When Did You Realize Your Creativity Was Missing?

I found this beautiful poster designed by Islam Abudaoud on my Tumblr feed yesterday. I see these clever graphics all the time, but this one jumped out to me at the right time. I'd just finished a teaching lecture – When Did You Realize Your Creativity Was Missing? – about the ways we passively let our creativity fade in understandable ways. Here's where my speaker notes coincided with Abudaoud's poster.

No. 20: Take risks. As we get older, we tend to repeat familiar tasks and behaviours every day, partly because it makes life easier and partly because it's unconscious. We're trained by both society and culture to do: we applaud people as adult who are steadfast and consistent. But with routine comes safety, they are interlinked as yin and yang. Content to stay as we are, we become less interested in breaking our routine to try different things. (I'm not talking about ordering the Filet-O-Fish instead of the Big Mac.) The key here is to remind, if not force, yourself to search out the different. Improve a response, action or task in any way. Take no answer for granted.  Creativity and innovation never come from repetition.

No. 2: Carry a notebook everywhere. / No. 26 Write it down. To no one’s surprise, the world is a faster place every day. The volume of things to do is out-numbered only by the volume of things to remember. Amongst all the mental gymnastics we perform every day, a bright little flash of an idea can pop out of nowhere. Like the research which says we forget 90 percent of our dreams 10 minutes after we wake, our creative idea will disappear with a breath if we don't find a way to remember and retrieve it later on. The key here is to stop and write down the idea – if not on paper, then on your smartphone or tablet. Don’t let the spark of a brilliant idea die, just because you need to run out for a venti vanilla latte. At least, write it down as you’re running to pick up your V.V.L.

No. 15: Practice. / No. 14: Don’t give up. / No. 29. Finish something. Ira Glass once said creative people have better taste than most people, but they get easily frustrated with their output and frequently give up before they truly create something unique. His quote doesn't say anything about the rest of the population, but I’d venture that his point applies to anyone. There’s lots good to say about the digital revolution, but most sane people don’t disagree that it’s also increased our attention deficiency. As Glass suggests: "It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions." So, don't worry that every idea is brilliant. The idea is to create as many ideas as possible.

No. 4: Get away from the computer. / No. 17: Go somewhere new. There are plenty of times when it’s appropriate to keep digging a metaphorical hole in the same spot. (No. 14: Don't give up.) But other times – creative times, in particular – you need to dig your hole somewhere else. God yes, you’re busy. You live in your cubicle so much it’s more home than home. There’s another Facebook ad begging you to be friends with Heinz Ketchup. But instead of making friends with a glass bottle filled with a sugary commodity, I suggest you step away from anything which could be put in the broad category of "Device." Go outside. Experience life. Go somewhere else, both physically and mentally.

No. 10: Be open. / No 13. Collaborate. / No. 11 Surround yourself with creative people. Last week over lunch, a friend jokingly said she didn’t have time for more friends. (Even Heinz Ketchup?) I laughed because I caught myself thinking the same thing the week before. But with the isolation we create by circling our wagons around ourselves, we also cease to invite different points of view which help expand our thinking. Yes, sometimes the opposite perspective is challenging, if not confronting. But, it still enriching our knowledge and experience. If I have an additional suggestion, don’t just limit yourself to other creative people. Sometimes I find the most “creative people” of all are ones who are simply naïve.

No. 5: Quit beating yourself up. / No 25: Stop trying to be someone else's perfect. I put this last because it's most important as it relates to building or regaining your creativity. You could put all 29 creative actions and more into play, but you’d undo everything if you allow yourself to listen to your negative inner voice. More often than not, I hear people apply their self-criticism solely because they’re trying to live up to the expectations of someone else. They worry about what other people might think, never mind what they actually do think. I’ve learnt this about “Quit beating yourself up.” You never live up to your creative self if you emphasise more what other's think instead of your own. Besides, the cold truth is that the vast majority of the world doesn’t think about you anyway. So, why let other’s people’s opinions about your ideas be more important than your own? Your ideas may not be brilliant right now, or useable this instant, but they’re your ideas to improve, shape and make real.

Comments

[Business Travel Agents UK]

I like this Infographic. I have started to do Inforgraphic recently. When I was schooling I had a good creative ideas and everyone knows about that. But when I start to do Infographic after long years I felt my all the abilities has been faded. I like your article.

[Andy Eklund]

I'm glad you enjoyed the article. Good luck with your creative endeavours!