REVMAG by Nick Chadzelek

EDITORS LETTER

Dear Reader, What can you do against boredom? And what to do when your own four walls suddenly no longer represent your home, but your dungeon, in which you have been locked up for months? What to do when the monotony of everyday life takes over and steals the basis of existence from any creative idea? We have asked ourselves this question very often in the last few weeks. And it was precisely this one question that encouraged and inspired us to develop Reverie. When the gray gets out of hand, the urge for color becomes inevitable. It’s the same with creativity. Once everyday life has been under boredom’s spell, the cry for fantasy and recreation gets louder and louder. However, it is a flawed thought to assume that one can only escape dreariness by traveling far. Sometimes the true source of inspiration lies in the environment that has been familiar to us for years and has shaped us. So maybe it’s not about looking for inspiration and creativity in the distance and in the unknown, but rather learning to appreciate and love your closer environment with all its rough edges. That is exactly our goal. With Reverie we want to allow you and yourself to see your surroundings from a different perspective and to let your creativity run free. Because nothing is more important nowadays than not to lose faith in the good and to face new ways and possibilities with open arms. At Reverie, we firmly believe that there is a lot more creativity in you than you might think possible. You just have to start to look into life.

creativity boost

Creativity could be described as the ability to create something new from what already exists, be it a thought, an action, or something material. We use creativity every day to find solutions, design - and create new things. When we are creative, we create something novel, original and useful. The creative idea can be something completely new, but it is also quite creative to expand something that already exists with new aspects and ideas. Creativity is not limited to the artistic field but is used in a wide variety of areas of life and work. And at any time, we can strengthen our creative spirit with very simple things. Everyone has to cope with tasks in their professional and everyday life that demand their creativity. But there are moments in life when we just can’t think of anything. The head seems to be empty, no mental images arise, no inner voice whispers any innovative ideas to us. Often we just accept this and postpone the task. But there are ways to encourage our creativity. In this article, we want to showcase easily implementable and sci-

entifically proven strategies to boost your creative process.

M O V E M E N T P R O M O T E S CREATIVIT Y It is widely known that exercise is healthy and has a positive effect on our well-being. In 2014, researchers looked at the impact of running on creative thinking. In an experiment, they had the participants sit down to complete creativity tasks and tests. The participants were then sent on a treadmill. They completed the creativity tests again at a self-chosen pace. The result is impressive: while moving, the participants were able to improve their test results by up to 80%.

CONVERGENT D I V E R G E N T T H I N K I N G Interestingly, the results were significantly increased, especially in the test of divergent thinking. Movement only had

a positive influence of about 20% on convergent thinking. Divergent thinking stands for open, unsystematic, and scattered lines of thought that usually occur at the beginning of a creative process. Divergent thinking is brainstorming without rational objections, finding innovative ideas, and adopting new points of view and perspectives. Convergent thinking should sensibly be used at the end of a creative process. Here, with the help of a rational, reviewing, and solution-oriented way of thinking, the collected ideas are selected and checked for feasibility.

M O V E M E N T I N C R E A S E S C R E AT I V I T Y Probably not everyone has the option of having a treadmill in their office. And even brainstorming meetings cannot always be held on the spot. But that is not necessary either: In further experiments, the researchers found that cre-

ativity continues to increase even after the previous movement. They divided the participants into three groups. The first group completed both creativity tests while sitting. The second group sat first and ran on the treadmill or outside during the second test. The third group moved first and sat for the second test.The results were clear. The group that sat for both tests had the worst results. The group that moved during the second test was able to improve its results significantly. But the third group also achieved very good results while sitting after the previous exercise. Even if the creativity decreased a bit after sitting, the results were significantly better than in the group that hadn’t moved at all. So it is enough if you devote yourself to creative tasks after a short walk, for example, or do a lap around the block before the meeting.

D Y N A M I C ENVIRONMENT STIMUL ATES

The researchers had shown in two experiments that running makes you more creative. The question arises as to which environment provides more creativity: indoor or outdoor? For this purpose, the researchers came up with a fourth, exciting experiment. Participants either sat in a room or in a wheelchair that was pushed outside, or ran on a treadmill indoors or went for a walk outside. (Interestingly, the researchers also found that exercise increases talkativeness, especially outdoor exercise. Talkativeness does not automatically increase creativity, but it can be very useful in brainstorming, for example.) Overall, the experiment showed that running, both indoors and outdoors, significantly increases creativity. The group that ran outside achieved the best results. But the participants who were pushed outside in a wheelchair were also significantly more creative than the participants who sat in a closed room. Other studies have shown that being in nature has a positive effect on our creativity. In the study presented, however, an

urban environment also had a stimulating effect on creativity. So it seems to be enough for a dynamic environment to stimulate our thoughts. The best thing to do is to go out for a walk to brainstorm, whether through the city or in nature. For example, almost every cell phone nowadays has a dictation function that is ideally suited for brainstorming processes while running.

