340 Reading Rd.Suite WestCincinnati, Ohio 45202emediadesign.co@emediadesignco866.700.8585

HOW TO BOOST CREATIVITY AT WORK

With an office comprised of innovation-junkies, our team is always looking for new ways to boost creativity at work. You could even say it’s a governing force in our firm. We pride ourselves on building relationships with our clients to showcase their brand’s passion through innovation and creative strategy. Every once in a while, mental walls are hit, and creative clashes occur (we’re looking at you, Friday afternoons). Running low on creative juices is inevitable, so how do we fight back?

We’ll admit it, our team has tried everything from setting up a caffeine station to incorporating 3 pm office stretch time –– yes, you read that correctly –– everyone gets in a circle and leads a stretching exercise of their choice. But, if you prefer to limit your caffeine intake, or stretching with your team sounds more awkward than refreshing, we put together these additional tips to help with boosting creativity so you can get back to the innovative drawing board.

Directed daydreaming – When your mind hits a block, your imagination can be one of the most useful tools for getting you back on the course to ingenuity. When you let your mind wander, you open yourself up to new opportunities to think up something amazing. Keep in mind, daydreaming is most effective during a project you’ve already invested a lot of creative mind power. Don’t use it as an excuse to slack off, but rather an effort to remove yourself from the project to gain additional clarity, or experience an “Aha!” moment.

Talk it out – It never hurts to pull inspiration from your colleagues. Some of the best ideas come out of conversations and collaboration. Bounce ideas off one another, and see where your conversation takes you. A lot of times, you’ll even see the way out yourself just by talking about it with someone else!

Listen to music – Anytime you step into eMedia Design, music is playing throughout the office. Listening to music can help you feel relaxed and inspired, which encourages your brain to think more freely. Different types of music also help evoke different emotions that can even boost efficiency and get into a groove – see what we did there?

340 Reading Rd.Suite WestCincinnati, Ohio 45202emediadesign.co@emediadesignco866.700.8585

Take a hike – Studies show that time outdoors, away from technology, can stimulate creativity. Whether you head out for a walk around the block, or just step outside for some fresh air, disconnecting from your devices and interacting with nature or just taking short a bike-ride (of which are readily available at eMedia) can help improve creative thinking.

Do some research – Sometimes the best way to get inspiration is to see how other industry experts have approached similar projects. Create a soundboard of resources you can turn to for a boost of inspiration. This can be as simple as a Pinterest board, to a list of industry blogs, or even print-outs taped up on your wall. Spending some time looking at other work can help get your creative juices flowing.

Running into creative roadblocks can be frustrating for anyone, but especially for those of us whose jobs depend on our creative work. We all know that feeling of helplessness when there are deadlines to meet, and progress to be made, but you just can’t seem to move forward. No matter what, it’s important to remember that while it may seem impossible to break through it, inspiration is usually right around the corner/lunch break/music session/nap. :)