8 creative exercises to stimulate your mind

Sometimes it is difficult for the muses to bring us the dose of inspiration that we need, but with the right strategies we can help our mind receive the influence of creativity.

And it would be ironic that creativity, which is the ability to connect ideas with each other in an original and novel way, according to what we experience at each moment, it cannot be enhanced through the experiences to which we go submitting.

• You may be interested: "The 14 keys to enhance creativity"

Exercises to stimulate creativity

Below you can see a selection of creative exercises to make your way of thinking more flexible and spontaneous. You can choose the ones you like best depending on what your goals are.

1. eraser technique

This technique is widely used by writers and advertising creatives, as it helps us deconstruct an idea to reveal its most basic components and build again from there.

To carry it out, we will write down on a sheet of paper all the ideas that we believe make up the topic to be discussed, we weigh in the "gaps" of knowledge that appear between that mass of information, document more about what is necessary and, from there, look for connections between those ideas that we have been writing down in a separated.

2. Good bad interesting

This method was devised by psychologist Edward de Bonofamous for being the first to theorize about the concept of lateral thinking.

It consists of selecting the idea on which we want to work and think of something good, something bad and something interesting about that element. Reviewing the number of ideas that we collect in each of these three columns will help us know if we are experiencing a bias when analyzing that idea.

3. group sketching

This exercise is used to see the same idea from different angles thanks to group action.

To do this, we must meet with a group and start drawing each one on a sheet of paper the beginning of an idea. Then, all the pages change hands and each person continues the drawing started by the partner. This is developed over between 4 and 9 steps like this.

4. SCAMPER

SCAMPER is an acronym created to make our texts or ideas go through a series of filters that will help us make our ideas more flexible about what we have in hand:

Substitute: What elements can I substitute for others that are not present in the original concept?

Combine: How can I combine ideas? What happens if we put this together with this other?

Adapt: ​​What can I modify to make it fit better with the set?

Magnify: Which elements deserve more attention?

Put to other uses: What elements can be used more efficiently?

Eliminate: What elements could be removed without affecting the set?

Reverse: What elements can be rethought without causing serious problems?

5. forced connections

In the first place, we write down in two different columns a series of concepts with no apparent relation to each other, numbered. Next, we choose one element from each column by chance (for example, with the help of numbers and dice) and we play to make them be related to each other through an idea that we will have to create, no matter how crazy it is. It is one of the most fun creative exercises.

6. The candle problem

This problem was created by psychologist Karl Duncker to observe people's ability to use conventional objects in novel ways. Some people find it such a difficult test that it can cause some anxiety.

To perform the test, a wax candle, a matchbox (with matches) and a box of thumbtacks (also full) are used. The objective is make the candle fixed on a wall and can be kept burning without the wax dripping down to the ground. If you want to know the solution, click here.

7. the six hats

This technique was also developed by Edward Bono, and consists of analyzing a problem from six different perspectives: logic, optimism, devil's advocate, emotion, creativity and general direction. Thus, we must put ourselves in the shoes of these six “flat characters” just as an actor would.

8. questioning everything

This exercise is very simple: it consists of writing down all the ideas that make up a concept and beginning to ask yourself how each of them could be called into question. this way unfounded beliefs are identified or else you come up with funny and wacky ideas about how thinking is to be contorted to negate very basic and self-evident ideas. It can be especially useful in the field of advertising, where lateral thinking is very important.