Do you wish that you had more time to be creative, to spend time on the things you love to do?

Well, in this modern age where our mental health and work/life balance are suffering at a rate of knots, there has never been a better time to take stock and implement changes in your life to encourage and boost your creativity levels. Just like our bodies, our minds need the right ‘nutrients’ to remain fit and healthy and being creative can help as well as making us happier.

But while some may think of creativity in terms of writing a best-selling novel or becoming the next Van Gogh, experts say it can really mean anything from trying a new recipe to learning a new craft. SMART Garden Offices have come up with these key ways of boosting your creativity levels – and how one of our tranquil office retreats can help.

Learn to Relax

By relaxing, you naturally clear your mind and allowing creativity to flow. There are many ways to relax and unwind from simple activities like walking on the beach or having a good soak in the bath, to watching a film or participating in your favourite sport. Even if it’s only for a few minutes, it is important that we allow ourselves time to relax and unwind.

Sources of Inspiration

Creativity doesn’t just happen – we all constantly take inspiration from new sources that give us fresh ideas and motivation. The really great news is that inspiration is all around us; in books, museums, music and even in our surroundings, so we should always take note of things as they appear to us.

Write it Down

Writing down your ideas as soon as they pop into your head is a great habit to get into and is great for training the brain to keep the ideas flowing. By writing your ideas down, you clear your mind allowing it to move on to new ideas, and you then need never worry about forgetting them as you can return to them later.

Set the Right Mood

When trying to stimulate your creativity it is important to ensure you create the right ambience. According to a recent study, natural light or dimmed lights (as opposed to harsh fluorescent lighting) triggers a perception of freedom which can encourage more creativity.

Another study reveals that cultivating a disorderly environment allow us to feel free from our inhibitions. So, there’s no longer any need to keep your creative spaces clean and tidy!

It’s also a well-known fact that creativity is higher in people that listen to music because the brain functions better and is more creative when listening to certain songs, especially classical music. Listening to music can also reduce the amount of stress we experience leaving our minds free to be as creative as they like.

Exercise & Keep Fit

It is no surprise that exercise is good for you, but did you know that it can also boost your creative capacity? It transpires that when we’re physically active, the body loosens up and our mind becomes freer so it’s easier to come up with new ideas. Walking and running can stimulate the brain’s imagination and therefore improve creativity.

Reading

Nothing is better for relaxing and stimulating the mind than reading. It opens the mind to new ways of thinking while increasing creativity. There is such a large range of literary genres to choose from that we need never be short of material to take inspiration from.

Try New Things

Creativity is our way of expressing ourselves and our life experiences, so doing the same things time and time again will tend to undermine creative thought. If you want to give your creativity a boost, then do something you’ve never done before and watch out for all the new ideas that spring into your mind.

Your Very Own Creativity Room

It is also a great idea to create your own physical space for creativity, where you can carry out your hobbies without distraction, surround yourself with your favourite memorabilia, and even create vision boards for future projects. A dedicated space will encourage the brain to get into the habit of being creative every time you’re in that space, and it’s never been easier to set one up!

Creating your very own garden retreat, a space that is truly yours, to spend time in whenever you want, that is surrounded by nature and available to you 365 days a year, will undoubtedly assist your creativity. Boasting full thermal insulation and unlimited double glazing, your garden room will soon become your most favourite space. What’s more, this is also one of the least stressful ways of creating extra space as all SMART garden rooms are installed in just a few days.

If you’d like to know more about creating your very own garden retreat then get in touch with our team today and let us help you make your dream a reality. You can order one of our free catalogues by following this link and filling in the online form.