How to be Visually Creative?

This post was written with the help of the great guys at emaze, an online presentation tool used namely for content marketing.

Find Your Focus

If you want to be more visually creative, find your focus area before you start. Sure, we’d all love to have impeccable design skills for our homes, make the most mind-blowing slideshows of our vacations, assemble enviable balcony gardens, and choose just the right combination of image & text for our sure-to-impress holiday e-cards. But not all at once. Choose your project and focus only on that project at the moment.

Seek Inspiration

Now that you have an idea of where you’d like to put your creative energy, start looking for examples that you like. Pinterest is a great way to collect web content that lights your creative spark or just drag images into a Word document.

One secret to stirring your creativity is Google images, which serves as tremendous discovery tool for ideas and materials.

For example, if you’re putting together a slideshow of your trip to Disney World, try searching online for “Disney World” and then click on the “Images” tab. Now you’ll see an interesting collection of photos to help you get inspired. Save images that can enhance your slideshow, like a vintage LIFE magazine from the opening of Disney World, cartoon characters, area maps, or professional shots of attractions.

Use Google image search to help you turn vague terms into real life examples. Only on Google image search can you enter terms like whimsical, chartreuse, winter wonderland garden, clean style decorating and then find images of what others associate with that word. It’s a great way to start when you don’t know where to begin. Gifted with a light green sofa and clueless about how to decorate? Try googling “light green sofa” and you can see what others did.

Set Up Your Workspace

Set up your creative workspace in a way that makes you relaxed and productive.

• Clean up your workspace, from crusted-over coffee cups to dust bunnies in the corner, give your workspace a refreshing dose of clean.

• If you’re at a computer and desk, optimize your ergonomics. A wireless mouse, an ergonomic keyboard, and a good chair help. Monitor height is also important, you shouldn’t be looking too much up or down to see it.

• Play something inspirational. From the sounds of a coffee shop (yes, there’s an app for that) to the sounds of running water, ocean bubbles, chirping birds or just your favorite album or playlist, sounds can help set your mood and are proven to improve productivity.

• Shut down distractions. Leave updating, refreshing, and chatting for another time. Commit to a timeframe to work only on your creative project.

• Keep your virtual desktop clean and make a folder to keep your work for this particular project.

While your physical space is safe, you also have to prepare your mental space in order to maximize your visually creative spirit.

Work Mindfully

Becoming overwhelmed is typical when facing down a creative task. One tried-and-true way to overcome this feeling is by planning your task and breaking it down into small steps. And before you start each and every step, make sure you have the time, materials, and motivation to complete the mini-task.

Select the photos you want to use ahead of time. Search for additional media before you start. Set a date for finishing the project that’s reasonable.

Keep it Fun

Being creative is supposed to be fun, so keep it that way. From finding your focus to working productively, being visually creative isn’t only about having good ideas. Being able to execute your ideas in a painless and enjoyable way is just as important. Don’t let technology stop you from being visually creative with digital media.

Make visual creation effortless, pleasurable, and satisfying. And if all else fails, hire a professional and get the job done – having your creative project finished can be rewarding even if you don’t do it all alone.