Reclaim your creativity
A skill waiting to be conquered by us all
Introduction
The dictionary defines creativity as:
The ability to produce or use original and unusual ideas.
But this emphasis on originality makes it feel like a talent reserved for the truly gifted. So, let’s redefine creativity as:
The tendency to create or understand ideas or possibilities.
This is a much-needed redefinition, because we all, to some extent, have some limiting beliefs about creativity. The biggest one is that creativity is tough. This tiny thought is what gives rise to the great myths around creativity. Let’s take a look at a few of the main ones.
Myths around creativity
Myth #1: You are either born creative or not
It may be true that we were more creative as children than we are now. But our level of creativity wasn’t fixed at birth. Creativity is an expandable muscle, and like every skill, we become better through practices sprinkled with a secret ingredient called focus.
There are several empirical evidence to support this claim. To illustrate, a compilation of 70 previous research studies revealed that creativity training programs, when well-structured, resulted in enhanced performance. These effects were consistently observed across several criteria, settings, and target populations.
Myth #2: Creativity is a solo act
History has done a bad job when it comes to crediting breakthrough inventions and striking creative works to a single individual, greatly neglecting any support systems or collaboration that influenced these great minds. Creativity is a team effort, so make sure to leverage the expertise and skills of your team or people you trust when the need arises for you to be creative.
Myth #3: Creativity = Originality
We have often heard the terms creativity and innovation being used synonymously. Being creative is not about churning out new and unique things every single time. It is about developing or polishing your ability to connect the dots and make small or big incremental changes to existing elements or combine two or more aspects to create something new. In other words, it is about finding slightly new ways of doing something by carefully studying the problem space.
Myth #4: Constraints diminish our ability to be creative
There is this belief that complete creative freedom with limitless resources is the catalyst required for true creativity. Proponents of this viewpoint fail to realize that such an environment would only overwhelm the creative, putting immense pressure to create something unique. Therefore, I contend that working within constraints would force us to be more resourceful, leading to the discovery of improved ideas and solutions.
In India, we have this word called ‘Jugaadu’. It refers to someone who can innovate a fix or identify a simple workaround to create a solution that bends the rules. This is what we need; we all need a little bit of Jugaadu spirit within us all! In other words, all we need is the right mindset to overcome our limiting beliefs.
So, how can we be more creative?
Now that we have established that creativity is everyone’s cup of tea, we can finally answer the right question: How can we be more creative?
#1 Build our creative confidence by overcoming our limiting beliefs.
The first thing to establish in our minds is that we can be creative, and start by trusting ourselves. Most of us were creative as children, unbothered about what the world thinks of us and our ideas. But over the years, we have become more conscious about external perceptions and shy away from expressing any ideas we may have. We fear being ridiculed! It is time to reclaim our magic and become unapologetically creative.
#2 Finding our right frame of mind
Without the right mindset, the solution may be staring us in the face, yet we would fail to recognize it. In the book The Creative Mindset, the authors Jeff DeGraff and Staney DeGraff explain 6 strategies to practice before and during our creative endeavours:
- Observe the moments, locations, and conditions that spark our creativity. Identify the situations where our creativity flows naturally and be ready to capture our ideas at any time.
- Take note of the individuals, environments and activities that drain or invigorate our energy.
- Seek out indications, inconsistencies, or irregularities. Focus on feedback that challenges rather than reinforces our perspectives.
- Question established limits and question authority.
- Break free from preconceived notions about the way things ought to be.
- Cultivate a sense of purpose. It takes courage to have faith in our creative abilities.
#3 Deep work — Build focus and shut off distractions
In the book Deep Work, the author Cal Newport states the value of deep, concentrated works over shallow, distracted ones to generate high-quality and meaningful outcomes. He advocates minimizing or even eliminating distractions such as social media and internet connectivity to create a conducive space for deep work. He suggests cultivating habits that trigger and support deep works, such as:
- Scheduling dedicated time slots for focused work.
- Establishing rituals that signal our brain to enter a focused state of mind.
- He also suggests a balanced approach by alternating focus periods with leisure to avoid burning out.
#4 Redefining the creative endeavors
As problem solvers, we are often faced with challenging business-oriented projects. This is a product that sells hardware equipment, they’ll say. We have come up with this new feature, they’ll say. It becomes our duty to become the voice of the end-user and challenge the status quo. Dig deeper to identify the problem space using a simple technique advocated by Nielsen Norman Group called the 5 Ws:
- What is the problem or Why are we doing this?
- Who is affected by the problem?
- Where does this problem occur?
- When does the problem occur?
- Why does the problem occur? Why is the problem important?
Push for research or speak to the customers directly if you do not get satisfactory answers from stakeholders. Finally, use these answers to refine your creative endeavor or problem statement.
#5 Building our creative arsenals
- Maintain a resource folder that can house diverse sources of inspiration. It could be a collection of notes, books, articles, music or art. Our perspective becomes more vibrant as we expose ourselves to new experiences and ideas.
- Keep a repository of creative exercises and prompts to kickstart our creative juices as and when required. This could include energizers, brainstorming techniques, challenge prompts and many more.
- Build a healthy mindset around learning. Start by setting personal goals. Find tools, courses and mentors that could support our professional growth and hold us accountable.
- Build a network of trusted individuals with diverse expertise and skills to collaborate with us as and when required.
#6 Foster a culture of creativity
At an organizational level, the company leadership and senior members must ensure that they advocate and promote a culture around creative expression. Here are a few key strategies:
- Promote intrapreneurship, curiosity and proactivity.
- Establish channels, platforms and forums to listen, evaluate, provide feedback, and refine ideas collaboratively.
- Form or provide access to cross-disciplinary teams or individuals, allowing diverse perspectives.
- Embrace diversity, equity and inclusivity.
- Document, celebrate and learn from failures as much as from the wins.
- Provide structured training programs and promote a culture of continuous learning.
- Allocate time, funds and resources to work on creative and daring endeavours.
Conclusion
Creativity is not a secret trait reserved for the distinguished ones, but rather a skill accessible to anyone willing to nurture and strengthen it. We should strive to overcome our limiting beliefs and eliminate any distractions holding us back from exercising and enhancing our creative confidence. Take the leap of faith, overcome that awkwardness and collaborate. It is time for us to reclaim our magic, foster the right mindset and an optimal environment, and keep growing.
References
5 Common Myths About Creativity
Josh Linkner. Forbes
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshlinkner/2015/10/19/the-5-myths-of-creativity/?sh=2c06b0a211d9
The effectiveness of creativity training: A quantitative review
Ginamarie Scott , Lyle E. Leritz & Michael D. Mumfor
DOI: 10.1080/10400410409534549
The Creative Mindset: Mastering the Six Skills That Empower Innovation
Jeff DeGraff and Staney DeGraff
https://jeffdegraff.com/book/the-creative-mindset/
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Cal Newport
Problem statement in UX Discovery
Maria Rosala. Nielsen Norman Group
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/problem-statements/
