The pressures of graduate school, dissertations, and research project expectations are almost always enough to stifle creativity and innovation. Yet those two factors are exactly what a scholar needs in order to overcome the stresses and obstacles that may be preventing them from being successful.

There are two camps of thinking when it comes to creativity: you’re born with it, or it’s fostered. The truth is that, while some people are born with an innate knack towards creativeness and innovation, it can be encouraged and fostered in others, no matter how young or old one is. Cultivating creativity as a scholar is essential, and once you find out how to integrate it into your way of thinking, you’ll find that the rest of your research comes much easier.

Creativity and Competition in Research

Advancements in technology around the world and the advent of the Digital Era have made the field of research highly competitive. While scholars have access to a global network of resources, they also face challenges unlike any seen before.

Distance is no longer a deterrent to worldwide opportunities, so an expert researcher has an entire world of potential chances in front of them. At the same time, though, there is a world of competition consisting of experts who also have as much knowledge. Sometimes, the only thing that separates two seemingly equal scholars is their ability to think creatively.

Obstacles to Creativity and Innovation

The pressures that come with graduate school are not overexaggerated. Many students who can’t bend with the stresses frequently find themselves under so much stress that they have to seek out help for mental conditions such as depression or they drop out at crucial junctures due to the high expectations placed on them.

These stresses can significantly hinder the ability to think creatively when one is always attempting to live by a set of guidelines and a framework full of rubrics and mechanical expectations. High-pressure deadlines make it impossible to take a deep breath and a step back to regroup.

Still, that’s often what is necessary to solve the challenges before you in a creative, innovative manner.

Strategies to Cultivate Creativity and Innovation

As a scholar, you understand that when you’re faced with a problem, you research it, apply theories, and test them out. That’s what must be done to foster creativity, as well.

Legitimately-backed strategies to encourage creativity and innovation in academics include ideas such as:

●      Purposely seeking out creative strategies. In-the-box thinking comes quickly and easily, but surrounding yourself with those who are outside-of-the-box thinkers or reading and studying creative solutions can make this become a habit for you.

●      Getting plenty of rest. The work will be there when you’re rested, and it will be easier for you to do it when you can think more clearly. When your brain isn’t getting the sleep it needs, it takes it longer to process thoughts and connections that would otherwise be simple.

●      Focusing on your health. Eating better and getting plenty of exercise and fresh air encourages your body to work at peak levels. As your endorphins are released through healthy choices, your creativity increases as well.

●      Socialize with others. Socialization and collaboration can spark new ideas that lead to innovative experimentation. When you’re only living in your corner of the world, you’ll only see ideas you already know. By expanding into others’ ideas, creativity and innovation can be cultivated.

●      Expand your circle of networks. Turn to creative people you might not otherwise have befriended and build those relationships. These people have different ideas and thought processes that could be beneficial to you. They can also turn you toward experiences you’d have never considered before that may spark creative and innovative ideas you can use for your research.

If you want to think differently, you have to step outside your comfort zone. Put deadlines and to-do lists on the back burner for a few minutes and come up with a way to enlist these strategies to help you work smarter, not harder, and foster your creativity.

Make More Time for Creativity by Using Impactio

The program you use to put together your work can hinder your productivity if it’s not everything you need it to be. Academic experts understand this drain on their time, which is why so many scholars around the world use Impactio for their publishing needs.

Designed for experts, Impactio is an all-in-one program that gives you start to finish and beyond factors in one easy to use platform. Whether you want to put your impact analytics data together for professional resumes or you want to collaborate with other experts on ways to think innovatively, Impactio has what you need. And with the free time, you’ll get by using a program that does the hard work for you, you’ll have more opportunities to engage in those creative thoughts you are fostering now!