How to Improve Your Imagination

Co-authored by Dan Klein

Last Updated: November 23, 2024 Approved

A vivid imagination is more than dreaming up stories about dinosaurs and pirates. It is the origin of creativity and innovation, expressed in everything from technology and science to arts and literature.^{[1]
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Research source} Working on your powers of imagination will help you think outside the box – a useful skill at both school and work. Though some people are more naturally imaginative than others, there are ways you can cultivate your creative juices.

Part 1

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Finding Your Imagination

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This is the first step to finding hobbies that enrich your imagination. Watching television programs is a form of passive engagement. It is good for relaxing after a hard day, but not for promoting your imagination. Instead of watching others on TV, do a hobby that allows you to create your own story.
Finding your imagination involves shutting out external stimulation and impulses. Tonight, turn off music and television and sit for a while. See what comes to your mind, and come up with alternative ways to spend your time. If you find this difficult, try yoga or meditation to help you learn to turn off the world.

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It is important to get out of your comfort zone for the forms of art you interact with. If you normally read detective thrillers, try reading a fantasy novel – and vice versa. The same applies to films. Look for experimental or independent films that challenge typical modes of presentation. Try to branch out not only in the content you interact with, but the way the content is presented.
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Listen to music without lyrics. Listening to music has been shown to increase productivity while you are working.^{[2]
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Research source} However, listening to lyrics makes you focus, if only subconsciously, on their ideas. Let music without lyrics arouse your creativity, and use it as a blank slate for your imagination to write on.
- Jazz, classical, blues, and electronic are mostly instrumental genres. Jazz and blues are also improvisational. There are many additional more obscure genres that you can explore that don't have lyrics, like dub and garage.
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Write for fun. Beyond the therapeutic benefits of writing for leisure, it can cultivate your imagination. Journaling is an easy way to begin writing – just writing about your day. This is an important form of storytelling.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Dan Klein
Improvisation Coach

Expert Interview. 22 March 2019.} From there you can branch out into fictional works that utilize your imagination more extensively.
- If you had a normal day, think about a juncture at which it could have gone very differently. Write a story in which you are thrust into a different world, and see it play out on paper.
- Make the banal seem beautiful through poetry. Write a poem about something entirely ordinary. Write in whatever form you like – poetry doesn’t have to rhyme or have meters.
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Play improvisational games. Pretend you're opening a box and pulling out imaginary items. You can pretend the box is filled with anything you want, like toys, money, or food. Act like the objects are actually there and interact with them. Use expressions and various emotions to really stretch your imagination.^{[4]
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Expert Source

Dan Klein
Improvisation Coach

Expert Interview. 22 March 2019.}
- Try playing with a partner by handing them the items or "exchanging gifts" and reacting to what they say.
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Try visual art forms. You don’t have to intend to sell your work to enjoy visual art. Take a pottery or quilting class to find out ways you can use your imagination to create physical objects. You can find places in your home to confront them, or simply dispose of them. The most important aspect of this is that you allowed yourself a freeform artistic expression.^{[5]
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- Reader Poll: We asked 329 wikiHow readers who've pursued new hobbies, and only 15% of them decided to try a creative outlet, like drawing. [Take Poll] So while visual art may not be the first thought that comes to mind, give it a shot! You may find a new, unique hobby to enjoy.
Once you have mastered the basics of musical theory, try to start writing your own music. Improvisational forms of music like jazz are a great way to go for this because they give you a medium to express your inner voice. Play your favorite songs on the stereo and accompany them on your musical instrument.
No, you don’t have to convince yourself that Easter Bunny and Santa Claus are real. Playing along with these myths is reflective of an active imagination. Play dress-up, especially for Halloween celebrations. Picking out a costume and decorating it is an easy way to exercise your imagination.

