8 Ways To Unlock Your Creative Genius!

Last weekend, my publisher agreed to drop the price of my #1 best-selling book, “Secrets of the Voice,” so that all my subscribers and fans will be able to get it for a ridiculous price. Nevertheless, only for three days… And that sale was over a couple of days ago, and we could deliver hundreds of copies to new readers.

As people started reading the book, they emailed me and told me how great the content was and why no-one thought about writing about this topic before… They have mentioned the word ‘Creative' when talking about my book.

What they did not know, is that my publisher mentioned that word a few months ago as well, when I told him, I want to create a series of Children Book that will deal with the challenges kids face daily and use my Mentalism knowledge to address these challenges!

You see, without being too modest here, from the time I was little people have constantly applauded me for my creativity. Whether it was drawing exceptionally well, acting, or writing – being artistic and creative has always been a quality that people assigned to me, so I never really thought of how my life would be without it. Over the years, people have come to me after witnessing me undertake so many interesting and original ventures and confessed that they wished they were more creative in their own life.

Last week, the first book of my children-book-series was finally completed. In a click of a ‘send' button, I submitted the final revision to my publisher for a review, and it didn't take more than five minutes for my publisher to call me and scream at me: “You creative monster!”, that's when I understood that I must write this week's post about this one thing that is a must-have for all of us aspiring mentalizers: Creativity.

What Makes Us Happy?

While we as people often discuss what it takes to be happy, which typically includes such topics as having a great relationship, a fulfilling job, being fit and eating healthfully as well as having enough money in the bank not to stress over it – one topic that is eventually overlooked in the happiness equation is Creativity.

When you’re young, you are often lumped into a category based on certain characteristics and natural leanings in your personality, thus most of us were told we were either Creative or Analytical. While I do believe we as people do have a tendency to favor one or the other, to be more right brained or left brained, I do believe Creativity is a key component to happiness and something we are each capable of developing and including in our day–to-day lives.

Creativity does just mean that you are able to paint with the expertise of Picasso, be a masterful actor like Marlon Brando, or croon a song with the musical finesse of Ella Fitzgerald, the truth is many things in life can be done creatively. It is all in the way you approach it.

For instance, I have a friend who works on Wall Street as a successful trader, but in his free time, he has developed a really neat hobby as an Amateur Mixologist, which is the Creative mixing of alcoholic drinks. He told me just prior to him taking up Mixology that he was looking for an original outlet, and he was uncertain as to what it might be. I advised him to think about something (outside of his work) that got him really excited like when he was a kid! After a few days, he called me up and revealed he had always loved all the different flavors you can create with drinks, so he enrolled in a Mixology class on the weekend to further explore his interest. Flash- forward to today and he is just about the best party guest around as he loves to share his Creativity via Mixology with all our friends and family. What a champion!

So what do Creative people do differently?

Or better yet, how can you unlock the Creativity inside you? I have composed a list of the top qualities share by all Highly Creative People, and ones you can learn to cultivate to make you a more Creative Person:

• Be Instinctual: Whether it is cooking an amazing dish or refurbishing a piece of furniture you picked up at a flea market, there is one quality that all Creative people have it’s that they follow their instincts. Following your instincts means that instead of using your mind and following a set of instructions, you follow your gut. For instance, instead of making a dish you picked out of a cookbook, why not look at the ingredients you have in your kitchen currently, and create a dish according to what you instinctually feel will taste good together. Following your instincts can be applied to nearly any task; it is essentially the act of throwing away the instruction manual and trusting yourself to find the best route.
• Be Actively Observant: Creative people are always on the hunt for inspiration, whether it is for their next photo, painting or piece of creative writing. If you're subscribed to my Mentalizer course you know how important it is to be an Active Listener. Well, in Creativity, we must become Active Observers. Creative people are Actively Observant of their surroundings at all times; they find a way to draw inspiration from even the tiniest details or social interactions. By putting on your “Observer Goggles” and looking for what might be inspiring to you in the everyday, you are sure to unlock greater creativity within yourself.
• Be An Eternal Optimist: Most Creative people are Optimists at heart, that is what enables them to do and to dare such amazing feats regularly. Just like a child, Creative people believe in hope, and wonder, and the probability that their latest experiment will turn out favorably at the end of the day. Do you think the Wright brothers were defeated by the common belief that human beings would never be able to fly? No, they believed, hoped, and knew that their dream of making an airplane would be successful. And so it was. So why not fly with your imagination as well?
• Be Playful: There is a famous quote by Picasso that goes “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Creative people are thought to be forever young because they never stop playing and looking for the fun in things. When life ceases to have elements of play, it can feel quite boring or depressing, look for ways that you can play whether with your friends or by trying something new and exciting!
• Be a Risk Taker: Most of us would never take an unnecessary risk in our adult life, because we learn to be calculated in most of our daily interactions and responsibilities. Many people believe this kind of calculated life is part of being an adult. However Creative people are very comfortable being daring and taking risks. Of course, no one is suggesting you do something outright nuts like kissing a complete stranger on the street, but there is something to be said for shaking things up by taking risks and breaking out of your shell. Here’s a hint – the more you take risks – the easier and less frightening it becomes. The result is that you wind up having more interesting experiences when you embrace risk taking as a regular part of your life.

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  Be a Daydreamer: Remember when you were a kid on long drives in your family car and you were sitting in the backseat staring out the window daydreaming about things you wanted to be, do or have? Well, Creative people never stopped Daydreaming. Daydreaming is much like fantasizing, and it’s a lot of fun to do! What’s great about Daydreaming is that it often provides lots of wonderful ideas that seemingly come out of nowhere. You might discover a new way to get to work in the morning or a Creative way to tackle a problem you’ve been having at work or at home. If you want to be like me – don't stop dreaming. I always dream about what my new book cover will look like or even how big my next theater is going to be. If you can't dream it, it'll never happen.

• Be Collaborative: Creative people may love to work independently honing their craft, but they derive equal enjoyment from collaborating with a group of other creative people. While you may have different ideas from other people within a group, collaborating with other Creative people can spark new ideas or things you’d never thought to try before. One of the places to start is here! There are so many people in my list who read my lessons and posts on a weekly basis, why not introduce yourself at the bottom of this post, and invite other mentalizers around the world to become your friend!
• Be Resilient: While Resilience is a quality that all people need in order to get through life, Creative people have to be incredibly resilient because they often deal with rejection on a day-to-day basis. Just think of the actor or actress that must go on 100 auditions in order to get a single part! The most Creative people are ones that have learned to let failure roll off their back and try again. While you may be defeated at one attempt, don’t be defeated, continue to try to find a way to make your dream a reality. Here's a creative way to look at this example I just gave: 10 years ago, when I was still an aspiring actor in New York City, I kept on getting all the roles I didn't want! The reason was simple: my Israeli accent. I always got the ‘foreigner' roles in plays and short films… That's when I started thinking creatively! Instead of running from one audition to the next, I will produce MY OWN show off-Broadway and give myself the main role! This is how my first off-Broadway show was born, and my history started… Always think outside the box, and you can do the same. Be resilient, and don't just wait for others to give you the opportunity you deserve!

I hope this brief boost of creativity tips will make you turn off your computer right now and go pursue something you really wanted! I hope you will keep smiling like that little child in the backseat, and keep daydreaming until you'll fulfil your biggest dreams! And most important of all, I hope you'll take the time to check out my new children's book, “Professor Ponzey And The Truth Potion” (Click here to pre-order on Amazon) when it is released on September 20th, just so you can tell me what you thought about it. Nothing better than my friend's feedback! Also, If you liked this post, please tell me what you liked about it in the comments below: