3 Ways to Boost Your Creativity as an Entrepreneur

Being creative isn’t necessarily the primary prerequisite for becoming an entrepreneur, but boosting your creativity can help you be a better one.

Creativity can help a business owner innovate their products or services, devise a long-term strategy, brainstorm solutions to difficult problems, and be more adaptable to changes. For instance, online marketing is constantly shifting due to changes in the algorithm, meaning creative content is going to do better than simply trying to game the system.

If you’ve never considered yourself to be a creative person, then you should know that creativity is like a muscle, and you can exercise it daily to make it stronger.

Many people equate “creativity” with being “artistic,” but art is simply one form of expression of inward creativity. You do not have to be an artist to be creative. Creativity can come in all forms such as a hobby, unique insight or point of view, or an unprecedented way to solve a problem. The life of an entrepreneur can be chaotic with different fires to be put out each day, think of creativity as your own internal fire hydrant.

In this article, we’ll share some of our favorite tips for boosting creativity, so you can finally start calling yourself a creative person and impressing all your clients and colleagues with your new ways of thinking.

1. Cultivate your curiosity, boost your creativity

The most creative people are curious about the world around them, always asking questions and striving to learn something new. You probably already have a natural curiosity when it comes to your business or industry, but how curious are you about the things that don’t necessarily affect your daily life?

Every day, push yourself to make a list of topics that interest you but that you haven’t had time to explore. Then challenge yourself to ask a question about each topic. See if you can find a book or Internet article that can enlighten you and prepare to be amazed. Soon, you’ll be seeking out new information without having to schedule it into your day. This kind of inquiry-based learning has proven creativity-enhancing properties.

Becoming inspired is another way to cultivate curiosity. It’s great to know what you like, but sometimes it can lead to a rut where we watch, read, and consume the same content. Try something new and see if you become inspired. Watch avant guard artists’ YouTube channels, sample some exotic cuisine, or analyze poetry if you’re used to reading non fiction.

Exposing your mind to new stimuli will broaden your horizons and lay a pathway for boosting your creativity. When you learn something new, neurons in your brain form new connections that boost both creativity and productivity.

2. Embrace a new creative hobby

When most people hear the word “creativity,” they imagine all the traditional ways that people express their creativity – through painting, drawing, writing, cooking, designing, making music, and more.

Even if you aren’t skilled at any of these things, you should choose the one that interests you the most and then allow yourself to be bad at it, without putting pressure on yourself to succeed like you do in other areas of your life. This is called embracing a growth mindset. Instead of assessing yourself on the outcome (the drawing looking bad or the recipe coming out too salty), you reward yourself for the process. You may not master something new in the first try, but you did finally use that food processor, and that’s growth.

People with a growth mindset are not only more creative, but take on a challenge as an opportunity, instead of allowing it to make them feel inadequate.

You’d be surprised how much the creative process can retrain your brain. In this multi-tasking, output-based world, the creative process is all the more important because it allows your brain to stretch some rarely used muscles. When you learn to be creative, you learn different approaches to problem solving and how to embrace new ideas, all valuable skills for today’s entrepreneur.

3. Create space for your mind to wander

Have you ever heard that many people have great ideas of breakthroughs in the shower?

Creativity requires stillness and solitude. If you’re a busy entrepreneur who’s always moving and doesn’t ever have time to “shut off”, then of course you’re going to struggle with creativity. The most creative people allow themselves time to daydream, without their smartphones and other distractions. Boredom fosters creativity. But these days it can be difficult to allow our minds to wander since there is content and entertainment available for everyone twenty four seven.

If you can’t afford to take this time to unplug every day, schedule a block every week when you’re able to disconnect and let your mind wander. Keep a journal by your side and surprise yourself with your own ideas. In addition to ideas you can write down thoughts, insights, reflections, and questions. All of these lead to creativity!