We tend to think of creativity as the ability to paint a stunning picture, write a bestselling book, design a beautiful building, or compose moving music. And that you are either born creative or not. But these ideas are myths. Natural talent is not the major component of creativity, so you don’t need innate talent in order to be creative. Most creative people will admit that their creativity is 10% talent and 90% hard work — the practicing and polishing of their skills. Albert Einstein took this a degree further, stating that “Genius is 1% talent and 99% hard work.”
We all have days when walk in to the office in the morning and all we can think about is our jam-packed to-do list. But focusing solely on how much we have to get done can stress us out, and it can even cause us to lose perspective on our own thinking. On days like this, one way to refocus is by doing a morning freewrite. According to a study from Harvard Business School Professor Teresa Amabile, regular workplace journaling allows you to rediscover your perspective and become more productive.
So instead of jumping right into your projects when you get into the office, block off ten minutes for a digital detox and grab a notebook and paper to just write. Unlike a blog or some other public-facing piece of content, a physical journal is your own personal compilation of thoughts that don’t need to make sense to anyone but you. Writing in a more free-form style will allow your creative juices to flow, while also forcing you to put your thoughts into written words.
If you're the kind of person who prefers guided instruction, taking a creative course could be the right way to direct your creativity. Creative courses could be anything from creative writing to photo and video to music, art, and design. Regardless which course you take, you'll be exposed to different ways of thinking and approaches to working that you can apply to your own work. Plus, it may help you uncover some of your strengths and work on your weaknesses.
If you feel like you’re working your brain hard and still coming out empty-handed, try pushing yourself physically for thirty minutes or so. Research shows that exercise can be linked to more creative thinking. One study that focused on how moderate exercise influences participants’ performance on different thinking tasks found that exercising regularly may train your cognitive thinking and creativity in a healthy way.
Since your creativity is related to how your brain is wired, it’s important to keep your mind stimulated by new sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and experiences. Expose yourself to an entirely different point of view through a new cultural experience. Keeping your sense sharp allows the synapses in your brain to think in new ways. 
A study at University of Michigan found two key ways coworking spaces create unique opportunities for creativity: flexibility and autonomy. A lot of it has to do with the physical setup of the space. The flexibility to control your space to suit your personal preference encourages creativity. Some studies have shown that have the ability to customize your workspace leads to higher levels of productivity. Your creative funk may be caused by working in an environment that is simply not conducive to your personal style of work.
Ever noticed that some of your best ideas come to you at the most random times, like the car or the shower? There's a reason for that: These breaks allow your mind to continue to work on these ideas without getting stuck in a funk where you can’t organize your thoughts.
When you’ve hit a wall with your own ideas, it may be time to tap into the creativity of others. Surrounding yourself with people with whom you can share and get feedback on your ideas and opinions is not only good for your creativity, it's good for your career. These different points of view can act as fresh perspective on a project you’ve been staring at for too long.
Do the 30 circle test. You can do this test during dull moments at work. It helps you push yourself to think quickly and creatively. To start, draw 30 circles. From there, make as many circles into drawings as possible in one minute. You can do the test over and over again, trying to break your record each time. The 30 Circle Test helps boost creativity because it forces you to embrace multiple ideas. Many people have a tendency to self-edit and pause to wonder if something is a good idea. The 30 Circle Test forces you to think fast, forcing you to experiment with ideas without rejecting them. For printable sheets of empty circles, do an Internet search for "30 circles printable".
Write flash fiction. Flash fiction means very short stories, often no more than 100 words. Writing a flash fiction story will help you become more creative as you'll be forced to tell a fleshed out story with a beginning, middle, and end using only a small number of words. This will help you learn how to convey necessary information in a limited space. There are many flash fiction writing communities online. Try getting involved with a flash fiction writing community and responding to prompts and participating in contests.
Listen to music. Simply playing music in the background can inspire you creatively. It can help you focus better and increase your overall concentration. Classical music tends to work particularly well for creativity and concentration. Not every genre of music works for everyone. While classical music has beneficial effects for many, experiment a little to find the music that best helps you concentrate and feel creative.
