While certain people do seem to be born with the creative muse, creativity can develop. Just like a muscle, with practise and nurturing, it gets stronger.
“It’s none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way.” ~ Ernest Hemingway
Brain plasticity, set to revolutionise the future, proves that training the right brain can make anyone smarter and more creative. A recent documentary called Redesign My Brain, which aired on ABC TV featuring advertising CEO Todd Sampson, demonstrated this with an experiment to improve his creativity. http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/redesign-my-brain-with-todd-sampson/
Different personalities will be drawn to different creative forms. David Goldstein, artist and creativity consultant says: “One of the big factors affecting creativity is introversion versus extroversion. Extroverts innovate best by interaction, whereas introverts may innovate best by quiet reflection.”
Allow yourself not to know
We have become a culture of control freaks. Pretty much anything we need to know we can find via technology. The problem is control is all about inflating the ego, and being a “know-it-all” stifles creativity. While on the other hand, not knowing can invoke insecurity. If you don’t know something you have to learn and this pursuit of knowledge leads to new discoveries and new experiences. This is the paradox ? you have to let yourself not know in order to be creative. Curiosity leads to insight.
Be awake to inspiration
Inspiration can strike anytime, anywhere, often while you’re swimming, in the middle of the night, or doing something mundane – in other words, when the mind is spacious. Notice when it happens and be ready. Keep a notebook or sketch pad to record it straight away. Be receptive to ideas and act upon them when they spark.
Relax your mind
If get stuck, leave your idea alone for a while; it’s like zooming out of focus to get perspective and it relaxes your mind. Meditation is great for creating mental space and clarity, allowing creativity to flourish and problems to be solved. Yet just like creativity, we know meditation is good for us, but most of us procrastinate about finding the time to do it.
Luckily that’s my job; to find the right words for you. If your business needs some guidance in its visual or verbal communication, contact Zadro and let us bring your stories, ideas and brand to life.
