Innovative Learning Methods That Awaken Creativity

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Not all of us have sudden epiphanies that lead to brilliant ideas, whether on how to improve our morning routine, what to visualize during our meditative sessions, or how to master new skills and solve more complex issues. It seems that creativity is like a muscle – the more you exercise it, the better it becomes. When you invest time and energy into different ways to acquire new knowledge and skills alike, you quickly enhance your creative output. But, it’s also important to note that we’re all different.

Much like not everyone will use the same affirmations to visualize their future success and build a positive mindset, and we all enjoy various forms of exercise, creativity should be improved through different learning methods. With so many innovative learning approaches at your disposal, you can tailor your creativity-boosting routine based on your own personal needs and preferences. Here are a few mindful ways to learn and enhance your creative mind.

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Challenge yourself with new subject matter

Routines can only get you so far – they are healthy and they provide structure to your existence, but when you want to broaden your horizons, you need to leave your comfort zone, and learning is no different. In fact, you should continuously challenge yourself with novel subject matter, trying out new hobbies, new classes, new cognition-boosting games. If your mind is used to playing chess, then you can try learning how to tango! If you’re proficient in yoga, then why not try ice-skating or surfing?

When your mind is faced with something completely unfamiliar, it will recruit all of its previously obtained knowledge, but also make new connections. Learning something that pushes you outside of your comfort zone is a brilliant way to enhance your creativity. Yoga can help you clear your mind, control your breath, while dancing can help you improvise on the spot and improve your coordination – all of which awakens your senses and your creativity that will translate to other aspects of your learning.

Enrich your studies with different formats

Variety in learning is not limited to the subject matter you choose to master, but to the ways you approach the material at hand, too. You know it’s not enough to watch a tutorial of how to make teff brownies, you need to actually get into the kitchen and get your hands dirty. And most importantly, you need to build a mindset that helps you embrace a simple truth: it’s never too late to learn something entirely new.

If you’re madly in love with science, you can diversify your knowledge base by learning about molecular geometry, but instead of sticking to textbooks, you can use targeted lessons paired with videos to walk you through the topic at hand. That way, you can read, watch guided videos, and practice while you learn to solidify your newly-acquired knowledge. We’re very visual creatures, so if you can add a visual stimulus to your learning, your brain will become all the better at discovering creative solutions.

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Meditation can also help the mind better absorb new concepts and ideas.

Use music to boost your mind

When you’re in need of creative inspiration, music can be your most creative muse – as the name alone would suggest. For people in creative occupations, whether you’re a graphic designer, a painter, a writer, or a fashion designer, facing a creative “block” is a common occurrence that not only prevents you from enriching your knowledge base, but also prevents you from creating at all. Even classic corporate positions such as management or accounting sometimes require you to be creative and a true problem-solver and that lack of creativity can make your job exceptionally difficult.

No matter what you do, take a pair of headphones, and put on some of your favorite tunes. Music has been shown to enhance creative thinking, problem-solving, learning and memory, and it also improves your mood. When you find yourself stuck when solving a problem, mastering a new skill, or producing a creative solution, turn to your most positive tones to unleash your creative potential.

Practice makes perfect

Trial and error may not sound like the most exciting learning methods, or a way to become more creative, but actual hands-on learning is one of the best ways to move forward with your studies and skill-acquisition. Such a direct approach enables you to not just leave your comfort zone, but to also pick up more information – as much as 75% of what is being taught.

When you put yourself in a specific situation to practice what you believe you understand, you open your mind to new modes of thinking, you engage actively instead of only passively, and you can spot gaps in your knowledge on which you can focus. In certain scenarios, you can elevate your learning with the help of technology. For example, by using VR to learn about human anatomy, you engage all of your senses, and you get the chance to “practice” without risk of harm.

Learning is a mindset, not just a process, so if you’re prepared to go beyond the traditional “pick up a book and memorize” method, you can imbue your studies and your skills with real-life experience, tech, and the power of stimulating all of your senses. As a result, you’ll find that your creativity grows with every new skill you acquire and with all the new knowledge you obtain, so abandon your comfort zone and unleash your creative potential with the help of learning.

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