“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there will ever be to know and understand.” — Albert Einstein
It’s said that the most successful people are not the most energetic, most competitive or best educated, but those who nurture their creativity. The truly creative minds can find unique strategies in their business plans and troubleshoot fiscal, marketing, customer service and staffing issues with a fresh, energized approach. Creativity in your business, even if your industry is outside the art & design sphere. Since creativity and imagination are tied to so many areas of life, (Problem Solving, Writing, Art, Music, Communicating, Personal Development, Productivity & Success) we need to each find ways to nurture and feed the right-brain’s power and influence in our lives.
How do we tap into that inner creative spirit inside each of us?
The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind. – Albert Einstein
- First, admit you are creative! I hear people often say, “I’m not a creative person” or “I’m not artistic”, etc. It’s like a child saying “I can’t read”, which is true until they’ve been taught. With much patience, practice and through perseverance, a typical developing child can and will read. As reading is not a inborn skill, so finding and excelling at your specific creative outlet will take time and patience.
- Creativity breeds and expands in quiet and solitude. In today’s world with constant distractions of technology, entertainment, and typical responsibilities of family, home & business, we are inundated with a stressful, chaotic barrage of anxieties and useless information. Take time to clear your mind, find a quiet, serene place and unwind. Bring along a journal, sketch pad, camera, musical instrument or if at last resort, a mobile device to capture your thoughts, ideas, mental ramblings, your mood and your artistic expressions.
- Let go of perfectionism. Don’t fret about the quality or skill of your work. Relax and let go of any insecurities, as this space and time is for your expression, eyes, & ears only.
- There are no rules and standards. Don’t try to imitate the past or follow current trends or outside objectives. Ignore or forget the past; ignore what the world has created up until this point. Trends are the polar opposite of creativity. Feel free to be yourself.
- Find your best time. Whether that’s first thing in the morning or right before you go to sleep to journal your ideas, experiment with the best time of the day for your creative juices to flow.
- Collaborate … eventually. Once you become more comfortable and confident, collaborate your ideas and work with others to challenge and improve your work. Most successful & famous artists (creative thinkers) use collaboration as an essential part of their creation process. You can be inspired from great artists and creative thinkers of the past, by visiting a museum, reading a book, listening to music or having an interchange of ideas through conversation, whichever is most accessible and comfortable for your life.
What is Creativity?
Results from Your Creative Sessions:
- Reduced stress.
- More confidence.
- Improved brainstorming & troubleshooting skills.
- And of course, Better productivity, which is proven:
Extensive work has been done by Amabile on the importance of giving students and faculty as much creative leeway as possible. Her research, and the research of others, has found when individuals are personally committed and intrinsically motivated, these individuals produce better work. For example, in 1990, Csikszentmihalyi found creative individuals who are intrinsically motivated choose to pursue more difficult and challenging tasks. Researchers have increasingly focused on the social and environmental factors which promote or limit an individual’s creative activity. (http://www.wfate.org/papers/Power_and_Influence_of_the_Right_Brain.pdf)
Some great resources:
- http://www.amazon.com/The-Creative-Habit-Learn-Life/dp/0743235274/ref=zg_bs_4737_39
- http://www.amazon.com/Out-Our-Minds-Learning-Creative/dp/1907312471/ref=zg_bs_4737_24
