated, you can share your ideas, get feedback and rethink them. So join a workshop, go to festivals, lectures etc. - it doesn't matter what it is as long as it is a creative environment so that you can refresh and inspire your creative mind.

Reading books exercises and feeds your brain, that is a known fact. Reading good books, among other things, also lowers your stress levels, boosts your confidence, increases your knowledge base and makes you more articulate.

Reading fills you up with new ideas that might have never occured in your mind otherwise, so find a good book and read at least 30 minutes every day.

Ideas come and go in our heads all the time and we rarely remember every interesting thought that we had the next day. Some seemingly unimportant thought/idea that you had could have developed into something more if you came back to it at a different time.

Therefore, always have a notepad with you (it's better than just using your phone) and write your thoughts/ideas down so that you have them all in one place. This way you can come back to them anytime and see them with new eyes and different mindset.

Waking up early is a habit to most creative, productive and proactive minds (Ernest Hemingway woke up at 5 a.m. every single day).

So if you usually wake up at 10 a.m., start waking up at 9 a.m. for 1 week, then at 8 a.m. until you reach your goal (6 a.m. is the desired goal).

Oftentimes our mind needs something weird in order to find meaning from different experiences. Since creative ideas usually come from unusual places and combinations, try reading something that is out of your 'comfort zone' that will, in a way, shuffle your mind.

My reccomendation is absurdist fiction and you can start by reading Daniil Kharms' short stories as well as Kafka's short stories.

Create something new every day, even if it takes you just 10 minutes. Whether you're a writer, musician, designer etc. try this for a month - you can write an article about the breakfast you just had, draw a quick sketch of the funny dog in the park that you stumble upon from time to time, design a logo for your favorite coffee shop etc.

All those ideas will generate and inspire new ones, so get to work and have patience.

Your surroundings can have a big impact on your creativity and productivity, as well as your mood. 

Start by cleaning and organizing the space where you paint, as well as the equipment you use (brushes, palettes etc.) Decorate the space so that you feel nice and happy while painting and remove all distractions, like the TV for example. 

Keep a spiral notebook with you at all times, so that when an idea strikes you can put it down to inspire you later on.

If you see an object that you want to incorporate in a painting of yours- quickly sketch it so that it's there, if you hear an interesting reference that inspires you in some way - write it down, if a melody suddenly comes to your mind while in the subway - write the notes down.

This way you will always have plenty of ideas at all times that can inspire you when you least expect it.

In order to enhance creativity, you need diversity.

You can start playing an instrument, visit a photography class or take up a hobby that's been on your mind lately. The idea is that you direct your creativity somewhere else and come back to painting with new ideas and experiences that will inspire you and your art.

Go to art galleries and museums as often as you can, alone or with company, but don't just choose the shows/exhibitions that are right up your alley. You will be surprised to see what may inspire you, who you can meet and what piece of art may serve you as your next big idea.

If you struggle with creativity, why not know how some of the world's greatest artists overcame their creative block?

On this website you can read how Pollock, Picasso, Monet and four other great artists dealt with their creative block and how they moved in a fresh direction.

"Steal like an artist" is a book about creativity (NOT about plagiarizing, if that was your first thought) by the artist and writer Austin Kleon, abound with positive messages, interesting illustrations, creativity exercises and of course, lots of advice. It has 4.9 out of 5 stars on Amazon with lots of positive reviews.

You can buy "Steal like an Artist" on Amazon for $9.59.