How to Stay Creative When Writing - Active Brains are Happy Brains

The first technique, which has probably been proven most effective, is moving around when your fingers won’t let you type another word. First, take a step back and get your mind off the work by doing something else away from your work space, which will help put to rest all the ideas bumbling around in your head.

Clearing your head by letting the blood pump back to your brain through walking or running has been scientifically proven to boost creativity by 60 percent (Wong). One of the key reasons you may get stuck when it comes to creativity is stress. Your brain, like the rest of your muscles, grow weary from working after a while. This will leave you “distracted, absent-minded,” and have “the attention span of a midge” (Davies). Taking a little stroll through the park can help cope with stress and fatigue because of the soothing sounds and movements that take place among its nature environment. It opens the door to “involuntary attention in psychology. It holds our attention, while at the same time, allowing scope for reflection,” which provides a calming effect for the brain (Davies). A great amount of stimulation and “alert signals” occur in the middle of a city setting. However, nature never demands anything of us – no judgement, no rushing and very little need to look out for other factors that could get in the middle of our walk. There is “room” for the brain to “roam,” causing less of a need to rush through the day and stress levels to rise (Davies). The only “rush” needed should be for creative ideas.

Doctors have proven that the change in environment and stimulation between sitting and walking, whether in nature or even in the city, increases blood flow and new ideas. When one place has lost its creative touch, new things to look at will often spark new ideas not yet thought of. After all, we are reactive beings who respond to our environments. Another environmental tactic deals with keeping a place organized and clean, yet surrounded by color. Colors help the brain and senses stay active, which is another purpose a natural environment provides. When you begin to lose your writing skill in the day, it’s nice to refocus on something bright and re-energize your brain. As a person with a slight ADD mind, I can see how this tactic would be unpopular to some. Too many changes stimulates the brain so that whatever focus was there is gone in the blink of an eye - then it’s a lost cause for us. An ADD brain requires more of a structural environment so as to not distract from the primary focus of the task at hand (although this is good for an occasional breather, possibly a 15-minute break so you don’t go insane or get a headache, which I too often understand). It is important to find what works for your personal brain chemistry. 

            Life can throw a few crazy balls, from you dropping the kids off at school, going by the bank at lunch, texting your mom who’s coming to town tomorrow that you have a lunch meeting at work because you missed the other day from a kid being sick. Oh, and don’t forget to place out that chicken for dinner! We live crazy lives with a fast-paced world that never gives breaks. People don’t know what a serene life is anymore, whether caught by families and work, parental care or relationships. But it is important to continue finding new ways to keep your brain energized – not just for writing, but for life in general.


Works Cited:
Pierce, Stacia. "21 Ways to Be and Stay Creative." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Oct. 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
Davies, Carie. "Six Surprising Scientific Facts about Walking." Six Surprising Scientific Facts about Walking. BMC, 6 Mar. 2004. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.
Wong, May. "Stanford Study Finds Walking Improves Creativity." Stanford News. Stanford University, 24 Apr. 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.