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8 Simple Ways to Stimulate Your Creativity

This might, at first, sound like a list of "Things Mother Told You", but life can be deceptively simple at times. Taking care of your health is just the first step towards better creativity, and better brain function in general, but there are more fun ways to get creative every day.

1. Eat Your Greens.
Science has proven that milk, spinach, whole grain pasta, tofu, salmon, and sunflower seeds all make you feel happier and more creative.

2. Exercise
Regular exercise is great for a lot of things, but even just stepping outside and taking a quick walk can be an instant boost to battle a creative block. Other great physical practices for creativity: dancing, yoga, and meditation.

3. Notes
Keep a notebook, or several, handy wherever you go so that you can record your thoughts and ideas as soon as you have them. This makes it much more likely that you'll remember the thought, and do something with it!

4. Relax
We mentioned meditation above, but it bears repeating: relaxing your mind gives it the processing time it needs to let the subconscious mind offer up true creativity. Anything that promotes relaxation, tranquility, and peace will do wonders for creativity! Baths, naps, light reading: try a whole host of relaxing things to see what might work best for you.

5. Trust Your Gut
Intuition comes from different place in the mind than your rational thought, so give up the rational for a while and let your intuition guide you. Daydreaming is a great way to jump-start the intuitive mind; let your mind wander and wait and see what comes out.

6. Stimulate Your Sense
Turn up the music, inhale the scent of a freshly baked pie, pet the soft fur of your favorite animal. Awakening your senses, preferably as many as possible, can heighten your awareness and increase your creative juices.

7. Revisit Your Creative Past
Take a quick trip down memory lane by looking at some of your old artworks, and take a moment to appreciate where you've been, where you are, and where you are going. You can even use these old works as a theme, and try new variations on the theme. Just avoid self judgement at all costs. The idea here is positive appreciation.

8. Risky Business
Take some risks! Try something new! Keep that gray matter stimulated, and thus your creativity bubbling over, by immersing yourself in new experiences. This is, by far, the best way to overcome a creative block.