What do you think of when you think of creativity? Do you think of painters, writers, or maybe chefs? Perhaps you think of that super artsy friend, who with a stroke of a brush seems to make a masterpiece with ease?

Over the years I’ve come to appreciate a new perspective on creativity. I like to define it as the ability to imagine something new and different.

I’ve never been particularly talented at any fine arts, but I sure can think of new ways to get around an obstacle, especially if it’s blocking me from something I really want.

Last week I broke down the 7 key Leadership Skills needed for designing your digital nomad life. This week I want to dive into the skill of Creativity.

So where does the leadership skill of Creativity come into play with digital nomad life design? One word. EVERYWHERE.

From seeing beyond your current situation to dream up what’s next, to overcoming challenges and obstacles along the way, you will find plenty of opportunity to flex your creativity muscles. It’s often the best part!

In my former life as CTO, I had the pleasure of working with Sue Walden of ImprovWorks. We trained the entire company in Improv skills for the sake of innovation.

What I learned during that experience, is that if we want to generate new and unique ideas we need to prime our brains by breaking our normal thought patterns & neural networks. Improv gives us all kinds of powerful exercises for stimulating the part of our brains called the medial prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain is associated with language and creativity, and quieting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. That’s where your inner critic, who wants to shoot down all your wild and crazy ideas, lives.

What does all that mean? You can literally hack your brain to think more creatively!

Here are a few tips on how to strengthen your creativity muscles:

Disrupt Your Usual Way of Doing Things

Disrupt your life in big and small ways. Put your clothes on in the opposite order than usual, walk a different way home from the park, switch up your shower routine, turn your yoga mat on a weird angle. By forcing your brain to navigate the disruption of the status quo, you are creating new neural pathways that then allow new associations to be made, stimulating new ideas and possibilities.

The best part is that by living a digital nomad life, you are likely disrupting your way of doing things on a daily basis as you navigate new environments and live in new places. So just by living this life style you are building your creativity muscles!

2. Reframe Problems as Creative Challenges

Travel snafu blowing up your plans? Airbnb wifi not what you expected? Time to ignite your Go Go Gadget creative problem solving abilities. When we shift our mindset to see a problem as a puzzle to solve vs. a burden to overcome, all kinds of new possibilities emerge.

3. Mindmapping

A go-to tool in the Designing You Life toolkit, mindmapping is a quick & easy way to get those creative juices flowing. And, like improv, can build new neural pathways to open up new possibilities in your thinking. For more on how to start mind mapping in 3 minutes check out these tutorials.

4. Prioritize Self Care

Ever tried to produce quality work when you’re exhausted and drained? Not so easy is it. Our brains need sleep, hydration and regular exercise to stay healthy and regulated.

5. Learn a New Language or Instrument

Thinking of where to travel to next? Pick a place that pushes you out of your comfort zone by learning a new language. Or learn a new instrument. Not only does it help you become a more creative thinker, but it also reduces your risk of Alzheimer’s and Dementia down the road! And, these things make it easier to make friends along your travels.

6. Play, play, play!

There are countless fun Improv games to prime the brain for creative thinking, here are a few that you can pick up and play with immediately. And…you don’t need to go full improv to lean into play, find a 6 yr old and immerse yourself in their world for a few hours.

Creativity is your superpower when it comes to envisioning, designing and living a life of freedom and adventure. When you intentionally foster the skill of creativity you are equipping yourself with one of the most valuable leadership skills you’ll need to navigate your way forward as you design the dreamiest of lives!