One of the most important things you need if you want to succeed in the business world is creativity. When you are an entrepreneur, you are constantly marketing yourself and your business.

In order to succeed at marketing, you need to be able to discover new ways to promote yourself creatively. Things like signs, flags, banners, billboards and logos require creativity to make them work.

Many people fear that they are not naturally creative. While it is true that some people are born with more creativity than others are, most psychologists believe that people can increase their creativity with practice.

If you want to boost your creativity, follow this guide to learn how to become more creative:

1. Take a Creative Course

One of the best methods of becoming more creative is to take a creative class. Artistic courses like photography, creative writing, and video production are all commonly taught in most communities. Your local community college should offer a wealth of courses that allow you a chance to flex your creative muscles.

2. Start Exercising

If you find that you struggle to think creatively and you don’t regularly exercise, you should start working out to boost your creativity. Research has shown that exercising can enhance creative thinking. In fact, many famously creative people like author Stephen King, goes for walks when he is in need of creative inspiration. Next time you are having trouble figuring out how to be creative, take 30 minutes to go for a walk, jog or swim to help get those creative juices flowing.

“To enjoy the glow of good health, you must exercise.” – Gene Tunney

3. Learn to Play an Instrument

One of the most brilliantly creative minds in human history belonged to Albert Einstein. Among his most famous quotes is the gem, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” His creative genius helped to fundamentally transform the way physicists viewed the universe.

When Einstein was in need of creative inspiration, he would pick up his violin and start playing. He would often find inspiration for solving complex equations when he would take breaks from his work to play.

4. Travel

Throughout history, travel has been one of the greatest resources people have discovered for boosting their creativity. If you live in one place your whole life and never explore the wider world, your brain can get trapped inside a box that walls off your thinking. If you want to think outside of the box, you have to go to new places where you can experience alternate approaches to life.

When you travel to foreign countries and embrace a new culture, you will come back from your trip with a brain that has been rewired to think in different ways than before. That is why travelling is among the most powerful resources for becoming more creative.

5. Think Like a Child

Children are more creative than most adults because they have not yet been shaped by society to restrict their thinking with lots of limitations. For most children, there are no limits when it comes to the way they approach the world.

Their thoughts can often be incredibly insightful because they can look at problems with eyes that see the world in a unique way. If you want to learn how to become a creative person, start thinking like a child when you desire inspiration. Even if your thoughts become ridiculous as you let them go wherever they want, you just might generate a kernel of thought that can be developed into something magical.

“Childhood means simplicity. Look at the world with the child’s eye – it is very beautiful.” – Kailash Satyarthi

6. Take Breaks

If you are like most people, you have probably experienced a moment when you came up with a solution to a problem when you were thinking about something completely different. The brain can often come up with creative ideas when it has a chance to take a break.

Even though your conscious mind is not thinking about the problem, your unconscious mind is working hard behind the scenes to generate a solution. Creativity cannot be forced. If you have been working hard at something and cannot generate any good ideas, then take a break to give your brain a chance to recharge.

Everyone has the capacity to become more creative. If you experiment with the above tips, you will be sure to increase your creativity. Don’t give up if you hit roadblocks along the way. The key is to keep trying new approaches until you find one that works for you. Over time, you will discover the perfect process to help you find inspiration when you need it.

What are some other ways that you get your creative juices flowing? Leave your thoughts below!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com