P R E S S U R E D A M A G E S P R O C E S S Movement and a dynamic environment help to be creative. But what disturbs creative processes? An example of a creativity blocker is time pressure. Creativity processes are complex cognitive processes that take time and cannot be put under pressure. In an extensive study in America, over 9,000 daily logs of workers were analyzed to find out how time pressure is experienced and what effect it has on creative thinking. The result clearly shows that

time pressure damages creativity. Even after the time pressure has decreased, it takes time for creative thinking to be possible again at a high level. Time pressure and stress should therefore be avoided as a matter of principle.

I N N E R A T T I T U D E C R U C I A L Even if we cannot always avoid being under time pressure, we are not helplessly at the mercy of this factor. Reserve a fixed period of time in which you can devote yourself to your task. Avoid interruptions and distractions, as they have been shown to disrupt creative thought processes. In the beginning, take a few minutes to think through your task, study existing material and approach the topic playfully and freely. Exploratory behavior supports creative thought processes. Because only if you know helpful concepts, topics and facts, you are able to relink them. Also, pay attention to your inner attitude with

which you work on the task. If you feel like you’re trampling on the hamster wheel or doing everything on autopilot, this posture will dampen your creativity. Analysis of the daily logs has shown that it is most effective when we put ourselves in an explorer mode. If the time pressure is low, imagine you are on an expedition to generate and explore new ideas. In this mode, it is more beneficial to work alone or in pairs than in a large group. Do not focus on solving problems, but on discovering new things. If the time pressure is already very high, then imagine that you are on an important mission. Your work is so important that the urgency is justified and you feel positively challenged. The mission aims to solve problems as well as to develop new ideas. Make your task an internal challenge that you can and want to master.

STAY CREATING.

Escaping the city

City life, I love it, but no matter how big the love, sometimes I still need to get away from it, and I can imagine I am not the only one. At the moment it’s hard though. While travel restrictions are getting lighter my conscience is still telling me that it is not the right thing to do. So I am staying here, escaping without leaving. And this is how I escape the City without leaving it. For me escaping the city means getting away from the busyness, the city trouble. Leaving behind the brick walls and asphalt floors. So I can appreciate them again when I return.

GETTING OUTSIDE

Going to a park, seems like a good starting point at getting away, especially when you are as fortunate as me living in a city with a lot of green spaces, but even then I don’t seem to escape the busyness. I still feel the stress of the city. No one slows down everything still goes so fast. To make it go slower find a secluded corner, and start listen to the noise in the distance, but

not trying to register it as people talking or birds chirping, just taking it in as noise. Laying there watching clouds pass by, just listening to noise, and suddenly everything loses its speed. It almost seems like the world is slowing down with you. Time stops to matter. This is usually when I get a phone call pulling me back into reality.

PLAYING

MUSIC

Music has a way of seeping into every inch of you, dredging up lost memories and molding your emotions. We consciously choose to play music that compliments the way we feel. There is a song that hits every emotion on key and allows melodies to eclipse our thoughts, even if it’s only momentary. Music is something that we not only hear, it’s something we feel. And that feeling lets you escape the city. Blend out everything happening around you. Just let the music suck you in. Even if it’s just for a moment forgetting what is happening around you, can give you a new perspective of what is happening around you.

WORKING

OUT

Running, the closest you can get to taking drugs without actually taking drugs. Exercising doesn’t only burn you calories but it also burns your stress. Giving you a natural dopamine rush. One that can be compared to a dopamine rush you would get from taking cocaine. Of course not as extreme, but after a run can feel like a bump of coke. And it even does more than that. Besides getting a dopamine rush Running also frees your mind. Much like with the other activities after a while of running your thoughts start to dissolve, and it is only about the run anymore. The task has become getting from A to B and anything else seems irrelevant for the moment.

MAKING THINGS No matter what it is you make, just making something is one of the greatest ways to escape the city without leaving

it. And I’m talking anything. It doesn’t matter wether it is a fried egg or a painting. Once you’re submerged in the task ahead the world around starts to disappear. It’s almost meditative thoughts disappear, as the mind is fully entangled in the craft. The meditative effects, and an increase of happiness though physically making something have even been proven by several independent studies studies. In a study of 3,500 knitters, researchers found that 81 percent of knitters with depression perceived that knitting made them feel happier.

MIXING MATTERS Here’s where things get interesting. When you start combining the different methods. You could go for a run without music music for example, and just listen to the world pass you, not paying attention what it has to say. Just running. Or you could start Dj’ing, fully submerging yourself in the music while physically crafting. There are so many possibilities, and I don’t

want you to view this as a finite list. These are just starting points for you to find your own way of doing things. and don’t forget reality either. Escaping is nice, but its all about balance, and contrast, and balance in contrast.

FANTASY IS HARDLY AN ESCAPE FRO REALITY. IT IS A WAY OF UNDERSTAN IT. -Lloyd Alexander-

S N OM

NDING