Let Your Creativity Flow - Day 79 of 365 Days to a Better You

Let your creativity flow!

It is better to create than to be learned. Creating is the true essence of life.~ Barthold Georg Niebuhr

Awhile back, I was in a meeting and someone presented 10 tips for maximum creativity. I thought these were worthy of sharing as part of this series. I’m certain some or all of these will help boost your creativity. They are directed at the workplace, but have relevance to our personal lives as well.

  1. No one is exempt – research shows that anyone with normal intelligence is capable of doing some degree of creative work.
  2. No guilt and give yourself permission to think – let go of the guilt and give yourself permission to sit, to think, to surf. And, give your peers the same permission. Don’t assume someone is not working if they are sitting idle.
  3. Make time for creative thought – find places and make time for uninterrupted and focused creative thought. People produce creative work when they are focused, not when they are scattered and interrupted. And, while time pressure can stifle creativity, research supports that it is not the deadline that stifles; it’s the distractions.
  4. Capture ideas – good ones often come before or after work—in the shower, in your car, before you go to bed, etc. Find ways to remember them without logging on or extending your work day.
  5. Collaborate – the most creative teams are those that have the confidence to share and debate ideas.
  6. Be agile – be patient and allow for several ideas, iterations, and drafts before picking one. The creative process is not “one and done."
  7. Be tenacious – creativity depends on the capacity to push through uncreative dry spells. Manage your energy and find ways to renew.
  8. Be curious – explore, experiment, find a different venue. Experiment. Ask others how they do it.
  9. Get out of your comfort zone – stretch yourself. Leonardo da Vinci once said, “You’re brain is much better than you think.”
  10. Be happy – creativity is associated with happiness. In fact, research shows that people are more likely to have a breakthrough idea if they were happy the day before.

Other creativity articles, resources and blogs:

Finally, when you don’t know where to start take the advice of composer John Cage and “begin anywhere.”Stay inspired and creative!Ray

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