15 Ways to Improve Freelance Creativity

Posted by on January 29th in Freelancer.

We’re all creative, there’s no doubt about that. Nobody is born without creative tendencies and abilities; it’s just that some people are better at putting their ideas on paper and relaying them to other people. A lot of it is to do with confidence. If you’re confident that your ideas are great, other people will think so too!

15 ways

Freelancers in the creative industries frequently find that staying in a creative mindset, day in day out, can be a real challenge, especially if they’re tired or working on multiple projects simultaneously. For all these people, we’ve compiled 15 tips for improving creativity and staying creative for longer.

1. Carry a Notebook Everywhere

1carryanotebook

Without doubt, the best way to stay creative is to keep a notebook with you at all times. Don’t use it to write your shopping list in or anything else for that matter: carry it just for jotting down new ideas. You never know when a brainwave is going to strike, so you have to be ready. Just knowing that you’ve got an ideas notebook in your pocket will keep your subconscious creative mind ticking over.

2. Consume Culture

2consumeculture

Reading, visiting art galleries, watching movies, going to the theatre and other cultural pursuits are great fun. Furthermore, they’re the key to improving creativity. Not only will you be inspired by how others have channelled their creative juices, you’ll be able to “borrow” certain themes and ideas for use in your own work.

3. Seek Out New Experiences

3seeknewexperiences

Constantly seek new experiences in your daily life to broaden your creative horizon. Try a new hobby every six months, travel to experience different cultures and ideas, and try new foods and drinks. If you enjoy classical music, try going to a nightclub which plays dance music. If you enjoy reading romantic novels, try reading some crime fiction for a change.

4. Break the Routine

4breaktheroutine

Having a routine is great, but it’s important not to have one that’s so rigid and repetitive that you rarely get a chance to experience new things. Experiment with working, relaxing and socialising in different places, at different times.

5. Brainstorm

5brainstorm

Write the title of a piece of work at the top of a page and let ideas start to spill. Don’t think about what you’re writing, just spend 15 minutes or so getting down everything that pops into your head, asking yourself all the important who, what, where, when, why and how questions. Afterwards, review what you’ve written, picking out the best ideas.

6. Mind Map

6mindmap

A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas and the relationships between them in a visual way. It can be particularly valuable to create a mind map from all of the ideas you’ve come up with in your brainstorming session, although some people prefer to start with the mind map itself.

7. Contrast Conflicting Ideas

7contrastconflictingideas

If you’re struggling to come up with any new ideas, why not start with two or three old ones. Write out each old idea onto paper, place them side by side and compare. Take the best elements of each and incorporate them into something completely new.

8. Discuss Ideas

8discussideas

No freelancer is an island. If you want to stay at your creative peak, you need to regularly run your ideas past other people. If you can’t come up with anything at all, why not try brainstorming in a group, bouncing ideas off each other.

9. Talk to Everyone

9talktoeveryone

Discuss ideas with fellow professionals by all means (being careful not to disclose your trade secrets, of course), but don’t be scared to ask totally random people too. If you’re finding it hard to come up with someone new, try speaking to someone far removed from your social circle. Running ideas past children, for instance, can be great for getting a completely novel take on a project.

10. Find Your Creative Peak

10findyourcreativepeak

Some people are most creative first thing in the morning, for others it’s directly after lunch, and for others still it’s just before bed. You need to identify when you’re at your most and least creative and use this to your advantage. Get non-creative tasks out the way during your creative downtime so that you can come up with new ideas during your creative peak.

11. Take Regular Breaks and Exercise

11takeregularbreaksandexercise

If you want to maintain a high level of inventiveness over a long period of time, you need to take regular breaks so that you don’t burn out. Exercise is the best thing that you can do during these breaks. It’s a great way to relax and clear your mind, ready for creativity and productivity. Healthy eating and plenty of sleep are also vital.

