“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it; they just saw something and connected the dots. It seemed obvious to them after a while.” Steve Jobs

When you look at very creative people, you can see that sustained creativity – having a lot of creative ideas over time – doesn’t come – from just a one time flash of inspiration.

That first insight, might help get the idea started, but what keeps creative people going is the set of rituals they set up in their lives that serve as the foundation for getting remarkable things done.

So what are some of these triggers successful creatives use to inspire their creative flow?

5 Rituals that Increase Your Creativity

Your creative source – that place where your creativity comes from – needs care and regular habits that will help the creative juices to flow easily.  Besides the basics like good sleep, healthy food, lots of water and exercise, your muse has other needs.

Often, we need everyday triggers to encourage the artist within.

Here’s a few rituals or habits that many successful creative people do to expand their creativity.

1. Get involved in something that is deeply meaningful to you. Creativity as both a lifestyle and as what we do in our everyday work, is a daring and yet rewarding adventure. Sometimes it’s a real challenge to keep doing what you love, especially when you have other obstacles facing you – like lack of time or money.

But, when you are doing something that means a lot to you, and you’re willing to put in the hard work and discipline you need to get it done, you feel more fulfilled. This is why it’s so important to remind yourself everyday of what is truly important to you and fully commit to doing the daily discipline you need to pursue that.

2. Set up triggers that help you create. Have you thought about how you structure your days? What triggers your creative and productive mind?

For instance, I wake up at 5:30am, go for a walk, come home, make a green tea and head upstairs to write. That’s my morning ritual.

Maya Angelou only wrote in small hotel rooms. Jack Kerouac touched the ground nine times before sitting down to write. Rituals that we do everyday, help to trigger our minds to get us into a creative rhythm. When you keep a regular discipline everyday, you save a lot of mental energy for the creative thinking.

3. Try new experiences. It might even be something as simple as going on a nature walk. As I walk, my creativity flows.

Walking in nature can be a compelling catalyst for creativity. [Tweet this]

Many writers have experienced more ideas and got answers to where they are stuck by simply getting out in nature.

Exposing yourself to new experiences an d stretching yourself is important and will help you be even more creative. Because creative growth begins at the end of your comfort zone.

Also, when you set up rituals where you are constantly stepping into new experiences, you are able to dance you way past the biggest barrier to thinking outside the box: Fear.

4. Listen to Your Intuition. Intuition are gut feelings and thoughts that come from deep with your subconscious and comes from a combination of past experiences and how you perceive your present moment. It’s important to listen to your intuition.

When you come to a difficult decision, explore all the information and facts so you know as much about the decision you need to make, and then really listen to your God-given instincts.

Most creative people realize that trusting their gut instinct – or intuition – is much like trusting your true self. When you trust your authentic self, the greater the likelihood you’ll have of making your goals – and dreams – come true.

5. Learn and study the work of Mentors. Most world-class performers in all kinds of fields – artists, dancer, writers, musicians, entrepreneurs – had awesome mentors and role models who proved that practicing was worthwhile and rewarding.

Watching and observing a mentor you want to learn from, gives you a clear idea of what you want to create for yourself. It unlocks a ton of motivation. Because as humans, we are very social, when we get an idea that we’d like to move to the next level above us, that’s what motivates us. Many times we think they did it, so I can do it too. 

Mozart did this later on in his career, when he heard Johann Sebastian Bach’s music for the first time. He listened and then a year later started adding Bach’s use of counterpoint into his own music. Mozart’s music suddenly had a new creative dimension to it.

So studying people in your field who are very good at what they do, can help expand your own creative output. When you are introduced to new ways of thinking and doing things, you only expand your creativity and get better at your craft.

As writers and creative people, our job is to create. Our purpose is to share what we have right now… to come as we are and give it our best shot.

So don’t let your inner critic or self doubt, stop you from doing what you do best and sharing your creative gifts with the world.

Are there rituals you have that help inspire your creativity? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.