5 Reasons Why Being Creative Will Help You at Work

artistic girl

Some jobs are creative in nature -- if you’re an artist, of course, or even a graphic designer or copywriter at an advertising firm, you most likely spend your days immersed in art. Other jobs are more practical and technical and involve long days spent in front of a computer or answering the phone. But even if you don’t have the most creative of careers, embracing your artistic side can have a positive effect on your career. Check out these 5 reasons why and find some easy tips to add more creativity to your life and job today.

1. It can benefit your health

Did you know that being creative can help your brain? You will be less likely to suffer from a disease such as dementia if you are a creative person because you are actively using your brain. Staying healthy in both the long and short term can only help you at work, since that means fewer sick days taken off from work, increased productivity because you feel well enough to focus to the best of your ability, and a general desire to do a great job.

Think about some easy ways you can incorporate creativity into your daily life. Even just composing a long email counts. Email a family member or friend on your lunch break as a form of creative writing. Or spend this weekend redecorating your apartment. Using your brain in a different, more artistically minded way keeps you in tip top shape mentally.

Another way to get creative involves trying a few new recipes every week for dinner or work lunches. Start experimenting, adding new vegetables to your pasta sauce or changing certain elements of a recipe to make it your own. You probably already know that making your own food is so much healthier than eating in a restaurant or ordering yet another pizza. So get creative in the kitchen and enjoy better overall health.

2. It helps you have more fun

Happy employees are good employees, and you can’t experience happiness if you never have any fun. Remember when you were a little kid, and you loved art class? You got so much joy out of drawing or painting. Why not do the same even though you’re an adult now? Sign up for a drawing class on a weeknight or host a painting party with some friends so you can all make your own beautiful creations.

Sometimes it’s good to get out of your comfort zone and try something new. You will have a renewed happiness come Monday morning when you sit down at your desk, and as a bonus, something fun to talk about with your coworkers.

3. It helps you solve problems at work

We all experience issues at the office and moments when we think we will never be able to fix something that’s gone wrong. But, in fact, most things are completely fixable, and nothing will fix a problem more than the creative art of problem-solving. Most problems need some out-of-the-box thinking in order to figure out what to do. If you can open your mind and try a new approach, you will be the star of your office.

A good example of creative thinking at the office is brainstorming. We often need to brainstorm, whether we’re working on a new project individually or with others. Brainstorming is a common part of many meetings, so you’re probably familiar with it. It’s hard to brainstorm properly when we close ourselves off and refuse to be open to the ideas of ourselves and others. But if we believe there are no stupid ideas and try to be as creative in our thinking as we can be, we will succeed.

4. It helps you focus more

Think about how you feel on a Monday morning after a weekend of drinking and watching TV. Probably not the greatest. While many of us like to relax through drinking and eating junk food and believe, it’s important to unwind on the weekends, think about replacing those not so healthy habits with some creative ones. Why not adopt a creative hobby? If you can spend your weekends writing that novel you’ve always dreamed of writing, for instance, you will feel satisfied and happy, and can focus more on your job because you exercised the artistic part of your brain.

You can remember things much better and even concentrate more if you draw, according to experts. So embrace what you love to do outside of the office and watch your career success increase.

5. It makes you more employable

How does it do that? By making you a more well-rounded, interesting person. Consider two candidates who are in the applying for the same position. They both have graduate degrees and sparkling resumes. But one of them has a passion for watercolor painting and is part of a jazz band. The other seems to have no hobbies. Which one is more likely to be hired? It’s probably the former because being creative makes you a more fascinating person, and there is more to being employable than simply your skills and education.

See also: How to Develop a Career in the Creative Arts

Want to succeed at the office and have more fun? Think about embracing the creative part of yourself. Whether you adopt a hobby like painting or embrace the creative art of brainstorming, you will be a more employable person, be happier, and even be able to focus more. And as a bonus, you will feel like a kid again, excited for art class. Sounds like a pretty good reason to pick up a paintbrush today.

Do you use any of the creative methods mentioned above? Do you think they are effective?