Exercises to Boost Your Imagination

Tapping into our creativity can be hard. We are all busy people in a world full of distraction and often there is a lot of negativity coming at us from all angles that can mean opening ourselves up to creativity is hard. Even when we are in a really positive place we can find ourselves slipping into a creative slump. It becomes harder to activate our imaginations as we become older, and more focused on the world immediately in front of us.

As we discussed in our blog ‘Why Storytelling is Essential for Building a Better World’ it is vitally important that we tap into our creativity as often as we can. When we are in flow with our innate creative capacities new ideas and our imagination can flourish. It is only when our creativity is flourishing that we can tell stories that inspire, educate and unite. It is only when our creativity is flourishing that we can conjure new ideas and lean into the possibilities of a better world that we can design in our imaginations.

Here at MoveMe Studios we are a pretty creative bunch of folks. So we thought we would share with you a few of our favourite creativity exercises to help boost your imagination. Some may be familiar to you, some may seem incredibly simple, others may be new and make you feel a little uncertain. We encourage you to give each of them a go next time you feel yourself slipping into a creative slump, or even feel like you need that little extra boost.

So, here are MoveMe Studio’s three favourite creativity exercises to boost your imagination.

Free-Writing and Morning Pages

The term Morning Pages was created by the author of The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron. The concept of the Morning Pages is simple but highly, highly effective. Simply set your morning alarm 15-20 minutes earlier than usual. Once you wake up, before you look at your phone or start getting ready for work, pick up a notepad and pen and write 3-pages without stopping.

It doesn’t matter what you write, or even if the writing is legible. The key is to write everything that comes into your head, and to not judge yourself either. 3-pages may feel like a lot but you will be surprised how quickly you find your flow.

The beauty of Morning Pages is that it helps get the ‘morning fog’ out of your head, so you’re not carrying it with you all day. The pages can help you organise your thoughts, freeing up more headspace for creativity to flow. While in the beginning you may find that nothing much of interest comes up, that’s OK! You’re simply moving through the creative slump. Stick with it for a couple of weeks and you will be amazed by where the pages will take you. Ideas and imaginings a plenty!

You don’t have to write in the mornings if that won’t work for you. The Morning Pages are a type of free-writing. Free-writing has been studied by psychologists for decades and has been found to help people process their emotions and solve problems that they are experiencing in life, as well as being an idea generating tool because as we write thoughts down our brain makes new connections that would otherwise have been missed if we kept all our thoughts locked in our minds.

Make a Collage

When was the last time you made a collage, or a vision board? Making a vision board can be a powerful tool in manifesting change. On a more tangible level, making a vision board can be a nourishing way to tap into our creativity.

Grab yourself a pile of old magazines or newspapers, a glue-stick and a blank piece of paper and get ripping and sticking. Cut out anything that draws your attention in, whether that be photos, graphics or even words and letters. The trick is to use as little active thought as possible. Allow your inner child to guide you to what they like and put it on the page.

You can give yourself a theme to stick to, like intentions for the season, or ‘building a better world’ and you’ll find that your mind will begin to browse the magazines with this theme front and centre.

We love to make a vision board or collage while listening to our favourite upbeat playlists. Making a vision board is another wonderful way to bring your community together. Invite your friends over, put some tunes on and see where your creativity takes you all.

Get Outside

Yes, its an obvious one perhaps but when was the last time you took a walk in nature without distractions. If you want to let your imagination run wild, and ideas to come to you organically there is nothing better than some fresh air and a new landscape.

Whether you nip to your local park for a 20-minute wander without looking at your phone and without your headphones on, or you plan a mission to somewhere new, the results will surprise you.

We have to give ourselves space, freedom and a little disconnection from the online world to let our imaginations wake up.

You don’t have to go for a walk if that’s not your thing. The key is simply being outside. Go sit in the park and watch the world go by, or sit at the foot of a big tree. You could cycle or go for a run.

At the next opportunity you get, get outside and put your phone on silent for 20-minutes or so. Let your mind wander and observe your thoughts. Don’t judge them or actively try to think of new ideas. When you stop forcing your brain to work in the way you want it to the ideas will flow more freely. Keep a note of the ideas that come to mind.

Are You Compelled to Take Action?

Give these three exercises a try and report back. We would love to hear from you about your experience of using these tools to help boost your creativity.

Share with us what tools, tricks and exercises you have tried to help boost your creativity. We would love to create a shared resources for the MoveMe community to use to help bring ideas and imaginings of a better world into reality.

email us at connect@moveme.studio or send is a DM on Instagram @moveme.studio