We can talk about theories and structures and academia till the proverbial cows come home but that isn’t going to guarantee that you’ll start looking at problems and projects and ideas from a creative point of view. What’s really needed is action. So here’s my top 10 tips to kick start you creatively into 2008.
There are heaps of good books on creativity but reading them doesn’t make you more creative. Don’t take what they say on face value. Test it, apply it and see if it works for you. There’s more to being creative than reading a book. You need to practise and keep practising. You need to do it and keep doing it. You have to make mistakes, feel uncomfortable and then keep doing it anyway. So here’s a challenge for you. Do one creative thing a week. It may be painting, or writing, or coming up with 10 ideas a day. But do it each and every week and flex those creative muscles.
Don’t accept the first idea or thought that pops into your head. Question it, investigate it, and pull it apart. Ask why? Ask what else? Ask what if? Ask how you can make it better? Ask what’s wrong with it? Ask how you could replace it? Don’t be satisfied until you have scrutinised it, tossed it about, or figured out how to improve it.
Be like the negative of an old photograph or film where everything is reversed and view things from the opposite perspective. For example, if you’re trying to outgun your competitors you might try looking at what they do really well. But instead of trying to do that thing better, why not look at the reverse angle and figure out what they don’t do well and do that. Or better still, look at what they don’t do at all and then do that brilliantly. Just see things in reverse.
If you don’t have at least one dumb idea a day then you ain’t thinking hard enough. Let’s face it, not every idea you have will be brilliant. In fact, there will probably be more bad ones than good ones, so view it as a numbers’ game and just keep coming up with ideas. Besides, dumb ideas often open doors to better ones or evolve into masterpieces.
Assumptions are the natural born killers of creative thought. So bring them on and deal with them up front. That way you know what they are. Next time you’re trying to find a new angle or solution to something write down every assumption you can think of. Assume your head off. And then either avoid them, or challenge them.
When we have a really good idea we tend to hang onto it. Why? Because good ideas are valuable and so it’s natural to treat them as precious things. But hanging onto an idea stops you thinking of new ones. A different, more precious or valuable idea may only be a thought or two away and you may never see it if you’re clinging onto another. So next time you have a great idea, get rid of it and think of an alternative. You can always come back to it, but the point is open up the space to explore other alternatives.
Igor Stravinsky once said “a good composer does not imitate: he steals”. Albert Einstein once said “The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources”. Now, I’m not saying blatantly rip others off or plagiarise, but a totally unique idea is a very, very rare thing. Most great ideas have evolved from other ideas or have been modified, adapted and blended with existing ones.
Let your mind do its thing and stop getting in the way. Too often we ponder and think and plan and hypothesise and don’t get anything done. So when you’ve thought yourself into a stupor just walk away for a while and forget about whatever it is you’re working on. You’ll find it’s like a holiday for the mind and when you return you’ll attack your work with a new vigour and fresh outlook. Besides, your subconscious has an amazing ability to sort things out without any help from you.
Creativity is all about thinking and doing things in new ways and letting go of conventional ones. It’s about being inquisitive and adventurous; it’s about making a paradigm shift in your thinking and letting go of a traditional mindset; it’s about questioning rules of convention; it’s about challenging things like “we’ve always done it that way”, or “we don’t have the budget”, or “I’m simply not creative enough”, or “why does there have to be a top 10?”
Nigel injects creative thinking into companies through ideas workshops and keynotes, and is author of Think BITS. More information can be found at www.nigelcollin.com.au, or contact Nigel at nigel@nigelcollin.com.au.
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