(Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart or TuneIn)

Creativity isn’t just for artists, poets, or musicians. It’s a vital ingredient for success in any field – from entrepreneurship to problem-solving in your daily life. 

But let’s be real: sometimes, our creativity feels like a well that’s run dry.

That’s why in this episode, I’m delving into something super exciting – and a bit unconventional. I’m going to share 6 unusual methods to unlock your creativity. 

These aren’t your typical “take a walk” or “keep a journal” suggestions. We’re going deep and weird — in the best possible way!

Let’s dive in.

In this episode we chat about:

• Is non-stop content consumption impacting your creativity? (1:43)
• Why talking to your child can be a powerful creative kickstarter (3:08)
• How to cross-pollinate your body of knowledge (4:13)
• How to do creative cross-training (7:31)
• The power of ‘reverse thinking’ to unlock new ideas and solutions (8:08)
• How to intentionally create the conditions you need to thrive (8:59)

Episode resources:

• SheLaunch (join here)
• Mastering Your Mean Girl by Melissa Ambrosini (book)
• Open Wide by Melissa Ambrosini (book)
• Comparisonitis by Melissa Ambrosini (book)
• Time Magic by Melissa Ambrosini and Nick Broadhurst (book)
• Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert (book)
• The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (book)
• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (book)
• The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander (book)
• Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport (book)
• Digital Minimalism, Doing Deep Work & Quitting Social Media with Cal Newport (podcast)

Prefer To Read?

The following transcript has been automatically generated and not checked for accuracy.

[00:00:00] In episode 592, I’m going to be sharing with you six unusual methods to unlock your creativity. Grab your pen and paper and let’s dive in. Welcome to the Melissa Ambrosini show. I’m your host, Melissa, best selling author of Mastering Your Mean Girl, Open Wide, Comparisonitis, and Time Magic. And I’m here to remind you that love is Healthy is liberating and wealthy isn’t a dirty word.

Each week I’ll be getting up close and personal with thought leaders from around the globe, as well as your weekly dose of motivation so that you can create epic change in your own life and become the best version of yourself possible. Are you ready? Beautiful.

Hey, beautiful. And welcome back to the show. Today, I’m going to be sharing with you six unusual methods to unlock your creativity. And I just want to start by [00:01:00] saying that creativity isn’t just for artists or poets or musicians. It is a vital ingredient for success in any field from entrepreneurship to problem solving in your daily life.

But let’s be real, sometimes our creativity feels like a well that’s run dry. So that’s why today I am delving into something super exciting and a bit unconventional. I’m going to share six unusual methods to unlock your creativity. Now, these aren’t just your typical take a walk or keep a journal suggestions.

We are going deep and weird in the best possible way. So let’s dive in. Six unusual methods to unlock your creativity and have more and better ideas. Okay, number one is stop consuming content 24 7. In our digital age, we are constantly bombarded with content, social media, news, podcasts, you name it. While it’s great to stay informed and inspired, this constant stream of [00:02:00] information can drown out our own creativity.

I know you know what I’m talking about here. So instead, try to intentionally carve out times in your day where you consume nothing. Let your mind wander without the influence of outside inputs. It’s in these quiet, unplugged moments that ordinary ideas can bubble to the surface. You’ll be amazed at how your brain fills the silence with creativity when it’s not being constantly fed by external stimuli.

So this is your invitation to have a couple more quiet, unplugged moments throughout your day. Just stop, close your eyes, breathe. You can meditate, do whatever you need to do to take some time for yourself. And we are exposed now. To more information and more content than we were ever before. So we really need to make sure that there [00:03:00] are times in our day where we are just inward with ourself.

Okay, so that’s number one, stop consuming content 24 7. Number two, talk to a child. Now children have an enchanting and untamed perspective on the world. Unhibited by the rules that govern adult thinking. Now, to rekindle some of this magic in your own thought process, engage in conversation with children, be it your own child, your niece, your nephew, your besties, little ones, it doesn’t really matter.

Just have a conversation with a child. Ask them about anything, from their views of outer space, to how they would solve a common problem, to how they rank their favorite teddy, and why. Listening to their fresh, unhibited insight is a powerful reminder that creativity often lies in simplicity and the ability to think without limits.

I absolutely just love going into my daughter’s world and letting her lead the [00:04:00] way. And I’m so fascinated by what she’s drawn to and the conversations and like, I can see her little brain ticking over. It’s so beautiful, so that’s number two, talk to a child. Number three, cross pollinate your own body of knowledge.

So creativity arises from the ability to weave together seemingly unrelated ideas to form new connections. To build this skill, it is crucial to immerse yourself in a broad spectrum of knowledge and experiences. Now, one of the easiest ways to do this is to read books that are outside your usual area of interest.

Whether it’s embracing a new genre, like romanticy is anyone, or picking up a non fiction book on a topic that you know nothing about, reading outside your comfort zone is one of the simplest ways to expand your mental horizons and seed ideas that can later germinate into new and exciting concepts. I have recently [00:05:00] just picked up fiction.

I have not read fiction since my very early twenties when I lived in London and I would take the tube or the bus as my transport and I would sit and read fiction books then and I loved it. But when I hit rock bottom in 2010 and I became obsessed with health and wellness and entrepreneurship and mindset and business, I only dove into those sorts of books and I have since 2010.

And I found myself getting into bed, because that’s when I would read, when I get into bed at night. And just not feeling drawn to want to learn at that time and just wanting to kind of relax. And Nick has been reading fiction for just a little while now. He’s kind of dabbled on and off over the years, but he’s kind of really committed to it over the past six months and he’s in love and he’s just like, I can’t wait to get into bed and I was like, okay, he’s like, babe, just try it.

