STEPS TO CREATIVITY
BOY, is my face red!!!!
Almost exactly two years ago, I started a series called “21 weeks to your most creative self”. When I wrote the last installment THE POWER OF NO (published 8/16) I looked back through my blogs to see when I started the series – September 2014! Only eleven posts on the subject in 2 years!
SO – I decided to start all over again. I’m going to call this simply – STEPS TO CREATIVITY. So, here goes – starting with the question:
WHAT IS CREATIVITY?
Merriam-Webster defines the word as “the ability to make new things or think new things.” It is the ability to see the world in a new way and to make connections between things that seem unrelated. It is asking what any two year old asks,
WHY?
WHAT IF?
Every human being is born creative. However, as we get older society teaches us to suppress creativity – remember being told to color within the lines? Society teaches us to conform and often frowns upon originality. That makes most people forget they were ever creative at all!
Living creatively means looking at the world around you with wonder. Your imagination leads to thoughts, thoughts become words and words become action. Creativity is not worth anything if you don’t do anything with your ideas. Let me repeat that
Creativity is not worth anything if you don’t do anything with your ideas.
Many of us give up on creativity. One thing universal about people living a creative life – they DO NOT GIVE UP!
Living creatively means looking at the world around you differently. Your imagination leads to thoughts, thoughts become words and words become action.
Most people believe you have to be a genius to be creative. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A GENIUS TO BE CREATIVE!
You learn to be creative by exploring, experimenting, questioning, processing information.
Think of creativity as a muscle that needs to be strengthened – that can only happen with repeated use!
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Albert Einstein
I don’t believe some people are born more creative than others. Creative people usually do six things throughout their lives, known as The Innovators DNA, things anybody can incorporate in their life.
- Make CONNECTIONS between different things
- QUESTION everything
- OBSERVE everything
- NETWORK (with like minded creative people)
- EXPERIMENT
- PRACTICE – the most important one of all!
Making the effort to live a creative life is be fully alive. Believe you can change the world!!!
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use it, the more you have.” Maya Angelou
So, I challenge you to spend some time thinking about what inspires you to create. You don’t have to paint the Mona Lisa, you can bake a cake, write a joke, put your clothes together differently, take a different route to the grocery store. It can be anything, it can be as silly as eating spaghetti with chopsticks.
Let me know where you find your creativity! Inspiration is all around you.