10 Tips for Stimulating Creativity in Web Design

Creativity isn’t always easy to come by, especially when you’re trying to think of the perfect website design. Did you know that the creativity center of the brain is like a muscle? If you don’t exercise it regularly, it can atrophy, resulting in lost ingenuity.

The solution here is to stimulate your brain, and therefore, make it think more creatively.

1. Eat Right

What you eat directly affects your brain. When you fill up junk food and sweets, your brain becomes sluggish and struggles to think originally. A healthy diet is essential for a healthy brain.

Additionally, seek foods that stimulate the brain, such as berries, beans, and leafy greens. One study also showed that a small portion of dark chocolate daily can boost brain function and increase artistic thought.

2. Talk It Out

It’s tempting shut yourself off when brainstorming creative new designs, but it’s much better to discuss them. Find someone who will act as a sounding board as you talk through your design ideas. The more you entertain the topic, the deeper you’ll dive into your own creative pool.

3. Find a Quiet Place to Think

Have you noticed that some of your best ideas come when you’re in the shower? That’s because you have a quiet, uninterrupted place to think. But most people are only in the shower for 20 minutes or less each day, however, so it’s important to find more time to think without anyone bothering you.

Go for a hike, sit on the closet floor and close the door, take a vacation, sit in the library, or find another place where you can sit quietly without being interrupted. It can be difficult to achieve, but seeking quiet daily will allow your imagination to flourish.

4. Listen to Music

Your favorite music can stimulate the part of your brain that controls emotions and creativity. For some people, listening to classical music while they work is the solution to ultimate ingenuity.

5. Write It Out

Use a pen and paper for this. Typing your thoughts and diagramming design ideas is not only more difficult in a Word document, but it’s also not as effective at promoting inspiration. Additionally, when you’re writing by hand, it takes longer, allowing for more time to think. Also, there are fewer distractions on a notepad than on your computer.

6. Exercise

When the body is healthy and stretched, the mind is too. Exercise boosts brain function as it helps to whip the body into shape. Your workout session is also a good time for thinking through imaginative ideas.

7. Go Outside

Your mind is automatically programmed to enjoy the great outdoors. Nature is linked to times as a child when you raced around the playground, making up games and going on adventures. Because being outside makes you think of playtime, it’s only natural that your brain would relax and open up a little. Spending time outside opens up all five senses, energizing the body and stimulating the mind.

8. Practice Yoga

Yoga is all about opening up the body to release toxins and increase flexibility. As your body explores new stretches and poses, the mind can unfold as well. Yoga enthusiasts swear that moves like child’s pose and pigeon pose facilitate ultimate meditation, letting stress and anxiety melt away so they can think about what’s important.

9. Do Something New

Human beings are creatures of habit. It’s entirely normal, but it doesn’t help with original thought. Doing things that go against your traditional moves removes assumptions and opens a new part of the brain that’s all about exploring. Exploration is directly associated with creativity.

Your "something new” doesn’t need to be big. It can be as simple as taking a new route to work or going on a walk during your lunch break. Just get away from your regular routine and see where that takes your mind.

10. Go to a Happy Place

Find a place that makes you happy. Think of a space that has zero judgment and where you can relax. This could be a physical space, or it could be a mental zone. Either way, you should be happy and entirely comfortable there. When you feel happy, it stimulates endorphins and serotonin in your brain, which removes stress and allows your vision to surface.