So I started and I read a book in five days and I am [00:06:00] obsessed. I am obsessed. I love it. So I love romance. I don’t want anything scary. I don’t want anything to action or to drama. I just like romance, beautiful, lighthearted romance. And something fun. So if you have any recommendations, come on over to Instagram and tell me because I would absolutely love to hear your recommendations.

And I’ve got five recommendations for you if you are interested. And these books are amazing and a great way for you to learn more about creativity. So if you haven’t read them, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield, The Art of Possibilities by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander, and Deep Work by Cal Newport.

Cal has been on the podcast, and he’s incredible, and I’ll link to that episode in the show notes as well. These aren’t fiction, but they’re about creativity, and I think you might like them. But if you have any recommendations for me [00:07:00] of beautiful fiction, romance, lighthearted fun novels, please send them my way.

I’m almost finished my current one, so I need another book recommendation. And I’m just churning through them. But the thing is, is like, I end up staying up reading a lot longer than I usually would. I end up staying up for like an hour or two hours, sometimes three hours because I can’t put it down. It’s so good.

It’s just so good. So send them my way. So that is number three. Cross pollinate your body of knowledge. Okay. Number four. Practice creative cross training. Now, if you are well versed in one creative area, try diving into an entirely different one. So, if you are a musician, you might try a hand at sketching.

If you are a programmer, you might experiment with pottery. This cross training in creativity does more than just provide a fun diversion. It stretches your brain in new directions, often leading to great ideas in your primary field of [00:08:00] expertise. So if you are really great at one thing, try something new.

This is about getting out of your comfort zone and stretching yourself, okay? Number five, experiment with reverse thinking. The next time you are trying to solve a problem, instead of following a logical progression from A to Z, start at the end and work backwards. For example, if you are writing a story, think about the ending first and then figure out how to go from there.

In business, imagine you’ve already achieved your goal, then map out the steps in reverse to realize it. This is what I teach inside She Launches, like, okay, what is your goal? Now let’s work backwards. Now this method can lead to amazing approaches and unexpected solutions. It also stretches your brain and forges new neural pathways.

So number five, experiment with reverse thinking. You have a goal, reverse engineer how to get there. Okay. And then [00:09:00] number six. Intentionally create the conditions you need to thrive creatively. So everyone has their own rhythm for when their creativity is at its peak. Now you might be someone who wakes up with the sun and is full of ideas first thing.

Or perhaps you find your creative spark in the peacefulness of the night. Meanwhile, for others, the regularity of nine to five works just right. Now, knowing your own personal peak time can make creative work so much easier and can result in a better, more innovative outcome. But it’s not just about the time.

It’s also where you are, the kind of workspace and lighting that makes you feel inspired. Whether you prefer music in the background or complete silence and the specific tools and equipment that help your ideas flow. Now discovering the perfect combination of these factors to suit your creative style is key, my friend.

It’s all about intentionally crafting an environment and a schedule where your [00:10:00] creativity can flourish. I know for me, my workspace has to be neat and tidy. I love getting into my office and my workspace neat and tidy. It just helps my creativity flow. It also just feels so much better for me. I also love a light workspace.

We are currently building our dream home right now and oh my. Our offices are stunning, huge arched windows, so much natural light in there. They’re just so beautiful and spacious and I am so excited to get in there. Oh, I’m just bursting at the seams. So make sure you intentionally create the conditions that you need to thrive creatively.

Okay, so they are the six unusual methods to unlock your creativity. Let’s recap. Number one, stop consuming content 24 7. Number two, talk to a child. Number three, cross pollinate your body of knowledge. [00:11:00] Number four, practice creative cross training. Number five, experiment with reverse thinking. And number six, intentionally create the conditions you need to thrive creatively.

Now remember, creativity isn’t about a lightning strike of genius. It’s about finding new ways to connect and see the world. Now these six methods are your toolkit for breaking out of the usual patterns and unleashing the creative potential that is inside you. And just a reminder that it is inside you every single day.

Person is creative, so don’t give that excuse of I’m not a creative person just because you don’t paint. Every single person is creative. We all have creativity within us. The way that you do your hair and your makeup, the way that you make your smoothie, the way that you move your body. These are all creativity, okay?

So we all have creativity within us. And next time you feel stuck, try one of these strategies and watch [00:12:00] your creativity flourish in ways that you never expected, okay? So I hope you got a lot out of this episode. And if you did, please follow the show and leave me a review on Apple podcasts, because that means that I can keep getting on amazing guests for you.

And it means that all of my episodes will just pop up in your feed. So you don’t have to go searching for a new episode. Now, come and tell me on Instagram at Melissa Ambrosini, what you got from this episode. I would love to connect with you and I would love to hear from you. So jump on over there now.

And before I go, I just want to say thank you so much for being here, for wanting to be the best, the healthiest and the happiest version of yourself and for showing up today for you. You rock. Now, if there’s someone in your life that you can think of that would really benefit from this episode, please share it with them right now.

You can take a screenshot, share it on your social media, email it to them, text it to them, do whatever you’ve got to do to get this in their ears. And until next time, don’t forget that love is sexy, [00:13:00] healthy is liberating, and wealthy isn’t a dirty word.

Thank you so much for listening. I’m so honored that you’re here and would be SO grateful if you could leave me a review on Apple podcasts, that way we can inspire and educate even more people together.

P.S. If you’re looking for a high-impact marketing opportunity for your business and are interested in becoming a sponsor for The Melissa Ambrosini Show podcast, please email pr@melissaambrosini.com for more information.

P.P.S. Please seek advice from a qualified holistic practitioner before starting any new health practice.