12. Use the Right Stationery

12usetherightstationery

There’s no use sitting in front of an empty Word document, waiting for ideas to come. You need to ease their passage by using the right stationery. Choose plain paper over lined, as it lets your ideas flow, and make sure you’ve got lots of coloured pens and pencils at hand.

13. Find Your Creative Space

13findyourcreativespace

Search to find the place where you’re most creative. This might be a library, a park, a museum or simply on a public bench at the end of your road. If you work best in an office, make sure it’s really peaceful, with good lighting and a comfortable chair.

14. Be Confident

14beconfident

Don’t be scared to run with ideas which might seem stupid at first. The world’s most creative people have had to stick to their guns, ignoring naysayers to make their dreams a reality. If you’re confident and assertive, people will think twice about your ideas before disregarding them off hand.

15. Stimulate Your Brain

15stimulateyourbrain

Like every other part of your body, your brain needs regular exercise to stay at its sharpest and most focused. Doing crosswords, sudoku puzzles and even playing Brain Training type computer games during periods of downtime can be conducive to creativity throughout working hours.

Follow recommend testking 642-902, 70-640 exam product, N10-004 exams material, 640-802 braindumps and 1Y0-A18 dumps if want to pass those certifications exam in first attempt.

Tom Walker is a full-time writer and designer working for a specialist in Epson inks and other printing accessories. Much of his writing is focussed on the creative industry and covers topics ranging from print advertising to art. You can read his other work on CreativeCloud.

69 Comments


  1. uberVU - social comments

    Social comments and analytics for this post…

    This post was mentioned on Twitter by acrisdesign: RT @AcrisDesign 15 Ways to Improve Freelance Creativity http://bit.ly/bLIhyR...


  2. Attila Bogozi

    This is amazing…I am doing all of this probably more then a year…I mean everything(OK,without the exercises)…I am amazed by who created this…we have almost the same ideas…it freaks me out….in a good way…:))


  4. tripwire magazine | tripwire magazine

    [...] 15 Ways to Improve Freelance Creativity [...]


  5. Tweets that mention 15 Ways to Improve Freelance Creativity « Acris Design – Web Design Resources and Inspiration -- Topsy.com

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by bkmacdaddy designs, Kawsar Ali, Boydster, Phillip McCreight, FS Photography and others. FS Photography said: 15 Ways to Improve Freelance Creativity http://su.pr/1yItld Already used 1,2,3 & you #togs #photographers #creative #ideas [...]


  6. Most Tweeted Articles by Wordpress Experts

    [...] Hipsters email:unhappyhipsters@gmail.com follow:twitter.com/unhappyhipsters 2 Likes 15 Ways to Improve Freelance Creativity « Acris Design – Web Design Resources and Inspi… We’re all creative, there’s no doubt about that. Nobody is born without creative tendencies [...]


  7. Tomas

    A lot of great tips mentioned here. I’ll use them. Thank you.


  8. 15 Ways to Improve Freelance Creativity | Design Newz

    [...] 15 Ways to Improve Freelance Creativity [...]


  9. 50+ Fresh Useful Posts for Designers and Developers | Programming Blog

    [...] 15 Ways to Improve Freelance Creativity [...]


  10. Bobinson K B

    Hey, Nice article. Also thank you for selecting one of the photos taken by me with the article. In addition to the back link if you can give the attribution too – as per CC – I will be really glad :-)


  11. Most Tweeted Articles by Wordpress Experts

    [...] increasingly a cornerstone to lead generation and lead nurturing. In other… 2 Likes 15 Ways to Improve Freelance Creativity « Acris Design – Web Design Resources and Inspi… We’re all creative, there’s no doubt about that. Nobody is born without creative tendencies [...]


  12. MoiN

    Very nicely written.


  15. web design cheltenham

    interesting ideas to keep in tip top creative condition – thanks


  16. blacksmith

    i really want to emphasize that this post is good and encouraging!


  17. Andrea Lyons

    I just learned about Mind Mapping about a year ago…thanks for the reminder.


