Check out our three tips to help you channel your creativity.
We all have those moments – where creativity is miles away and seems unreachable. The dreaded creativity block is most definitely a real thing.
The funny thing about creativity is that it always seems to strike when you least expect it, and not necessarily when you need it to. This can be a burden for anyone who relies on creativity on the job, or even those of us looking to launch a new business or project that requires that extra dose of creative thinking.
The ability to channel your creativity can become a huge determining factor in whether or not you will be successful. While creativity might seem to suddenly strike like a lightning bolt, there are some concrete ways you can get lightning to strike twice. So how do you get inspired and channel your creativity to boost your success? Here are three tips to get your creative juices flowing when you need them to.
Criticize
Surprisingly, one way to inspire your own ideas can come from shooting down the ideas of others. Ok – we’ll admit that may sound harsh, but we really mean using positive criticism to boost both your creativity and the person you’re giving feedback to.
Look no further than Pixar, whose creativity spawned billion dollar franchises from both talking toys and cars (who knows what they’ll come up with next!). Their genius didn’t come from a bunch of “yes (wo)men”. Instead, they built the organization from the ground up with “a concerted effort to make it safe to criticize”.
Science is on Buzz Lightyear’s side – A University of California, Berkeley study found that groups that ignored the no-criticism rules of brainstorming sessions came up with more creative answers than those that listened to the rules.
You can use this to boost your creativity too. Find a girlfriend, or become buddies with a coworker and ask to go quid pro quo with feedback on your projects. You’ll give the friend some much-needed outside perspective, while also getting some and boosting creativity at the same time!
Just do it
Contrary to popular belief, even the greats like Van Gough didn’t spew out genius creativity 24/7 365. We looked at two mastermind artists – Van Gough and Salvador Dali – and got insight from some of their famous sayings:
“If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced” – Vincent Van Gogh
“Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it” – Salvador Dali
These two didn’t just suddenly emit out world famous art – they conquered their doubt and fear of a creative block with a G.S.D. (get stuff done) attitude.
They realized they wouldn’t instantly have perfection (or ever reach it for that matter), but could still reach creative Zen by just starting their work. You can do the same – literally just force yourself to write, paint, whatever, and you’ll be amazed by your eventual genius.
Walk it out
CEO’s like Mark Zuckerberg have turned to alternative ways to inspire creativity amongst his team. One way he does it is by taking his meetings outside.
According to Stanford research, walking around boosts creativity greatly. So consider having your team meetings on the go to inspire your team (and burn some calories in the process).
Don’t own your own business yet? Consider a quick walk around the office or to the local park while contemplating your work. Or implement a brainstorming ‘sesh with your coworkers while walking around the area.
Give us criticism
Getting back to criticism, great feedback is available right at your fingertips. Reach out to the Tribe and go tit-for-tat on whatever you’re working on to get the creative juices flowing.
