5 Ways to Discover the Creative in You The creative individual is in each and every one of us. It's up to you to bring your creativity to the surface.

What does it mean to be a "creative" to you?

I used to think that artsy students, fashion people, actors, actresses and music artists were the only individuals eligible to call themselves "creative'. You know, the stereotypical type that you see on TV and film.

Oh, how wrong I was.

Being creative requires thinking above, beyond and around the "norms' in order to exceed expectations and excite the senses. It's about using your imagination to bring something new to the table. This can apply to everyone, in any job, with any passions. From stay-at-home Mums to your Corporate Professionals, we can all be creative despite our background.

The benefits of exploring your creative side are powerful and is something I would encourage you to explore by yourself, with your friends & family and in the workplace. Here are just a few ways being creative can seriously improve your day to day quality of life:

• A reduction in your stress, anxiety and mood disturbance
• You will explore new concepts and understand different perspectives, a key quality to problem solving!
• Creativity can teach you so much about yourself and increase your self-awareness as a result
• It's free to explore your creative side, what's not to love about freebies!?
• It enables you to generate new ideas, ignite new passions and grow!

Now if you're thinking "I'm just not a creative type," that might not be true. Perhaps you just haven't been in the right environment for your creativity to truly flourish. We can all use some tips to point us in the right direction and help us on our way. Try the below to discover the creative in you:

1. To be more creative, explore the unknown.

To put it simply, you only know what you know and its only when you learn more that you begin to know more. If you find that you hold the same routine, day in and day out, that can get kind of repetitive don't you think? You know how your day is going to go because well, you have the same day every day. Nothing out of the ordinary is to be expected because you haven't changed anything about how your day will run in comparison to yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that.

Try and switch up your day little by little. From five minutes to an hour (depending on what time is available to you), try and either learn something new or do something new. We live in an age where the world is at our fingertips, literally. Learn a new phrase in a new language or go to that country itself and learn the language. Have you ever been to a business conference? No? Give it a try! After all, you never know who you may meet, what you may learn and the doors that may open for you. Above everything else, you will have that experience to look back on and take as a learning opportunity from which you can draw some creative inspiration.

2. Be around those who exude passion.

They say you are the average of the five people that you spend the most time with. Write those five names down! Who are they? What do they do? And most importantly, are they passionate about their craft and their life? If they score low on the latter point, seriously consider increasing your awareness on this. This is not to say that these people are bad people, because of course that is not necessarily true. However, those with a lack of passion tend to exude a negative outlook and perspective on most things and this will be toxic when it comes to your growth. These people tend to enjoy their comfort zones and fear venturing out of this in case they are attacked by the monster we have come to know as "failure'.

Those around you do not have to be like-minded in the sense that they must partake in a similar line of work. They simply must display a passion for their craft where their outlook and ways of working can influence you in a positive way. You will learn to bounce back from failures and be influenced to keep your inner drive, determination and creative talents alive. Let's just say, it would be a lot harder, if not impossible, to implement the keys to success if you were surrounded by a bunch of moaners on a regular basis. Do yourself a favour and protect your passion and creative spirit by spending less time around these people. Love them from a distance and grow.

3. Unplug your phone and be alone.

This is perhaps one of the most powerful ways I find that really ignites a creative spark within me. There's something so special about being away from all "influence" and just being with your own mind. When you disconnect, no one is guiding your thoughts other than yourself. No Instagram models with an inspiring quote as their caption nor a Spotify playlist on repeat designed to help with your creative flow. None of that, it's just you and your thoughts.

You begin to have a closer focus on what your thoughts are made of and exploring how weird your thoughts can go. Have you ever experienced this? Try it soon, it really does help. If you are disciplined enough, perhaps you can implement five minutes a day to this and increase it in five-minute intervals. Give it a try and let me know whether this helped you too.

4. Indulge in music and movies.

There is something about music and movies that can instantly spark an emotion from deep within and bring this back to the surface. By listening to a particular genre of music or watching a particular genre of film, this can really guide your thoughts towards certain areas. Regular intake of these forms of media is ensured to act as a stimulus for your creative talent to soar. You become inspired, influenced and more likely left with a need to inject your newfound energy into an art form.

5. Take a risk.

My last tip is to take small and big risks. They say "fortune favours the brave' which put simply, means that courageous individuals will often receive the biggest rewards. If you're like me and really didn't believe you had any creative talent, take a risk and show the world what you can do. I'm sure you will even surprise yourself.

Creativity requires us to become vulnerable, somewhat. We have to look deep within ourselves to begin the creative process. When we show this to others, it can be scary. "What if people think I'm weird?" or "What if they just don't get my vision!?" may be some of the thoughts you experience. The good thing to note is that when it comes to creativity, there are no rules! And guess what, whether you choose to partake in a creative endeavour or not, people will judge regardless! So, you may as well give it a try.

Don't fear creativity. Use your imagination and turn creativity into a powerful resource in your life.