How to get creative

Like many people, you may think that you’re either creative or you’re not. What tosh! If you want to get creative – here are some tips to get started!

1. Think of yourself as creative. We all have the spark of creativity inside us; it’s just a matter of finding it and fanning that flame to keep it alive and figuring out where your particular brand of creativity is best applied.

2. Think creatively. Try out those new ideas that pop into your head, even if they seem a little ‘out there’ at first. If there are two solutions to a problem, try them both. Fresh perspectives can lead to huge breakthroughs.

3. Put your new ideas into action. When you try things out, even if you don’t succeed at first, you’ll learn something and give your creativity a chance to flourish. Don’t worry what other people will think. Trying new things is a huge part of growth.

4. Don’t over-think. Just make a start. Instead of thinking of the reasons NOT to do something, take a risk and get going.

5. Get inspired. Watch a new play, visit a museum, go somewhere new, check out how your competition does thing, heck check out how companies who aren’t your competition does things! Inspiration is all around us. Especially when we go or do something new. And that sparks our creativity.

7. Enjoy yourself. If you start feeling like it’s a chore, you’ll get bored and talk yourself out of it. It’s supposed to be fun. When you feel the joy surrounding it, it helps the creative energy flow.

8. Play some games. Get together with friends and play a game where success hinges on being expressive and coming up with creative ways to communicate. Charades or Articulate are good ones. In work, try a hackathon type game where no answer to solving a challenge is too outlandish and there are no boundaries. Ask your team ‘what if we…’ and let all the ideas flow until you reach 100 ideas without stopping or pausing to say ‘we don’t have the budget for that’. Then review spending 3 minutes on each suggestion and moving them into a possible list and not possible list until you’ve reduce by half. Then do the same thing for the possible list. Keep going until you have 10 possibilities to solve your problem. Then really start to look into the possibilities of those remaining solutions. This can help you think of different ways to work through challenges.

9. Try on 6 hats. Metaphorically of course. The six thinking hats is a tool by Maltese psychologist Edward de Bono to boost creative thinking. You divide up the different styles of thinking into six "hats": logic, emotion, caution, optimism, creativity, and control, then each person, or team, takes on the role of a hat, to ensure all viewpoints and styles are covered. Or if you’re working alone, you can try on each hat yourself and see how it impacts your perspective.

10. Take a break. If you’re stuck for ideas, don’t sit in your workspace staring at the walls. Even the most creative people need to take some time off. This can allow a blocked well of creativity to flow again. Get outside for a bit to recharge your creative energies.

Patience is key when nurturing your creativity. If it starts to feel stressful you’ll overthink it. Make a habit of enjoying these techniques every day and one day soon you just may discover that you’re one of the most creative leaders out there!