“Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things.” – Ray Bradbury

Every now and then we hit the wall. Working long hours, keeping up with our children’s activities and fulfilling civic commitments can take its toll. When this happens, finding your creative side can feel like a hopeless task.

But your creativity never really goes away. It just gets tired sometimes. And when that happens, you can get it cranked back up again by getting in touch with your inner artist.

Here are five ways to jumpstart your creative side to get the juices flowing once again – no matter how busy your life can become.

1. Write it out – Journaling your thoughts is a great way to induce creativity. The key is to let the words flow naturally. Don’t try to perfect them or wait for the most articulate thought before writing it down. See where the pen takes you.

2. Read inspiring quotes – The words of others can fire up the creativity center in your brain. Inspirational quotes or beautiful poetry both can trigger your thought process and take you to a place you weren’t expecting.

3. Look up new words – Language itself has a way of stirring up the brain’s creativity. Finding definitions of words you’re not familiar with can help to ignite that spark. The word itself might be beautiful, or you might find the definition to be particularly inspiring.

4. Start with something routine – Sometimes, your brilliant ideas will come when you least expect them. Try cleaning out a closet; organizing your movie collection; or finishing a project you have lying around. You get the best ideas while your mind is wandering and your hands are busy.

5. Use your dreams – When you can remember them, your own dreams can be a source of creativity. Perhaps there’s an interesting or elaborate story, maybe the details were really vivid and evocative. Drawing from something that happened in your mind can help increase the beauty that’s already available to you.

About Alex Blackwell

Alex Blackwell is a father, husband and writer. He writes about inspiring things at The BridgeMaker.
Web | Simple Paths to an Amazing Life | Free eBook: How to Love Consciously