Principles to Make Yourself Creative

In the last two years I’ve been working heavily in the area of creativity and innovation. As I’ve talked to leaders and benchmarked businesses, I’m astounded by its rise in priority from something “nice-to-have,” to a necessity for survival and differentiation in a competitive world. If it’s that urgent, how can you and I “make ourselves” more creative?

To answer the question, I want to share powerful principles I recently heard in an interview with Noah Scalin on “ways to get creative” (Noah is a teacher, artist and activist who gives talks on creative energy and just published his book “Unstuck” – 52 simple creativity-generating projects that fit into any lifestyles).

1. Let go of perfectionism. Creativity is a spontaneous and repetitive process. Strike and produce while you have the idea, even if you can’t do it “up to your standard.” Put something “out there”, get a response, see what resonates, refine and try again. If you wait until all the conditions are perfect it will never happen.
2. Limitations free you. They force you to create. Ironically, not having all the resources or time you need forces you to simplify, get scrappy and produce something in alternative ways that lead to cleaner solutions “that are outside the box.” Interestingly, we often see this happen in emerging markets where resources for design & purchase are scarce – the outcome: simple, effective solutions.
3. Get out of your environment. Creativity happens when your brain gets out of its “rut” and is forced to “jump the tracks.” It doesn’t take much. Going to a another location, talking to different people, exposing yourself to other ways of thinking (ex. conferences, podcasts, entertainment), etc. often provide the necessary “jolt” for this to happen (if you read this blog, that’s the purpose of the “Blue Jolt” posts).
4. Get out of your comfort zone – force yourself to take small risks. Next time you launch into your “work routine,” project, or you have the opportunity to create something, do a small part of it completely different. This helps you experiment & learn incrementally, while building experience and confidence to keep pushing the limits in bigger ways.
5. Share & get feedback. It’s no secret that people who improve most are those who “live on feedback.” While it’s sometimes painful (and may even not always be true!) it’s the best way to “see yourself from the outside,” get your bearings and refocus your efforts. Feedback follows the golden rule – if you give it generously, you will receive it generously.

Are there other ways you’ve found to get creative? Which creativity principles work best for you? When it comes to being creative, where do you need to improve the most?

Picture:  Hans Gotun via Compfight