--- title: 41 Simple Ways to Make Yourself More Creative description: Stop brainstorming canonical: https://time.com/3815462/41-simple-ways-more-creative/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-04-14T04:01:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T08:21:06.960Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 41 Simple Ways to Make Yourself More Creative og:description: Stop brainstorming og:url: https://time.com/3815462/41-simple-ways-more-creative/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8ca860f92720acf2/6987ea58e53aba05ee4db3c8/455120725-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=338&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 338 og:image:height: 190 og:image:alt: ink-water og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 41 Simple Ways to Make Yourself More Creative twitter:description: Stop brainstorming twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8ca860f92720acf2/6987ea58e53aba05ee4db3c8/455120725-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=338&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 41 Simple Ways to Make Yourself More Creative > Sponsored content. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Apr 14, 2015 4:01 AM UTC  Ink in water on white background Ink in water on white background Getty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Apr 14, 2015 4:01 AM UTC Here’s what the scientific research says: 1. [Travel](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/want-to-increase-creativity-and-innovation-ge). 2. Or just [expose yourself to other cultures](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/another-way-to-be-more-creative). 3. Or stay where you are and [learn their language](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-bilinguals-better-at-creative-problem-sol). 4. Don’t surround yourself with the color [red](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-the-color-red-have-magic-powers), stick to blue. 5. Get [rejected](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-social-rejection-increase-creativity). 6. Buy a [potted plant](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-a-quick-and-easy-way-to-be-more-creativ). 7. Give the problem to [someone else](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/to-quickly-and-creatively-solve-a-problem-sho). 8. Or pretend you’re solving problems [for someone else](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/another-way-to-increase-your-creativity). 9. Or pretend you’re a [child](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-to-quickly-and-easily-be-more-creative). 10. Think about love, [not sex](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/if-you-want-to-be-more-creative-should-you-th). 11. [Take a break.](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-taking-a-break-help-creativity-is-being) 12. And stop being so [hard on yourself](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-compassion-the-key-to-creativity). 13. [Smile](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-there-an-easy-way-to-increase-insight-and). 14. Or [frown while happy](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-frowning-when-youre-happy-make-you-more-c). 15. But either way, [be](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-you-more-creative-when-youre-in-a-good-mo) [happy](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/another-tip-on-how-to-be-more-creative). 16. Or a bit [paranoid](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-there-an-upside-to-trusting-nobody). 17. Follow Jeremy Dean’s [6 steps](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/6-research-based-tips-on-how-to-increase-crea). 18. Add a little [background noise](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-background-noise-make-you-more-or-less-c). 19. Team up with both [old friends and strangers](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/which-is-more-creative-a-team-of-strangers-or). 20. And people [who don’t know what they’re doing](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/would-your-team-be-more-more-creative-if-memb). 21. But you should work toward [becoming an expert](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-studying-your-area-of-expertise-too-much). 22. Don’t be [_too_ original](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-the-most-creative-things-also-the-most-pr). 23. Stop [brainstorming](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-brainstorming-for-new-ideas-really-work). 24. Take a [shower](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/during-what-average-daily-activity-are-you-mo). 25. Stop [trying so hard](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/3-quick-tips-for-being-more-creative). 26. Watch [Shrek](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/3-quick-tips-for-being-more-creative). 27. Do the [unexpected](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-unusual-and-unexpected-experiences-make-yo). 28. [Dance](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-dancing-make-you-more-creative). 29. Look at the [Apple logo](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-seeing-the-apple-logo-make-you-more-creat). 30. Get [drunk](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-you-more-creative-when-youre-drunk). 31. Stay [up all night](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-you-most-creative-when-were-exhausted). 32. Hang out with [sarcastic people](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-sarcasm-make-you-more-creative). 33. Do everyday things in [unconventional ways](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-making-breakfast-make-you-more-creative). 34. Play [video games](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/3-ways-playing-video-games-can-improve-your-l). 35. Have [hope](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-hopeful-employees-more-creative). 36. Get some [distance](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/5-ways-that-distance-makes-you-more-creative). 37. Turn it into a [competition](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-competition-increase-or-reduce-creativit). 38. Don’t get [paid](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-artwork-of-higher-quality-when-were-not-pa). 39. Let that [mind wander](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-a-wandering-mind-make-you-more-creative) (but be careful.) 40. Work from [home](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/where-is-the-best-place-to-get-creative-work). 41. Still not Picasso? Here are [29 more ways](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/29-ways-to-stay-creative). **Join over 180,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD)**.** **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/06/41-ways-to-be-more-creative/)**_._** Related posts: [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/) [The 8 Things The Happiest People Do Every Day](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/06/happiest-people/) [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3815462/41-simple-ways-more-creative/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3815462/41-simple-ways-more-creative/"},"headline":"41 Simple Ways to Make Yourself More Creative","datePublished":"2015-04-14T04:01:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:21:06.960Z","description":"Stop brainstorming","url":"https://time.com/3815462/41-simple-ways-more-creative/","keywords":["Psychology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8ca860f92720acf2/6987ea58e53aba05ee4db3c8/455120725-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8ca860f92720acf2/6987ea58e53aba05ee4db3c8/455120725-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"ink-water","caption":"ink-water","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3815462/41-simple-ways-more-creative/","name":"41 Simple Ways to Make Yourself More Creative"}}]}] ```