Not Creative? Here’s 4 Things To Get You Started.
Leonie Cutts
When asked “Are you creative?” — what is your response?
I know in the past I have tended to immediately compare myself to people who I think are super creative, or talented artists. That of course has made me think I’m not creative.
In our recent Unpacked Session with Bill Jarrard, we talked about different reasons people might not see themselves as creative. This “comparison factor” is certainly one that seems to get in the way for many of us. As does the definition each of us uses for creativity.
Creativity, the ability to make or otherwise bring into existence something new, whether a new solution to a problem, a new method or device, or a new artistic object or form.
Brittanica.com
Creative thinking is one of the first steps in innovation and something that many organisations are prioritising. So, is it possible to turn creative thinking on when we need it?
Yes, it is! And in our Unpacked Session with Bill, he showed us how! Turns out, the key to switching on deliberate creativity is to include 4 ingredients: focus, people, time, and a tool.
FOCUS: Without something to think about, without some form of focus there can be no thinking activity. The focus may be a problem to be solved, an opportunity to be explore, a task to be done. The clearer the focus the more effective the thinking. The focus can be wide or narrow, grand or specific — it just must be clear, and clear to everyone, in a thinking activity.
PEOPLE: If there is no one in the room, there is no thinking. Moreover, even if there are people in the room, but they aren’t engaged in the activity, it will not be successful. Therefore, getting people involved is vital. This may be just one person (you), a couple, a small team, a large group, an entire organization or even a whole nation or global movement.
TIME: Setting a time limit for the creative thinking is important. Time is needed for thinking, but time also needs to be respected. How we use time is vital to thinking, and a successful thinking activity.
CREATIVE THINKING TOOL: The CCS cards are ideal for stimulating thinking, opening up the conversation and prompting connections between ideas. You may also like to use other tools, like mind maps, or brainstorming techniques. Having a tool is not vital, but certainly helps to enrich the creative thinking process.
WANT MORE DETAIL?
You can read more about the process Bill uses in this article he wrote on our Shuffled Thoughts Blog: Introducing Deliberate Creative Thinking with CCS Cards.
