a simple guide to getting more

!@wowatwork

creative  

“Companies and organisations are trying to compete in a world of economic and technological change that is moving faster than ever. They urgently need people who are creative, innovative and flexible. Too often they can’t find them”

Sir Ken Robinson

 

There is a belief that creative people just are. They are born that way and they are destined to be creative.

Creative individuals often have specific personality traits such as independence and openness to new experience. But, research suggests lots of factors shape creativity.

People who think of themselves as creative are more likely to be involved in creative activities and seek out creative solutions to problems.

As children we are all incredibly creative. We don’t need to think that we are. We just are. As we get older we develop a sense of self, shaped by our interactions with the world around us. In particular education.

If we are told we work best with numbers and facts it is likely we will develop this aptitude, rather than our capability for imagination and self-expression.

The more we learn about creativity the more we understand that creative potential is something we all possess from childhood. We just don’t all get the chance to develop it.

Do you rule out certain ways of thinking because “it’s not me”?

What if you were a creative person? What would you do? What would you wear? What would you listen to? What would you read? How would you approach problems?

Can you see things from a diffe

rent

ang

le?  

We are hard-wired to become less flexible in our thinking. Our brain looks for rules and patterns and makes assumptions. It creates mental shortcuts to the things we use most.

To think creatively start by challenging your default cognitive processing style. If you habitually see the wood, start looking at the trees.

We are at our most creative when we are motivated by our own interests rather than by external rewards. If we really care about something we generally find it much easier to be imaginative.

Imagine you’ve been given £10,000 to organise a partaaaay for you and your friends.

See what I mean?

Ever noticed how many good ideas you have down the pub or lying in the bath? A positive and relaxed state of mind is the most conducive to producing great ideas.

Anger, frustration, fear, fatigue and stress make creative thinking much more challenging.

We have ten times as many sub-conscious neurons as conscious ones. We are more creative when we tap into our intuitive resources to explore feelings, hunches and insights.

People sometimes think if you know an area well you will be “too close” to come up with new ideas. In fact it is much harder to be creative when you don’t know anything about the subject.

The trick is to keep learning and looking for fresh perspectives in your area of expertise.

Sticking with the same crowd limits our exposure to novel approaches and alternative thinking. Creative individuals and creative communities are generally part of wide and diverse network.

So get to know lots of people from different backgrounds.

Most of us have an overwhelming need for social acceptance, whether we admit it or not. We avoid behaviour that will result in ridicule or exclusion. We nearly all conform to the norms of our social group.

It takes courage, independence and determination to voice alternative views. Show you support new ideas and creative perspectives.

Brainstorms, thinking hats, bean bags, ball games, chunking up and chunking down, doodling, mind maps, role play, sticky notes, co-creation, TRIZ, Synetics, reframing, brain-writing, analogy, lotus blossom diagrams, lateral thinking, NUF test, random links, force field analysis, wishing, what if…

There are tons of techniques and processes that can help creative thinking. Most are readily available on-line. (But remember, processes don’t create ideas, people do)

Personality, self-identity, cognitive thinking, motivation, mood, what you know, who you know, creative techniques and social environment all affect how creative we can be.

Ultimately, creativity is like any other ability - it takes practice to develop our full potential.

You wouldn’t attempt to run a marathon if you couldn’t run for the bus. You can’t expect to be creative if your creative “muscles” aren’t in good shape. Our ability to think and behave creatively has to be developed and exercised regularly.

If that makes creativity sound like hard work then you are right. It takes effort to think differently. It takes courage to say things that are out of the ordinary.

But…the great thing about creativity is that there is no failure - only learning. Being more creative simply means engaging with the world with playful curiosity.  

The more you do that is a little different, that takes you out of your comfort zone, the more likely you are to find creative solutions.  

Creative inspiration … • Out of Our Minds: Ken Robinson •  The Creative Habit: Twyla Tharp

•  Game Storming: Dave Gray, Sunni Brown & James Macanufo •  Improv Wisdom: Patricia Ryan Madson

•  The A-Z of Visual Ideas: John Ingledew