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Shaping Your Environment

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Decorate your home. It is normal to decorate your home in a piecemeal fashion, accumulating random articles as needed. However, if you find your surroundings feeling stale or stagnant, you can take this opportunity to use your imagination. Buy simple or plain furniture, and see how it can fit together. Arrange your room in an intentional way that has functionality. This process naturally exercises your imagination and gets your brain working.^{[6]
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- Don’t feel like everything has to be the typical definition of ‘tasteful.’ You can substitute everyday objects for furniture if you please. For example, instead of putting your jewelry in a shoe box or jewelry case, buy a cigar box. Or, build an outdoor table out of pallets.
- Get your house messy and clean it up. The act of reorganizing is a great way to use your imagination and get chores done at the same time. Like redecorating, it requires you to reconsider the functionality and feng shui of your home.
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Create a narrative for art or other objects. They say that if walls could talk, they could tell you a story. Try to imagine that story for yourself. Look at objects or pieces of art around your home and create a narrative for what they mean and how they were created. Don’t get bogged down by the ‘intended’ meaning.^{[7]
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- For example, if you have a painting of a ship, try to imagine the crew of the ship. Where did they come from, who are they? Expand your imagination into the realm of the unreal to come up with a story for the objects in your home.
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Plan out your ideal trip. If you could go anywhere in the world or outer space, where would it be? Why would you go there, and what would you do? Playing through this in your head is a great way to use your imagination. The more outlandish and fun it is, the more you used your imagination to create the fantasy.^{[8]
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- Write a story or do a drawing about the trip for an extra imaginative boost. Hang it somewhere you’ll see it daily.
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Have stimulating conversations. Invite your friends over, but instead of watching TV, discuss something hypothetical.Exercises like this require you to use your imagination, and you can feed off that of your friends' ideas. Brainstorming ideas and answers to hypothetical questions can concern topics as serious as you like.
- If your friends are into discussing politics, ask how they think Americans would react to a declaration of war from Congress tomorrow.
- Or, for example, how far do you think elephants could carry a simple basket on their back before it fell off? It may sound silly, but walking yourself through these examples are a way to flex your imagination.
That’s right. Studies have shown that people given dull tasks find ways to make them more creative.^{[9]
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Research source} For example, start with a basic spaghetti recipe for dinner, and see what ingredients you can add to make it more interesting – without consulting a cookbook. Tasks like this force us to use our own creativity and imagination to add spice to life.

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How can we improve curiosity and imagination?

Klare Heston, LCSW
Licensed Social Worker
Klare Heston is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker based in Cleveland, Ohio. With experience in academic counseling and clinical supervision, Klare received her Master of Social Work from the Virginia Commonwealth University in 1983. She also holds a 2-Year Post-Graduate Certificate from the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, as well as certification in Family Therapy, Supervision, Mediation, and Trauma Recovery and Treatment (EMDR).

Klare Heston, LCSW

Licensed Social Worker

Expert Answer

You can improve them by starting to vary your routines. Try turning off the TV, tablets, and phone. Immerse yourself in thought, meditation, physical activity, and relaxation. Journal about your new daily experiences, no matter how small or inconsequential they might seem

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Question

How do you exercise your imagination?

Klare Heston, LCSW
Licensed Social Worker
Klare Heston is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker based in Cleveland, Ohio. With experience in academic counseling and clinical supervision, Klare received her Master of Social Work from the Virginia Commonwealth University in 1983. She also holds a 2-Year Post-Graduate Certificate from the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, as well as certification in Family Therapy, Supervision, Mediation, and Trauma Recovery and Treatment (EMDR).

Klare Heston, LCSW

Licensed Social Worker

Expert Answer

Think about things you usually don't wonder about. Add your own lyrics to music you hear. Make a sketch of a dress as if you were a designer. Try writing a short haiku or poem. Write a short imaginative story.

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Question

How do you expand your creativity?

Klare Heston, LCSW
Licensed Social Worker
Klare Heston is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker based in Cleveland, Ohio. With experience in academic counseling and clinical supervision, Klare received her Master of Social Work from the Virginia Commonwealth University in 1983. She also holds a 2-Year Post-Graduate Certificate from the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, as well as certification in Family Therapy, Supervision, Mediation, and Trauma Recovery and Treatment (EMDR).

Klare Heston, LCSW

Licensed Social Worker

Expert Answer

You expand your creativity by going outside of your comfort zone. Try new things. Take a class at a local school, community center, or community college. Don't worry if you know nothing about the topic—the purpose of doing it is to expand your horizons and your creativity.

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