Creativity is the result of how you think. Practicing the habits of creative thinking allows you to break the barrier of what's achievable, whether that's attracting more clients, building your business, or navigating tough situations.
Not everyone lives up to their creative potential as much as they'd like to. Professional creatives, such as video editors and designers, know how important it is to keep striving for creativity. They may sometimes be interrupted by the less fun yet necessary parts of the job, like invoicing a client or getting organized. That being said, these professionals must always find time to keep thinking creatively.
Whether you're stuck in a creative rut or want to maximize your potential, here are the habits of a creative thinker to learn from.
1. Learn something new every day
There's one simple fact you need to know in order to succeed, to live beyond the confined space of so-called life, and to spark your imagination so you can do the best work possible:
"Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. You can change it. You can influence it. You can build your own things that other people can use." — Steve Jobs
Well said Mr. Jobs, well said. That's a great quote to summarize one of the best habits of the creative mind.
Creative minds don't let others' achievements affect their own creation of something remarkable. If you think you can't do something—write a script, code a website, or design a product you believe people will need—think again.
Developing creativity means learning something new every day:
- Explore our library to find new tutorials and articles related to your creative niche.
- Take time between working on projects and running errands to acquire a new skill.
- Experiment with new techniques for the stuff you're already working on.
Here's an example of following the habits of the creative mind. My friend is a photographer and has recently started drawing. Every day, he makes sure to draw something—a sketch, a concept, a character, anything.
What he told me is that the more he draws, the more interesting his art becomes. New techniques and approaches to drawing lines help to expand the creativity of his work. As a result, his photography has become more interesting too.
Author and filmmaker (just to name a few of his many hats!) Rainn Wilson talked to Envato about his creative transformation:
"While I knew who I was as an actor when I started auditioning, I still had room to grow. I learned how to listen and respond, improvise, and create characters. I built this skill set before I started expanding, giving me an incredible foundation on which to build my career.”
Creativity happens when you make the effort to learn or try something new every day. Have good creative habits, and your mind will be happy.
2. Connect the dots
Let's go back to the man who was the embodiment of a creative thinker. Steve Jobs talked about it in his famous commencement speech. He said that creativity is just connecting the dots.
A creative thinker produces ideas by finding the relationship between facts. Facts on their own are useless until you see the connection between them. Only then are you able to create something different.
This is what your clients and audience members are expecting. Even if they aren't aware of it, they're going to you because they rely on a fresh, highly creative perspective.
Technical knowledge is also key to developing creative thinking skills. If you're a web designer, expanding your coding knowledge will make your work better as you open up new avenues of creativity.
For example, you may have never thought about designing a website with vertical text. But a little exploration into HTML and CSS can open your mind to the possibilities of using vertical text for web design.
The connection between ideas doesn't happen unless you explore a little. Start enhancing your natural gift with the skills that complement it. Writers can learn about photography, graphic designers can explore web design, and composers can dive into video editing.
Clients will thank you for your ability to see above and beyond. Thanks to these creative habits, you may spot something they weren't even aware of!
3. See the potential and make a list
Don't stop your creative thinking process just because the technology, money, or support for your idea doesn't exist yet. It will someday. Reality is the result of imagination. What you put into the machine of creativity is the actual product or innovation you'll get out.
You can create your best work based on the amount of vision you put into a single idea. Even Einstein famously said:
"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
Some tend to think lists are too constraining for a creative thinker. A list telling you mundane tasks to do at a specific time can certainly be limiting, but good list-making is about more than simple task management.
Creative thinking is about using lists as mental roadmaps—as a place for you to see all your ideas before they get overrun by another wave of creative thought. Thomas Edison, John Lennon, and Leonardo da Vinci are some of the creative thinkers throughout history who used list-making as a tool.
Designers can make lists of concepts or draw sketches of their ideas. When a new project comes up, it's easy to be inspired when you already have all your creative thoughts on paper.
Here's something you can do to think creatively. Make a list of the things you want to achieve—without editing, without digging too much.
Now take a good look at your list. Keeping in mind the habits of the creative mind, what is stopping you from making the things on your list a reality? If you need help getting that list done, check out this helpful article:
4. Don't shut the door on creativity
Don't let someone knock down your ideas before they flourish into highly creative outcomes. As a professional, you may have to tone down the creative thinking from getting too wild. However, don't do this right away.
If a client asks for a logo with very specific requests, don't immediately follow those rules. First, design with your initial instincts. What could you do with their concept that they hadn't asked for? Then tone it down to meet their requirements.
Perhaps you could include this concept design in your preliminary draft. It may even inspire your client to think of something they would want to include in the design. But if you're going to do this, make sure that most of the work you present to them follows what they asked for.
The following course can come in handy in these particular cases:
The point is to keep the door to creative thinking open. When you write, don't stop to edit. This is when you lose all the good thoughts that prompted you to open a blank document in the first place.
Create now and edit later. Who knows where your creative mind will go?
5. Keep a broad perspective
As a professional creative, you know that the nature of the industry is to constantly evolve. Roll with the punches, adapt to demands, and carve out a new path in the direction of what a client wants.
If you're going to achieve all that, you're going to need to think outside the box. Feed your creative thinking.
Many artists throughout history have made the effort to think beyond a one-way street. Picasso went through many stages creating different styles of art. He had the Blue Period, the Rose Period, and the Surrealist Period, among others. Over time, he evolved. He changed his art to reflect the outside situations he felt and experienced.
As a highly creative professional, you need a broad perspective. You probably find various topics fascinating, and creative habits demand curiosity about how the world works.
This is especially important when it comes to working with your clients. Many probably aren't like you, but you need to know how they think. This way, you'll be able to write the best copy, design the best website, or take the best photos for your goals.
6. Say "no" a lot more than you think
Sifting out the stuff that doesn't work is just as important as keeping the things that do work. Saying "no" to clients is actually an important aspect of preserving your creative habits.
Getting overloaded by requests will reduce the quality of the work already on your plate. But it's not just about saying no to clients. Saying no also means refining your creative thinking.... eventually.
First, let your imagination soar. Write without editing and design without rules. But after that, reel in some of the crazy concepts you caught.
Refining the results of your creative thinking and revising the parts that don't fit is what brings solid pieces of work to life.
7. Share your "aha!" moments
Two minds are better than one. Collaboration is key to thinking creatively and taking your ideas places you hadn't thought of before. This habit goes hand in hand with connecting the dots.
Sometimes, an idea flourishes when you talk about it with someone else. Other times, you'll end up with a long list of new ideas stemming from the original thought. This allows you to connect the dots of your creative thinking, which has more substance and depth than a single concept.
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19 Top Brainstorming Techniques to Generate Ideas for Every Situation![]()
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How to Run an Effective Brainstorming Session![]()
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Professional creatives have the great advantage of collaborating with other artists and creators. This can improve their individual work, as well as the quality of their creative habits. Newcomers can gain confidence knowing that there's a high standard for fresh ideas and effective results from the community of professional creatives.
Putting in the creative effort
Inspiration doesn't come from the sky above. It doesn't come from spending countless hours on social media sites. It comes from you!
Put in the effort to develop creative thinking habits, and the quality of your creative skills will grow.
It may take some effort to get your creativity flowing, but as soon as it starts, it doesn't stop. Practice these seven habits of highly creative people, and you'll become a better professional creative. Not only will your skills improve, but all the other hats you wear will improve too.
And if you need a hand with your creative projects, consider an Envato subscription. Save time by using professionally designed graphic templates, fonts, and millions of other premium creative assets.
