Contrary to most people’s beliefs, creativity is a basic human ability that can be developed. Do you want to develop your creativity? Have you been racking your brain trying to think of an original concept? Do you have a brainstorming session to attend soon? Try some of the strategies below to give your creativity a boost.

	Try to be more observant of the things around you. We take for granted the car we drive, the computer we face, the photocopier we use. Some of the greatest ideas have come from adapting existing ideas or combining old ideas.
	Be interested and inquisitive about the things around you. Why are things the way they are? Question how things could be done differently or better. All of us are guilty of falling into routines, without questioning them.
	When a great idea comes, make a note of it! You may think you’ll remember, but we get distracted and things can easily slip our minds. Keep your ideas written in one place, whether it’s an ideas notebook or an ideas Word document. Once each month, revisit your ideas and build on them.
	Avoid being immediately critical about any idea. Many of today’s greatest inventions came from ideas that seemed impossible at the time.
	Respect your intuition, your hunches, your instincts. Too often these are suspended when dealing with a business problem. But did you know that hunches and intuition are tools of the subconscious mind? Listen to them – they are the culmination of a lifetime of study and fact-finding.
	Shake your habits. Routine is the enemy of creativity so rearrange your office or have lunch with different people. Try to exercise the body as well as the mind… the cobwebs may even give way to ingenuity!
	Look at things from another’s point of view. Imagine you’re a child, an elderly person or even an extraterrestrial. How would they see the situation and respond to particular objects? Doing this can enlighten, refresh and spark a new idea or improve an existing one.
	Experiment and discover what works for you. The next time you’re in a creative state, take note of your surroundings. What are you doing? Are you listening to a particular type of music? Are you alone or surrounded by people? Once you’ve determined what makes you feel creative, you can use these influences the next time you need to get your creative juices flowing.

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