My main passion with New Tech is helping people. My second passion with New Tech is finding, highlighting, and inspiring innovation. The level of creative innovation being generated in the PNW is astounding. We’re very lucky to live in a beautiful area thriving with creativity.
No matter what your job or aspirations are, more creativity will help you. Since even the most creative among us has brighter and greyer days of creativity, here are some tips to help you stoke that creative fire during the times when you’re just not feelin’ it.
- Take a break. Walk away from your work and wander, read something non-work related, get a massage or your nails done in the middle of the day, meditate, journal, or have a conversation with someone about anything besides work. It’s important to have downtime and free time to let your brain relax so new great ideas can flow.
- Adult coloring books have trended up the last few years as people have caught on to how they help to reduce stress and stimulate areas of the brain that aren’t used as much in our regular work days. Whether you sketch out your own creations or use a coloring book, it’s a good idea to break out that 120 color Crayola crayon box for some healthy inspiration.
- Watch the Tales of Creativity and Play TED Talk by Tim Brown.
- Do the 30 Circles Test Tim mentions in that video.
- Take one of these three creativity challenges from the leaders at IDEO.
- Take a class to learn something you don’t know. Try cooking, art, improv, singing, coding, drawing, video, a new language, playing an instrument, or dancing.
- You can jumpstart your brain with running, swimming, biking, hiking, kick boxing, yoga, weight lifting, or any other movement that gets your heart rate up.
- Change your venue. Work and play in new environments to see things from unusual perspectives. Working from a new coffee shop is an easy shift, but think bigger like visiting or working at the Waterfall Garden Park, Japanese Garden, Edgewater Hotel restaurant, the lobby at Carillon Point or somewhere else that shifts your perspective.
- Change your routine. Drive a different route to work, ride your bike instead of driving, set up maker days and manager days, take the stairs, eat dinner for breakfast, whatever moves you in a new direction.
- Take the focus off yourself. Volunteer, practice random acts of kindness, ask a coworker or friend about what they’re up to. This is also great to relieve anxiety and depression so your helping yourself when you help others.
