Creativity helps us use our imagination to come up with something new or original.

When this happens, growth follows.

If we stop coming up with new ideas, we stagnate and move towards professional death.

There are some reasons because of which our creativity takes a hit. I call them creativity killers.

Here are 5 creativity killers and ideas to prevent them from coming in the way of our growth.

1) Too Much Consumption And No Creation

These days we are surrounded by the tools of passive consumption. The biggest of these tools is the mobile phone and the apps on it. They are designed to suck our lives into the abyss of laziness and consumption.

When we consume too much we have no free time or space in our heads for creativity. 

We need to save ourselves from the ill effects of consumption by staying away from mobile phones and connectivity for a part of the day.  Then we need to use that window of time to create.

2) Only Creation, No Consumption 

Passive consumption is bad. The lack of creative consumption is equally bad. Without it, our thoughts and ideas are limited by what we see and already know. If we keep sipping from the shallow waters of our own thoughts for a long time, one day there will be no water to sip from. No new ideas, no cross-pollination.

The onus of expanding what we know is on us.

To stay clear of such a situation, expose yourself to new ideas by way of reading, interacting with people and immersing yourself in new experiences. Make sure you consume quality ideas and dense knowledge so that you are able to come up with new ideas. 

3) Not Allowing Yourself To Get In The Flow

A state of flow works the best for unleashing creativity. You can’t get in the flow if you are constantly switching between tasks. This is a big no-no. But that is how we roll these days, rushing from meeting to meeting, and calls to calls.

If you aim to be creative find a window of uninterrupted creative or thinking time in your day. It can be the first thing in the day or before you go to bed. The middle of the day might not work well for most of us because we might be preoccupied and not in the best space to get in the flow. Choose a time that works for you.

4) Waiting For Inspiration To Strike Before You Create

Many creators wait for inspiration to strike and bout of creativity to appear. This approach is not pragmatic because we don’t feel inspired regularly.

That is why we should commit to creating on a regular schedule. If Stephen King can write horror stories from 9 am to 1 pm without worrying about inspiration or creativity, then we definitely can try the same.

5) Comparing Yourself With Someone Who Is Eons Ahead On The Journey

There are those among us who don’t create because they think they are not as good as someone they compare themselves to. In such a scenario we give up on creating even before starting. This is a sure-shot way of getting demotivated and killing creativity.

A better way is to team up with someone who is at the same stage as you and help each other in the journey. You can also become a part of a bigger group that is on the same path and at the same stage.

I hope you’ll use these ideas to keep your creative juices flowing and be happy and satisfied in the journey of life.