How to Increase Creativity for Your College Admission Essays

Are you struggling with getting started on your college admission essays?

Here are some tips I’ve discovered for revving up my creativity as a writer:

1.) Creativity begets creativity

One key way I come up with ideas is by actually participating in the work. For example, I generate ideas for blog posts by actually writing blog posts. Oftentimes tangents want to drift in to a post. If they don’t fit perfectly, I put them on a Google Doc of ideas to tackle later. The physical act of writing stimulates my brain to generate a lot of ideas. Taming these ideas unleashes others for the future.

One exercise I love suggesting for my students to break writer’s block is this: if you’re feeling stuck, go ahead and set your alarm for 20 minutes. Sit down and force yourself to answer an essay prompt by writing anything that pops into your mind. Don’t censor before you put something on the page. Just get going - you’ll probably spark more ideas once your brain gets cranking.

2.) Get organized

Ideas for stories and other projects pop into my brain throughout the day.

So whenever I have an idea, I stop what I’m doing, rush to my phone and add it to the appropriate Google Doc. Or I text myself the thought.

Ideas are crucial to my work and I never want to lose them.

For example, this morning I pulled up a draft of a potential blog post, saw notes, but couldn’t remember what I planned to write. (I should’ve made more notes!)

As I read through the lists of ideas, they can spark other ideas.

Ideas are gold, so keep track of them.

3.) Emulate

Some of the best books I’ve read on creativity lately are the Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron, and Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert.

The Artist’s Way inspired me to write morning pages, a 3-page handwritten brain dump of all the random things in my head, ideally right after I get up. I find writing by hand to be valuable because it helps me slow down. Also, I use writing to work out any challenges that are perplexing me so the problem solving isn’t distracting me all day.

The Artist’s Way also helped me give myself permission to go on Artist’s dates, solo trips to a variety of settings that inspire one’s inner Artist. Lately for me it’s been the woods, art galleries, nurseries and the ocean. The Artist’s Way has taught me that creativity is valuable and it’s important to nurture my inner Artist.

I enjoyed Big Magic because Gilbert, who wrote the iconic best seller Eat, Pray, Love, shares that she never expected to make it big. Gilbert writes purely for the sake of writing. Despite the lack of recognition, Gilbert says, just do the work. Don’t worry about the outcome.

I’ve found all of these practices help me invest in my writing, and in turn, I produce more freely.

If you’re feeling uninspired, try your morning pages, artists dates, and giving yourself permission to play (with your stories and in life).

4.) Create Structure

Depending on the day, I can wake up around 6a and squeeze in around two hours of deep work before everyone else’s day starts.

I also enjoy writing at night, when most people in my family are asleep.

Do your deep work when you’re the freshest or most focused - you’ll be more efficient.

5.) Don’t focus too much on what other people are doing

I love to read broadly, but I limit exposure to other thought leaders in my space.

I want to preserve my creativity and not inadvertently copy someone else, or think the best ideas are “taken.”

In fact, one of the exercises in The Artist’s Way is to avoid reading completely for a week. Sometimes we read so much, Cameron argues, that we are over-exposed to words and that hinders our ability to write.

I apply this principle to my students by showing them just a very limited number of sample admission essays that worked.

While it’s good to get an idea of how to write a “successful” essay, it can be intimidating to witness the quality and content of the work.

I like to limit exposure to ensure my students don’t end up second guessing their own stories or style.

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Try your best not to compare.

The creative world is big enough for everyone, and everyone has a unique voice. No one has the exact same story or perspective to share, yet we overlap enough that our experiences will resonate.

Every single voice is valuable, so go ahead and share your unique story.

What are you top tips on unleashing your creativity for your college admission essays?

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