  18. Vikas Ghodke

    Hey thanks guyz. Yeah this is amazing post from our First Guest Writter Tom Walker. Thanks to him. And be in touch for upcoming articles.


  19. W

    Short and efficient, good job !


  20. 03/02/2010 : Personal Development Day | My Daily Top RSS Selection

    [...] 15 Ways to Improve Freelance Creativity We’re all creative, there’s no doubt about that. Nobody is born without creative tendencies and abilities; it’s just that some people are better at putting their ideas on paper and relaying them to other people. A lot of it is to do with confidence. If you’re confident that your ideas are great, other people will think so too! [...]


  22. azul

    nice tips for freelancing, thanks for sharing :)


  23. Sudhir

    good job guys.. awesome article..


  24. Steve

    Cool tips, i like it


  25. yp

    nice really like the brainstorm idea ))


  26. 15 Ways to Improve Freelance Creativity « Invisible Heart

    [...] February 6, 2010 in Articles | Tags: creative, creativity, freelance, improve 15 Ways to Improve Freelance Creativity [...]


  27. Paula

    I read the list twice and the one thing I don’t do is Mind Mapping. May be this explains why I always have ideas and creative thoughts. lol
    Love the write ups with the tips.


  31. Michael Hart

    Nice holistic approach. I’m all for that. Take care of the whole person and your creativity will flow. You’ve got Relational, Intellectual, Aesthetic, Physical, etc. Add spiritual and it’s totally holistic.


  32. Chris

    That is quite insightful. It presented me a few ideas and I’ll be placing them on my blog soon. I’m bookmarking your site and I’ll be back again. Thanks again!


  33. Atul

    Finding my creative Peak is the problem for me personally. Now that you’ve mentioned it, I’ll work on it


  34. sohbet

    very nice article. A lot of great tips mentioned here. I’ll use them.. thanks


  35. dieta

    That is true, I completely agree with you.


  36. John

    Nice article …. you can also visit this site
    http://www.freelanceshack.com/10-tips-for-getting-your-next-client-on-linkedin/
    there are some tips that could help


  37. long term care

    This post is informative – with a lot of up to date interesting ideas designs.I like your blog layout Where did you get the layout?.


  38. Chicago mover

    This is an amazing stuff.Really amazing.

    I think 5 to 9 plays a significant role.


  39. sohbet

    extraordinarily good..Thanks Best Regards


  40. 40 Great Resources for a Complete Roadmap to Freelancing

    [...] 8. 15 Ways to Improve Freelance Creativity [...]


  42. 40 Great Resources for a Complete Roadmap to Freelancing | My Social Life

    [...] 8. 15 Ways to Improve Freelance Creativity [...]


  43. 40 Great Resources for a Complete Roadmap to Freelancing | CSS Citadel

    [...] 8. 15 Ways to Improve Freelance Creativity [...]


  44. Plugin ID » 40 Great Resources for a Complete Roadmap to Freelancing

    [...] 8. 15 Ways to Improve Freelance Creativity [...]


  45. Air Rift

    This is an amazing stuff.Really amazing.
    I think 5 to 9 plays a significant role.


  46. Blog « apparentlyrich.com

    [...] like to thank Vikas Ghodke of Acris Design for inspiring me with his post 15 Ways To Improve Freelance Creativity be sure to check that out as [...]


  47. iPhone – iPod – iPad » Cool Iphone 3g images

    [...] Image by Ed Yourdon Note: This photo was published in a January 29, 2010 blog titled “ 15 ways to improve creativity Freelance . “It has also been published in an April 19, 2010 blog titled” How often do you work [...]


  48. Cornhole Bags

    By far the most creative thing we can do is brainstorm. But, they key to brainstorming is a whiteboard. If you don’t start off right you keep going and follow the trail until you get it.


  49. Chat

    Thank you for sharing your article I would always follow.


  50. almanya chat

    I think 5 to 9 plays a significant role.

Newer Comments »

Leave a Reply