Creators are creators because they believe they are creative.  Michael Michalko

We're all creative.  It may not always feel that way, but there are many ways to perk up the creative spirit that lies within.  Are we all going to make a brilliant contribution to the universe?  Probably not.  But we can all learn to flourish by focusing on some of the following suggestions, liberally borrowed from Csikszentmihalyi and others.

Enhance your natural curiosity.  How often does something catch your interest, but you're in a hurry and pass it by?  Perhaps you slow down and notice something new about that house that you've passed umpteen million times on your drive home.  Allow yourself to notice, to be surprised, to give yourself a chance to really see things.  It's like finding out something new about a person you've known for years; wonderfully exciting.  Working on a project?  Often you can come up with something new when you let yourself go and let yourself be surprised.

Enhance your flow.  Consider something you already enjoy and do well.  Pick a hobby or an interest that you've had for a long time.  How can you push it to the next level?  After running for years, you decide to run a 10K.  To avoid embarrassment  you push to work harder, setting a new personal  record.  You love to cook but haven't made anything different in ages.   You start investigating manicotti and come up with a new dish.  Challenging yourself in one area can generate energy for your bigger, more important projects.

Enhance relaxation and reflection.  This includes sleeping well, or sleeping on it, which has been shown to aid in problem solving.  Enjoy your relaxation time and fill it with things that renew and replenish you.  Quiet reflection refuels the imagination, allowing ideas to percolate and develop.  Here's where you can really open up space for the aha to arrive.  Using your R&R time well helps you have the energy you'll need to persist through the final stages of any creative process. 

Enhance the positives in your life.  I love the example of Einstein wearing the same clothes; he didn't want to waste valuable time considering what to wear.  Decide what's worth spending time on and don't use time for things you don't enjoy, things that aren't important to you and things that are boring.  This includes making your work environment pleasant and figuring out what schedule most enhances your creative spirit.  The final stages of a big creative project generally involve lots of time.  You can free up time by using your time mindfully and wisely streamlining your workspace.

Enhance your creativity affirmations.  Creative affirmations reflect what we believe to be true about ourselves, the importance of which Michalko discusses in his book, Thinkertoys.  Notice your successes.  Then use these to develop creative affirmations.  Quash negative thinking.  Replace I haven't had a good idea in 6 months with every minute I have a new thought I've never had before. 

Creativity is...a consequence of your intention to be creative.  Michael Michalko