How to cultivate creativity habits

1. Try to be surprised by something every day.

It could be something you see, hear, or read about. Stop to look at the unusual car parked at the curb, taste the new item on the cafeteria menu, actually listen to your colleague at the office. How is this different from other similar cars, dishes or conversations? What is its essence? Don’t assume that you already know what these things are all about, or that even if you knew them, they wouldn’t matter anyway. Experience this thing for what it is, not what you think it is. Be open to what the world is telling you. Life is nothing more than a stream of experiences – the more widely and deeply you swim in it, the richer your life will be.

Starbucks making a dragon with hula hoop.

8 tips to make your life more surprising, from Tania Luna, Surprisologist

2. Try to surprise at least one person every day

My brother surprising us with an Octopus mask.

Yesterday I had a prompting to gift a friend E a Egyptian perfume flask. Turns out it was her birthday, I didnt realise it. I didnt heed my instincts and will pass it to her next week.

3. Write down each day what surprised you and how you surprised others

On my blog?

4. When something sparks your interest, follow it.

Really takes effort. Before being surprised, you live with the mundane.

5. Wake up in the morning with a specific goal to look forward to

Every morning my goal is to water the custard apple tree. Three fruits spotted.

6. Spend time in settings that stimulate your creativity.

My garden. What setting stimulates you? I find learning and reading stimulates me. Doing my Precepts homework. I’m covering the Book of Daniel and Acts.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention
https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199607/the-creative-personality