It is becoming more apparent as the years go by that creativity in the workplace is a commodity a lot of employers are looking for. In a fast-paced world of technology and ever-changing social and work patterns, focused creative thinking can be game-changing. Pulling a rabbit out of the hat on a project using your creative thinking can be transformative for your career and the company you work for. Forward-thinking companies know this, and once where creativity was not taken into consideration, now it has become high on the tick list of employee traits.
If you look at some of the biggest trailblazing businesses like Apple and Tesla you will see they are based on creativity, forward-thinking and commitment to a vision. Having said all this, being creative is not as easy as it sounds. Some find it easy, some find it hard, but even the most creative people when put on the spot can struggle.
Unfortunately, creativity isn’t something you can turn on and off like a tap. It’s like buses, sometimes three will come at the same time (when you might not even need them) but other times, when you really need some great ideas, there’s been three hours of brain traffic and your creative bus is nowhere to be found. If you’re standing at that bus stop, waiting for one too often then we have put a guide together to train you to be able to use your creativity more often. Let's get that traffic moving again with some of our strategies.
1- Doodle, Draw or Write
When you are struggling for inspiration or ideas, you might not think about drawing or writing, because what is there to write about? Well, funnily enough, you don’t need anything specific to write about. Doodle when you’re talking to people, engage the creative side of the brain and it might inspire ideas. Although many people may have been told off growing up with the ‘stop doodling and pay attention’, doodling can actually help you stay engaged during an activity in which you might otherwise find your mind drifting, take notes with your doodling while you talk and merge it all together, it can really have a positive impact. In fact, some of the world’s greatest thinkers such as the late Steve Jobs actually used doodling to jump-start creativity. In addition to this, writing flash fiction is a great way to spark some creativity. Set yourself a limit of 5 minutes and just write anything and everything, whatever pops into your mind! If nothing is coming then start with a doodle until it does, When you read it back, it will usually spark some ideas.
2- Create the Right Environment
Sometimes, if you are working in an area that is messy or unorganised, you’re just not in the right environment to be creative! As well as this, being sat at a desk and being forced to be creative can often impact your potential to be creative! That’s why big companies such as Google go to great lengths to provide employees with perks such as volleyball courts and other games which help foster creativity in their staff. Next time, you’re having to be creative, tidy up and create a creative space, move things around or remove yourself from your normal environment and see what ideas you can come up with.
3- Mix Up Your Creative Process
Like many people, you may have a comfortable proven set way of working that has produced some amazing work in the past. But, you can get stuck in an idea feedback loop if you carry on with the same process too much. Start mixing processes around, do them in different orders, sit in different areas of the office, use different tools to produce your desired outcome. Just put yourself in a different frame of mind and use a different process, you can always go back to your well-trodden one at any time.
4- Become An Expert
When you are struggling to be creative about a certain topic, you need to become an expert! Begin by reading articles or watching videos about the subject, embrace yourself and document it. The more information you gain should kick start more inspiration and solutions will flow. By learning more about a topic or subject you will naturally have a broader view to inspire yourself with!
5- Document Everything
Continuing on from the last point, document everything you do for future reference and inspiration. Not just your old projects, if you see a nice picture, a great video and an inspiring article, scrapbook it! Make it a digital or physical scrapbook or both. After a few years, you will have an amazing amount of inspirational reference material. Just flicking through a book of your visual cues and ideas will stimulate you and get the creative juices flowing!
6- Read More Fiction
When you are doing a lot of research you might find yourself reading articles and information that is very analytical. However, you can balance this and get the creative juices flowing by reading more fiction! Take some time and read a chapter or two to flip the switch from your analytical state, you never know what ideas will come to mind! Reading fiction is a well-known tactic to be in a more restful state before you go to bed, it puts your mind in a calmer mode. In this case, we are using it to swap your mind from the analytical state to the creative state. Give it a try!
7- Listen to Music
If you take some time out and listen to music, and really just listen, sit down, clear your mind and indulge yourself in just focusing on the sounds and rhythm. You would be amazed what this simple thing can do, you might just find your new creative muse! In fact, even playing music in the background of a task can help you focus and increase your concentration on the task in hand. Obviously, not every type of music works for everyone, find your niche music type, play it and let it work for you!
8- Set Aside Some Time For Brainstorming
Creativity can take ages, but if you force yourself to brainstorm under timed conditions, you might be pleasantly surprised with what you come up with. Let your mind flow freely and write everything and anything you think about. A good way to do this is through association, think about the topic then write words down about that topic, from these words, write other words that come off them in a mind mapping way. Bring the doodle tactic into this when you are stuck, then you will probably find some new avenues for investigation that pop into your head! Keep doing this until you exhaust all roads and you should have something to go on
9- Give Yourself Deadlines
Deadlines may sound counterintuitive for creativity, but they can be a very important part of the process. It is so easy to put things off when you do not have a deadline. Make yourself a deadline then start on something very small to get going, take the first step and things usually start to flow from there. When a deadline approaches it concentrates the mind and you will become more focused. This can be all you need to knock yourself into creative mode and get tasks finished on time.
10- Socialise With Different People
When you are surrounded by the same people day in and day out, you are not being open to new ideas and different perspectives. Therefore, it’s vital that when you need some creativity, you spend time with people whose life experiences and worldviews are unlike yours. This allows you to do activities and think about things differently from the way you do in your usual routine, which might encourage some creativity. Build yourself a creative network of different people that stimulate you in different ways. These people can form a valuable hub of peers that push forward your creativity.
11 - Exercise
Getting out and doing some sort of exercise is known to inspire creativity. Exercising regularly can boost creativity as it reduces stress and improves cognitive function. Walking can provide you time to think over ideas and allow you to zone out and focus on what you need to think about. Making a point of doing any sort of exercise, whether that’s running, cycling or just going for a brisk walk, will shake your mind and give you some ideas!
12- Get Enough Sleep
Sleep will help your mind stay rested and refreshed, leaving you recharged with creativity! There is nothing worse for creativity than being tired. Keep your coffee for the morning, get to bed at a decent hour and make sure you try and get 8+ hours of sleep so that you are always fully charged!
13- Say Yes To More
Sometimes opportunities come along that you think you will pass on as they are not relevant. But say yes to as much as you can as it opens new doors. You meet more people, you find more opportunities and you grow! Diversity in life is great for creativity, just be positive and open and you will be amazed where things can lead you!
Conclusion
Follow some of these ideas and you will find they will help spark some creativity in you. Try and put yourself in uncomfortable positions to grow and gain more perspective for a broader creative mindset. You don't always need to follow the rules, be yourself and express what you have within you. Unconventional people can be ingenious and inventive, so bring the unconventional you out more often. There is a great saying by David Bowie, and let's face it, he was the king of creativity! He said: "If you feel safe in the area that you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth and when you don’t feel your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.” We will leave it there!