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Do you feel the creative juices aren’t flowing through smoothly ?
After hours of sitting on our drawing board solving a design problem there’s a traffic jam of ideas in your brain.
Therefore, it becomes necessary to take a break out from our drawing board to refresh the mind
So why not find your design idea in some other tasks?
It is not necessary that you will find that idea only sitting on your drawing board
So basically the ideas mentioned below are like exercises which activate different parts of your human body for e.g listening, drawing activities
Basically if you notice closely anytime design is actually found in activities that you do, music that you listen, mess that you clear etc.
So when your brain stops, start to search design ideas by performing in other activities
Because ultimately, its all about finding the top idea in your mind
It is very obvious as designers, our creative muscle must be nurtured daily to keep it well functioning
So here are the top 7 skill loopholes we need to master to keep us refreshed.
1. Meditate
Our wandering mind aka, monkey brain keeps jumping like a butterfly from one idea to another. It becomes very difficult to keep that at one place
Meditation helps relieve our subjective levels of anxiety and depression, and improve attention, concentration, and overall psychological well-being.
Meditation also instils the positivity in you, which can improve productivity
You can win by taking control over your mind
Meditation is often mistaken with finding peace, but it is the state to know the deeper you……
It is the process of training your mind to focus and redirect thoughts mainly
Because,
Time is not your valuable asset, your focus is
Focus is our weakest muscle
Due to lack of focus we fall prey to many shiny objects around
More than focused concentration we face a focus loss
The complete hierarchy of thinking is disturbed
Meditation helps to develop the strength and endurance of the focus muscle
It is this idea of self-awareness through meditation that has affected me deeply
You only know yourself to the extent; that you are defined by the outside environment
The inner environment is never visible to you and therefore you lose focus
When you are in a state of meditation you meet your inner friend closely and deeply
When you are in a state of calm, you see yourself more clearer than what is visible to people from outside
Slowly and gradually you start to take control of your thoughts and the mind develops more laser focus.
Pro Tip – Just sit with your back straight, eyes closed in one place for at least 15mins per day.
You will realise the short term magic just by opening your eyes after 15mins and a lifelong magic when it develops into a habit
2. Sleep time
Sleep is costlier than gold for designers.
There are instances where we need to borrow our sleep time
Just like mind body needs time to relax
Overworking is not encouraged to an extent where you get tired and your eyes barely open
It is not about just being awake and present on the drawing board thinking even when the body is not responding just to please ourselves that we were awake till 5 in the morning
It all starts in the college studio, being termed as “night gang”
It is like a feeling of honour from outside
The night culture is encouraged and same is passed on to the fellow junior peers
It is not about pleasing anyone, but knowing our body better
You can’t build a monument just by 2 hours of sleep sacrifice
A good sleep boosts your creativity, improves memory performance and sharpens attention.
A good sleep will make your face glow and improve overall performance for the next day
A good sleep will reduce stress and keep you happier and smarter
A good sleep will reduce anxiety and be more rational in decision making.
Your sleep is more precious than gold
Your sleep will cause more wins
Pro Tip – Just Wake up every day thinking that you have to finish your day (with work) as per the planned framework for the day and in no case can be stretched, borrowing your sleep time
And the next day you will be more active and productive at the same time
3. Mandala Art
Design is a creative process
Every designer has their own way of gathering creativity
Art can be very beneficial in enhancing this creativity
Art rejuvenates and refuels new energy to take on the challenges.
Art can be therapeutic too
Mandala art is one such creative practise to boost and refresh your creativity
It acts as a therapy for creative professionals
Mandala art has the power to calm your busy mind from the design overload
It is the art of exploring the repetitive line work with circular forms in infinite ways along with colours
Colours radiate energy and different colours can cause different emotions to sprout out
This concept is not very new as we practise the essence of it daily
In the process of designing we often draw small artworks at the corners of the paper
That’s because we fear of the large paper size also
In a way, this is one type of refreshment for our brain to get prepared for the larger picture
It is nothing less than a refreshing phenomenon
We borrow time for that one top idea
Pro Tip – Whenever you face a creative block, just take a piece of paper and draw random patterns as shown in the image below and later try to colour it with different colours of your choice.
The repetitive drawing work along with the colours will relieve you from the bock.
