Dabbl

              “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” This is one of the most truthful quotes I’ve seen on creativity. I first came across the quote when I had writer’s block looking for a remedy. And when I stumbled upon this quote, it really made me stop and think. Yes, creativity is something that some of us are perhaps born with. But that doesn’t mean we can’t facilitate the growth of creativity within ourselves. How can we get more creative? What exactly does Einstein mean by this saying?

              If creativity is intelligence, then that means that we can become more creative. If we can become more intelligence through certain practices, then why not creativity? There are certain exercises one can take to become more creative just like there are certain steps to take to increase intelligence. It’s also important to note that intelligence isn’t just book smarts. What Einstein means when he says intelligence, is the exposure and understanding many different things. You get a great understanding of things when you cumulate a wide range of experiences. This type of intelligence can’t be taught in a textbook. This can only be learnt through experiences.

              If we wanted to break this down even further, I think it’s safe to say that the more different experiences we have, the more potential creativity we’ll have. Then again, creativity is simply the combination of two or more unlike things that haven’t been combined yet. So rule number one to be more creative is to have more experiences. But how do we get more experiences?

              The first thing to do if you want to have more experiences is try new things. Take on new hobbies that look interesting to you or learn something that you’ve always wanted to learn. If you still can’t think of anything yet, then try something that the people you admire find interesting. This could be a good way to start off if you don’t know where to start. The more you experience, the more you’ll find out what you like and more importantly, the more you’ll find out what you don’t like. With that logic, you can say that there are no bad experiences. Because finding out what you don’t like is just as valuable as finding out what you like.

              The next thing to consider after trying new things is to quiet your mind. How do we quiet our minds? Quieting the mind means taking out any distractions whether they be around us or in our heads. We can do this by removing physical objects like our cell phones or TVs. We can also do this by mediation or time alone. Time in nature is a great way to quiet your mind. Taking a walk in nature or a hike is one of the best ways to do this. With a quiet mind, you’ll be able to hear what your mind is trying to tell you. By taking all the distractions out of your head, your mind can think freely and you’ll be more in touch with your thoughts. This is a great way to have more ideas. A quiet mind is a more creative mind.

              We can all build intelligence. Therefore, we can all build creativity as well. Einstein hit the nail on the head with his quote. It tells us that creativity is not just something we are born with, but in fact something that we can build and work on over time. Having more experiences, trying new things, and quieting the mind are all ways to not only enhance your own intelligence, but also enhance your creativity.

              What are some ways that work for you to become more creative?