There’s nothing worse than failing to create a spark of imagination. Thinking outside the box is essential if you want to come up with fresh ideas and free yourself of your mind’s limitations. A great way to get a creative flow going and tap into your imagination is to listen to podcasts.
According to a study by Nielsen, 50 percent of all U.S. households are podcasts fans, and that number is rising every year. People lead busy lives and podcasts allow even the most occupied people to enjoy this medium.
Why listen to podcasts?
- They get your creative juices flowing and help you see things from a different perspective.
- They allow you to tune in while doing other things. If you have a busy life and are always on the go, podcasts are a great medium for learning something new while multitasking.
- They teach you new things. In your fifteen-minute car ride you have the ability to learn something new at the click of play. It’s as simple as that.
- They build brand awareness. If people like what they listen to, they’ll remember you and your brand and you’ll be known for your excellent content.
- They build a customer base for your brand once you build a regular audience of listeners.
Here are seven of some of the best podcasts you should listen to if you’re looking to boost your creativity.
TED Talks used to be a yearly conference held in Monterey, California for thought leaders and professional speakers to discuss topics of creativity, science, education, tech, business, and more. In the early 2000s, the company turned the speeches into an audio and videocast series.
The content was available to anyone with an internet connection free of charge and quickly garnered popularity and loyal listeners. TED’s mission is to use the inspired thinking of people from different cultures and disciplines to open minds and change the world
Every podcast in TED Talks Daily makes you see things from a different point of view that you possibly wouldn’t have considered before. They encourage you to open your mind and leave judgment behind, great qualities to have if you’re trying to be more creative in your efforts.
Notable episode: Your Elusive Creative Genius – Elizabeth Gilbert
Hosted by Sonia Simone, the CCO of Copyblogger, this podcast series has a bunch of episodes about creativity and how to break through to it when it feels like inspiration is the last thing you’ll ever have.
Episodes are short-form, published weekly, and feature Simone as well as other content marketing experts discussing topics of copywriting, boosting creativity, mindset, and more.
If you’re in the marketing or business industry and need a creative push, Simone’s less-than-20-minute segments are a burst of fresh air that’ll have you motivated to think outside the box.
Notable episode: The Mindset ‘Hack’ that Frees Your Creativity and Makes You Happier – Sonia Simone
Entrepreneur and marketer Jenna Kutcher is the host of this podcast where she talks about tips to keep a creative flow in everyday life and how to achieve your goals even when life throws its punches.
Kutcher’s podcasts dive deep into what it takes to start your own business and persist through all its hardships. She regularly invites co-hosts to talk about their entrepreneurial successes and how they used inspiration to move forward.
Notable episode: Not Feeling Creative? Listen to This – Jenna Kutcher and Taylor Sterling
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Hosted by Todd Henry, The Accidental Creative has more than a million downloads under its belt. Airing twice a week, it features artists, speakers, and thought leaders on how to stay creative, happy, and healthy in life and in work.
Henry focuses on the lives of creatives and the struggles they encounter with productivity, creativity, and energy management. If you take anything away from this podcast, it’s that your life’s work should be your creative passion.
Notable episode: Four Ways To Reclaim Creative Energy – Todd Henry
They say that when you’re lacking imagination, you should read a book. So why not listen to an author discuss their book and the inspiration behind it to get your creative juices flowing?
Bookworm is a podcast hosted Michael Silverblatt and co-hosted by best-selling authors and thought leaders discussing varying aspects of their novels. Reasonings behind major themes, characters, and ideas are brought to light in this heartwarming podcast that explores the choices authors make and why.
Notable episode: Evolution – Eileen Myles
Hosted by Srinivas Rao, The Unmistakable Creative features the interesting and exhilarating lives of entrepreneurs, psychologists, researchers, and renowned artists and authors. It centers around thinking creatively and living wholeheartedly.
This podcast uses storytelling to open your eyes to the worlds of several different guest speakers on the show. It’s about using creativity and diversity to connect people together. The conversations between Rao and his guests have you holding onto every word with zeal.
Notable episode: Turning Life’s Messes into Creative Triumphs – Mayi Carles
Sometimes the things we least expect to spark creativity in us end up doing just that. In 99% Invisible, a variety of speakers delve into answering questions no one else thinks about.
What’s the origin of the fortune cookie? Why did inflatable men become a thing at car lots? Why did Sigmund Freud prefer a couch over an armchair?
Looking into questions that don’t really need answering but are still intriguing has a way of making you think differently. Sometimes all you need to get creative is to think about something completely unrelated to what you’re doing. By putting thought into subjects that rarely get thought about, new ideas and creative processes have the ability to bloom.
Notable episode: The Stethoscope
Over to you
If you’re trying to boost your creative efforts, consider listening to a podcast you enjoy. It doesn’t even have to focus on the theme of becoming more creative. As long as it teaches you something or has you thinking about something you hadn’t before, it’s done its job sparking your imagination.