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6/27/2009
Andrew Kotulak
I'm Just Not That Creative.
Everyone is creative, not just artists or musicians. The difference is they use their talents to
implement their expressions of creativity. By nature, we are all here to create and add value.
Sometimes we get stuck, or simply don't recognize when we are being creative.
When we were in school, we were all required to create. From writing a simple paper to designing
experiments, creativity is more than expressing, its also implementing your thoughts.
You are creative when you:
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Understand a problem
in a new way. |
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Think up any new
idea. |
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Produce anything
tangible, such as writing a memo or other document. |
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Create advertisements
or invitations. |
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Being spontaneous or
off the cuff. Either in a speech or at a meeting. |
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Organize an event such
as a party or a meeting. |
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Coordinate people with
resources to get things done. |
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Build a
relationship. |
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Project leadership and
confidence, even when outside circumstances are difficult. |
Being creative is not hard. Having confidence in your thoughts and implementing them is where
most people fail. We all have ideas, dreams and skills. Ask yourself...What is really holding me
back from doing the things I have always wanted?
Inspiring Creativity
Here are 6 ways of inspiring creativity and innovation:
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Visioning:
As explained in the book and movie
"The Secret" ,
this is the process of visually imagining, in great detail what it is
you would like to achieve. Then how you would like to achieve it.
This is called the law of attraction. If you have not yet seen this movie, I highly
recommend it. For example, you want to win a marathon. You might
envision yourself, over and over again, crossing the finish line with hundreds of
runners behinds you. Your mind will become active to recognizing solutions to
help you achieve that goal.
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Modifying
Modifying is building and expanding on something that already exists. Companies often
develop new technology to solve a problem or meet demand, then actively find new
applications to use that technology. An example of this is carbon fiber. In its raw
form carbon fiber is cloth. Someone figured out how to embed this cloth with resin to
make light, yet super strong panels for race cars as an alternative to fiberglass.
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Brainstorming
Hands down, this has been the best method to inspire creativity from a group of
employees. The best ideas have come from brainstorming sessions because the rules are
simple. Ideas are thrown out on the table with no evaluation or judgment. In this setting
there are no bad ideas. A leader collects all the response at the time, then later they are
all sorted and grouped or eliminated if they don't fit. Ideas are then matched with
potential resolutions. There are many different ways to conduct and collect responses. But
at the core it is designed to be unbiased and inspire creative thoughts.
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Assumption Challenging
While we are trying to think up new ideas to solve a problem we tend to forget that we
have made some assumptions about what we need. By writing down and challenging these
assumptions we can allow ourselves to consider the widest range of possible solutions.
Experimenting, combining and testing assumptions through brainstorming will help develop
new methods. There is typically a lot of data collection involved here when determining the
best possible outcome. However, knowing how to look at the data, and what it is pointing to
often leads to inspiration in finding the ultimate solution
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Change your surroundings
New ideas need new inspiration, and by changing our surroundings we get new things to
inspire us. The new sights and new sounds are both key aspects in inspiring new ideas. Try
hiking up a mountain or taking a notebook to a park and sit by the duck pond. Even
something very different like sitting on a roof can help inspire.
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Random Association or Exploring
Random Association, also known as exploring is the act of trying to associate two
unrelated items. Symbols, analogies and metaphors are good exploration tools. Look around
while traveling to work or waiting for something pick items at random. Ask yourself how
each item could be connected or applied to your current problem. Velcro was invented when
an inventor recognized the association between prickly burrs and his socks that they kept
getting stuck to.
Related Articles:
What is the right action
that will lead to your ultimate goals?
NEXT WEEK:
Creativity: Staying Ahead Of The Trends
Andrew Kotulak is a contributing editor to Creativity: Opening Your Mind for
Unlimited Success Online' s Success Strategies newsletter. Andrew has 15 years experience in
manufacturing management in which time he has traveled far and wide improving processes and
managing teams. Andrew has recently turned his attention to the internet, operating multiple
websites providing resources for leadership, career and business success.
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