4. Go for a Walk
This technique has actually worked wonders for me and I recommend it from my personal experiences
Whenever I am stuck with ideas on my drawing board, immediately I get up and go for a walk
The walk is usually to a tea stall, where you get to see a huge crowd
Your senses immediately energise after hearing the noise, seeing so many people, vehicles passing by because initially you were in a state of complete calm no one to look around
Meanwhile the idea is still tickling you in your head
You start to see the idea in someone else’s voice or someone else’s actions or even the scenery around that’s moving
So what do you think, actually happens?
Along with us we take our ideas also for a walk
You don’t have to leave the idea at home
Just like we take our dogs for a walk, ideas also need to be taken along
Remember,
Steve Jobs the late co-founder of Apple was known for his walking meetings
Even for the launch of every Apple products, if you watch closely how Steve Jobs used to walk from one end to the other to reveal the ideas of his products
Filmmakers like Rajkumar Hirani also in a creative blockage take a stroll of the park and discover entire scenes in that time span
Pro Tip – Always preferably try to avoid vehicular commute when the distances are short and easily walk able
Try walking every day, be it morning or evening to relieve stress and discover new ideas
5. Drink Water
Water has had a strong connection with human beings right from the ancient period
Did you ever notice how energised we feel, just by seeing or being closer to it.?
Just imagine what would happen if we have it continuously in our body
Water has the tranquil power to calm the mind immediately
We feel refreshed and energised after a quick lukewarm shower
Water is like fuel for your energy
Energy is everything
Water affects your consciousness
Water is a magical substance for your body
Water plays an important role in keeping the brain healthy
Our brain constitutes around 80% water and out of which even 1% dehydration can make us feel tired
Dehydration due to water can reduce the cognitive functions and concentration levels
Drinking water regularly can keep your mood calm, and encourage new ideas to flow in
Constant design concentration causes a burnout very easily
It tends to suck the creative juices out one of them being water
So it is advisable to keep the body hydrated from time to time
Pro Tip – According to research, there’s a simple formula to follow when it comes to water consumption which says,
1) Firstly calculate your weight in kg
2) Divide your weight by 30 (let’s say your weight is 60, so you need to consume 2 litres of water)
3) If you work out, then add approx. 350ml per half hour of your work out
4) Out of all this water consumption, you need not worry as 20-25% is covered in the food you consume so you need to take care of only rest 80%.
6. Listen to Podcasts, interviews
“You should be a good listener first to become a good designer”
To be a good designer you should be a good listener first
Because,
Voice has a unstoppable and unshakable power
Between popping notifications, mental lists and news that never stops coming we’ve forgotten to listen to people
There’s a bridge created between the knowledge transfer medium from human to human
We are used to only talking and reacting to situations
And the listening has lost its place
It is rightly said that,
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply”-Stephen R. Covey
You should be a sponge to suck out ideas and store it in the creative tank
So it gets deep rooted in us and can be used whenever needed
Pro Tip – Tune in to any of your favourite people’s podcasts or interviews who you really admire the most
Preferably, close your eyes to reduce visual distraction and just continue listening to the audio
Try this for the next 21 days and it will form into a habit
It’s one form of a meditation and you will be energised quickly to be more productive in your work
Pro Tip – Tune in to your favorite podcast playlist and see the magic unfold as soon as you open your eyes after listening to the ENTIRE show.
7. Talk to people
It is most likely to refresh your brain while talking to your friends
When speaking to friends the idea is still present in your subconscious mind, and you start to see that more clearly in course of the discussion
Associating yourself with creative thinkers and doers allows you to learn new things and expand your horizons.
You can learn from their mistakes, take inspiration from their ideas and share your creative problems with them, so that they can be solved
By sharing ideas with friends you constantly improve your ideas
But there is also a downside to this, as Jim Rohn aptly points out,
“You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with,”
Because,
You are influenced by the people around you
Unknowingly, there is a transmission of energies
The people we surround ourselves with have a larger influence on our behaviour, activities and results ultimately.
Not only financial audits but people audits around you is also essential
You can accelerate your personal growth in whatever direction you desire to take it to
You can’t hang out with negative people and aspire for a positive life.
Pro Tip – I have had friends with whom I’ve had intense never ending architectural discussions which has helped me grow in my career provided you first question, Am I hanging out with the right people for the right feedback?
Conclusion
There are many more such skills that require to be highlighted, but amongst all these 3 are the most important skills which we can’t live without today
Faster you get on to practise these better it would be and by the time you are on field for starting your practise you will be rich in these which will help your business grow and scale.
Well, do let me know below what more such skills that are necessary and left out in the formal education.
