I will probably sound like a broken record but we all have some form or other of creativity in us.
We just need to turn it on or find the right station. Try these tips for tuning in..
photo credit: Lucius Kwok
1. Notice everything around you
It probably sounds a bit obvious but it’s true. How many times have you arrived somewhere and wondered how you got there? You set the autopilot and woke up when you arrived?
Have you ever thought how much you missed in between? The thrill of the journey. Really, I mean it!
No matter how tedious it may seem there is always something to see. Whether it’s a funny sign on a shop window or the shape of the clouds overhead, inspiration for ideas come in all shapes and forms. I’ve even got ideas from spotting a newspaper headline over the shoulder of the person in the bus seat in front of me (and no, I don’t usually read over the shoulder of other people…).
Live in the present, because it becomes the past very quickly!
2. Be prolific
Create all the time. It doesn’t have to be perfect – I mean what is perfect anyway? What I think is perfect is unlikely to be what you think is perfect. Afterall it’s our differences which make us unique. But I stray…
Practice your creativity – whether it’s because you have to create something or because you just want to .
Creativity comes in all shapes and forms
- solutions to problems
- a poem or painting
- music
- gardening
- choosing a new color scheme
the list goes on, but I’m sure you know what I mean.
Just keep creating. Keep what you like, discard what you don’t. Be prolific and develop that creative habit.
3. Embrace failure
I mean what is failure? Someone doesn’t like what you’ve created? Doesn’t quite hit the mark?
At least you tried. At least you were bold and brave enough to put yourself out there. How can that be failure?
I prefer to look at it as a learning exercise. I ask myself..
- what was it that didn’t work?
- did I have enough information at hand at the time?
- what did the chosen idea, artwork, music, have that make it the preferred choice?
- what can I learn from it?
Embrace your failures, don’t fear it.
4. Acknowledge achievements
We’re all very good at focusing on our failures. But what about our achievements?
All achievements, big and small should be celebrated. Take time out to bask in it’s light and feel the joy of achievement.
At some point in each day I sit down and think about what I’ve achieved creatively over the last day or so. I surprise myself sometimes about how much I’ve done. And then other times there hasn’t been quite so much. However there is always something.
Like this post. Sometimes writing comes easily and other times it doesn’t. I know what I want to write about but I just can’t seem to find the right words to express what I want to say. I know, though, I need to write it and once done it will go on to my list of achievements for the day!
5. Trust yourself
If you have something to say or do, then say it or do it.
If you’re part of a team and believe you have something to contribute, speak up. Your thoughts and views are just as valuable and valid as anyone else.
You have to back yourself. If you don’t how do you expect others to?
Surely it’s better to have participated than sitting on the sidelines because you worry about what others think of you.
Especially when your contribution could have been the winning idea..
Go ahead, trust yourself and start reaping the benefits.
