Posted February 8th, 2012
When did creativity become such serious business?
It seems like just yesterday we were drawing outside of the lines of our favorite coloring books, or smashing the square peg into the triangle hole, or using our imaginations to be warriors or princesses.
Then we grow up and our imaginations are put away. Our entire mentality around creativity goes from “having fun” to “do the work” almost overnight. And we can’t really be that upset about it, I suppose, because the serious work is what makes money and pays the bills. The straight‒faced report filing and keyboard clickity‒clacking is what justifies our jobs to our bosses.
But there’s a problem with this serious approach to living, particularly for those of us who are more artistically or creatively inclined.
The problem is that creativity requires some level of fun to be fruitful. When was the last time you had an insightful, creative idea for how to be innovative with your work while you were forced to wear a tie and simply nod your head?
Being able to have fun with your work makes it easier to take criticism and feedback (which is essentially for gaining insightful perspectives that you otherwise wouldn’t see). Having fun lessens the pressure to “get things perfect” and increases the odds of you actually creating something. Having fun fuels innovation in nearly everything you do.
So what happened to having fun with our work? When did we stop deciding to use our imaginations for fueling innovation in the work we do – and to inspire others, and to discover new possibilities, and to make us feel successful – and instead started using our imaginations for clever ways to fall in line?
If we’re not proposing game ideas in the office, or filing reports with pictures of ourselves as knights or princesses, or if we forget to make a fun activity out of an otherwise boring meeting… what are we doing with our imaginations anymore?
Today, let’s find fun in what we do again. Let’s use the same creativity we did when we were young. Let’s make the office or school or cafe into a castle or forest and see what we can find.
Photo by Hiperterminal.
Posted February 6th, 2012
What does it take to be creative? Here’s a quick and easy recipe you can use and share, no matter what level of skill you have in the kitchen of creative thinking.
Posted February 1st, 2012
What does success look like for a creative individual?
For many of us, we believe that creative success is the act of creating something and seeing it do well. From spreading content online, to publishing a book, selling a painting, getting that big raise after solving the company’s problem, all of these can be measures of success for someone who is creative.
But that’s not entirely true.
Creative people need to create, it’s regularly what makes us feel purpose in life. So even if we do sell that big painting, or if we create something that millions of people around the world use, the measure of success isn’t there.
Sure, if you do any of these things you’re going to feel great, but after some time the feeling will fade and you’ll realize that you have to keep creating in order to pursue that feeling of “success”.
The real measure of creative success, I think, is the ability to create without restrictions. To spend your days doing the work that makes you happy, even when it fails.
That’s real creative success: the ability to create unrestricted. Something to keep in mind.
Photo by Futurilla.
Posted January 30th, 2012
Consider the fact that this statement is truer today than any other time in history before. If you’re reading this, you have access to an infinity of options for making anything you imagine a reality.
No matter what step of the creative process you’re in – believing you’re not creative, not knowing how to start, unable to get unstuck, not having the abilities to do the work yourself – all you have to do is type in a few words on a search engine and the next step for turning your idea into something real will be presented to you. No special tricks or secrets or talents required.
Pursuing creativity and innovation has never been easier in all of the history of humankind. So what are you waiting for?
Posted January 27th, 2012
Why should you be creative? Why should anyone, for that matter, concern themselves with creative thinking?
In the free ebook, Why Creativity?, several of today’s brilliant creatives provide insights into these questions. World renown illustrator and writer Frank Chimero offers a brief explanation, while the remarkable author Julien Smith describes the answer vividly and in a way that is sure to motivate you to create today.
The book also offers ideas from authors Matthew E May, David Meerman Scott, and Gregg Fraley, as well as answers from creative geniuses Mike Brown and Patrick Algrim.
Of course, because the ebook is free, you have nothing to lose by downloading it today, but so many ideas to gain.
So, if you haven’t downloaded “Why Creativity?” yet, be sure to grab it here.