Rediscover Your Creative Brain

A practical guide for reconnecting with your creativity

You’re not missing the creative gene. You just stopped practicing.

The good news is that when you start again, your brain adapts. You feel better and perform better. The bad news is that we all know practice — of anything — takes deliberate and sometimes elusive effort.

But first, why do we crave creativity at all, however it might show up in our lives?

What your brain does when you create

Creativity isn't a single lightbulb that turns on in your brain. It's a conversation between three major networks:

• the default mode network, which generates ideas

• the executive control network, which evaluates them

• and the salience network, which helps you switch between the two

High creative ability correlates with stronger connectivity across these systems. In plain language, you get better at moving between imagination and judgment.

It's like yoga for your brain, stretching it and letting it expand. It just feels good.

Creativity supports well‑being. Expressive writing has been shown to improve both psychological and some physical health outcomes. Making art lowers cortisol. Positive emotions broaden your thinking and help you generate more ideas. Sleep restructures memories and increases the odds of an “aha.” 

There are many ways to nurture your creative mind, and you've heard many of them before. The trick is, you have to practice improving the environment where creativity might occur as diligently as you practice creativity itself. We know that short bouts of mind wandering or daydreaming after framing a problem can surface new solutions, but how many of us move on to the next meeting, to-do, or deadline?

Walking (especially in nature) is known to boost idea generation in real-time. But if we don't have a "practice" of giving ourselves these kinds of shifts and flexibility, rigidity will set in. And the longer you wait to resume any kind of practice, the harder it is. Kind of like physical exercise for many of us.

This brings up another factor, prioritization. I agree it's difficult to faithfully practice all the things I know are good for me, so I have to prioritize. Giving time and space to one thing leaves less time and space for something else. This can seem insurmountable if we view the idea of bringing more creativity into our lives as prepping to scale Everest. Calm down, all you overachievers. Break it down to one small step at a time, or as Anne Lamott wrote:

"Just take it bird by bird."

Start today: Commit to one small action

• Schedule a day intentionally with periods for mind wandering when you're working on something challenging.
  
  

• Do a "drawing a day" or participate in community activities like #Inktober, where you get a random word each day that you should make a drawing of. This drawing is for Oct. 12th and 13th. Shredded and Drink are the words. I just draw whatever comes into my mind and don't worry about whether it's a technically proficient drawing.

• Buy yourself a hardback sketchbook (Shinolas are my favorite) and a few pens or pencils or a little travel watercolor kit, and doodle while you watch TV or hang out with friends and family. Or take it with you on trips and do some landscapes!

• Write down any random ideas that pop into your head (I use Evernote or Notes on my iPhone if my sketchbook isn't handy.)
  
  

• Take a 10 to 20-minute walk and start talking about anything on your mind, with no purpose or agenda, into a voice recorder app on your phone that can transcribe the audio. Then you can input the transcript into AI to help you glean insights or patterns from your inner dialogue.
  
  

• Share one small creative act - whether that is posting a doodle, sharing a poem, or showing off your newest quilting piece. Show Your Work! Scary? Sure. So what, nobody is really paying attention or judging you anyhow, so you might as well go for it.
  
  

• Find fun ways to introduce challenges or restrictions into the mundane - that tension can unlock new levels.

  • Assume different personas in your emails

  • Try asking the Five Whys of every problem you encounter for one day

  • What if you tried turning meeting notes into showtune lyrics (as long as you don't get yourself fired)

Momentum matters more than polish. Small wins compound.

Pay attention to what works, or what feels off. There are no rules to this practice, except to keep at it and have fun.

How to measure progress

Energy
Rate your energy levels at the end of each day. A creativity-filled day should leave you feeling energized, not exhausted.

Range
Look back at all the distinct ideas you captured, the interesting things you noted, and your thoughts on how to address certain challenges or tasks. It's always good to spread out your ideas and give them space to breathe; the act of recording them in any way helps achieve this.

Bravery
Count the things that you created and then shared with others. Creativity is all about connection, and you're going to have to confront your own vulnerability to get past the fear. Just do it, and trust me, you'll be glad you did. Don't worry about what you get back; the act of putting it out there is the most important part.

Additional sources of inspiration

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.

The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp.

The Creative Spirit, by Daniel Goleman and colleagues.

Bonus music

I always do my best work when I'm listening to music. I created a Spotify playlist specifically for this blog post to share a little bit of what works for me when I'm creating the environment for my best creative work to happen. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you go chase that little glimmer of creativity that we all see flickering at the edges. It's worth it.