Creativity has many definitions. But are we really free to be as creative as we like?
According to Creativity at Work
Words have specific definitions, but what they mean can vary from person to person. Sometimes creativity is thought of in such a generic sense we feel that we are not creative enough. Only an artist or a painter or someone else is looked at as creative.
To be creative you need freedom as well. For creativity to shine it requires the ability to explore which not everyone gets. When there is freedom at your workplace or home you will see that creative side come out.
What Does Creativity Mean?
Creativity in its core sense means to create. Creativity to me means just doing things differently. It's not tied to a particular field or a specific person. Everyone is creative.
I heard people say "I don't have a creative hand." But what I really hear is I haven't tried yet. You’re capable of creating things when you believe you can create. When people say they aren't creative it means they’re scared to try something different.
Think about it, when do you call someone creative? - When they come up with something different! Doing things differently, coming up with things that haven't been thought of before is what creativity is all about.
Jean Baudrillard a French sociologist talks about simulation and simulacra.
Today we get so focused on following, we forget we can create. We're just producing copies of a copy which is what he calls simulacra. We live in a world where our abilities are so enhanced due to evolution and technology we should use this to our benefit.
How Does Creativity Help?
Very rarely do you see someone who is just good at things. Oftentimes it takes practice and patience. Creativity is the same. When you just start doing things differently you may not instantly be good at it. You'll need help and guidance.
These are a few reasons why creativity helps you in more ways than one.
Improves Problem Solving
Creativity helps you analyze things differently. Which means it will build on your problem-solving skills. As we know problem-solving is very essential today for jobs. No matter what field you’re in problem-solving will always be beneficial.
Even doing the day-to-day tasks differently will make a big difference. It's all about the small things in life that count. If doing a household chore differently makes your work quicker then that's creative.
Boost Confidence
Allowing yourself to be creative means allowing yourself to take risks. Creativity helps you unleash your potential in anything! It allows you to try things. We all know taking risks isn't easy. Hence when you allow yourself to take the risk it boosts your confidence because you know you’re trying.
Being creative also means leaving perfection behind. It's all about having fun and when you start enjoying the process of doing things you build your confidence.
You will be more willing to take on challenges than before. Since your thought process is constantly thinking of new ways to do things when you are faced with a hurdle you know you can overcome it.
Intelligence Having Fun
As Albert Einstein says, creativity is intelligence having fun. This process of having fun makes you better at what you do. When you enjoy your work you will to be more indulged in it.
You need the enjoy the process of doing things, of creating things. That's when you can step outside your box/comfort. Creativity is all about enjoying what you are doing. You do it because you love it and hence you enjoy the process of creating.
Unleash Your Potential
When you think of new ideas, a different way of doing things you’re unleashing your potential. It can be the smallest task or a major project. What matters is you're using those creative juices to enjoy what you are doing.
Trying to do things differently will always have a risk of failing. That's when you understand how trial and error helps you build more character.
How To Boost Creativity
When you understand completely that there will always be a different way of doing things, you can start building on your creativity.
Creativity Stems From Curiosity
The more curious you are about how to do things differently or how things work the better understanding you get. This understanding will help you build ideas and start creating them.
It's so important you reward this curiosity as it's the basis of coming up with ideas. Children are always curious and ask questions. Sometimes that curiosity is not rewarded and instead they are told: "not to ask many questions." This will not help them as you're shutting that creative/curious side.
Try to understand more about how things work. Ask more questions and try to find answers. Ask more you will know more, but remember to be respectful as well. This will result in you understanding more than those who just follow.
Engage More With Content
Sometimes when we are so engaged in technology we forget we can analyze and question. We watch videos but don't critically analyze them. We consume things without truly understanding or thinking more about the content.
To build your creativity you need to start absorbing the things you watch or read. Anything you enjoy doing do it as all those things will help you engage your mind.
To engage your mind you need to question things you watch, question what you read. When you question things that's when you begin to think more. This will allow you to think of things from more than one perspective.
Accept It Won't Always Work
This is one of the most important things. When you try once and you don't succeed that may discourage you. What you need to learn is nothing happens overnight. Things like this need patience and time.
When you start engaging your mind like a curious child, it will take time to reconnect with that curious side. Everyone is different and everyone’s pace of doing things will be different. Some are more likely to figure things out faster than others.
If things don't work out the first, second, third, fourth time does not mean it will not the fifth time. When you begin to understand your potential and your limits you will know how much to push yourself.
Use Positive Reinforcement
Some of you are so quick to critiquing yourself and your work. We tend to see flaws faster than the good parts; especially in ourselves or in our work. Being humble is different from constantly critiquing yourself.
Positive reinforcement means using motivational stimulus after you have performed the desired behavior. Using positive reinforcement will encourage you to continue this creative thinking. To use positive reinforcement you can use things that you really love to motivate you.
For example, if you need to complete a task that’s pending, set a goal to complete it. Once you have completed it reward yourself. You can choose anything you love. Either food or activities, anything.
Similarly, you can use it when you start creatively thinking. No matter how small the task is reward yourself once your mind starts thinking of different ways to do things.
Conclusion
Let's summarize all these points on how to boost your creativity.
Reward curiosity. The more curious you are the more you will ask and the more you will know.
Whatever content you engage in always question it and analyze it. Think about how would you do things differently.
Sometimes things don't always work out the way you wanted to. But you can still try and find a way to do things differently.
Use positive reinforcement to encourage the behavior and mindset you want.
My question for you is what does creativity mean to you personally? Have you limited creativity to specific fields? When you think of creativity, what or who comes to your mind first?
Do you think everyone is creative? Do you think you're creative?
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