Oxford dictionary defines creativity as the use of imagination or original ideas to create something ; inventiveness. Tracing the etymology of the word, creativity, it comes from the Latin term ‘creo’ – to create, make. According to New World Encyclopaedia, there are 60 different definitions of creativity that can be found in the psychological literature.
Creativity can be simply put as, an innate natural ability to rise above traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new possibilities, forms, methods, interpretations, progressiveness, products, services and more, as its application has no boundaries. It is multi –dimensional and can be applied in innumerable, varied contexts. Whether you are working on a presentation, launching a new product, running an enterprise, conducting an experiment for a new drug discovery, or writing/ composing a song, engaged in creating an art form, or decorating your new home, being a parent, dishing out a delicious fondant cake, growing a beautiful orchid, or playing a game of chess, whatever you are doing, all of these acts needs you to be ‘creative’ to perform it satisfyingly and fulfillingly.
Often, the act of achieving creativity may seem arduous, challenging, unyielding and elusive. Yet, if you pluck the courage to embrace creativity, there are simple tools readily accessible that can enable you to unleash the creativity within you.
You can bring in quality, excellence in any of your activities using these simple techniques and tools
Stop the judgemental mind chatter
Your mind can be your strength or weakness. It can build lofty, many, tiny, barriers or weave beautiful, amazing solutions. The choice is completely yours, in spite of the circumstances that pervade around you from time to time. It is your choice to train your mind. Yes, it takes awareness, will and efforts. Firstly, become aware of the chatter. Does it preoccupy you all the time? Is it constantly judging your actions or other’s actions? What is it saying about you? Answers to these questions will aid you in understanding how judgemental is your mind. This judgemental mind chatter takes away the joy of living in the moment and giving your best to the present moment. Stopping this chatter can unclutter your mind, help you see with a clear mind and makes room for different perspectives
Get out of your comfort zone
Living in a comfort zone can be restricting, inhibiting self growth. Usually fear of failing, rejection and hurt, chains us in the shackles of comfort zone and keeps us from taking a step forward. The moment you choose to step out of your comfort zone, your ‘self’ expands. You explore, discover new possibilities, paths for growth. Speaking up in a meeting, tweaking your product/service and selling it to a new segment of customers, signing up for a dance class (you thought you can never shake a leg), trying a new route to your home, going for a trek with a new group is all a good start at getting out of your comfort zones and experiencing life in new light.
Think like a child
A child instinctively lives in an imaginative world. This lets the child be a creator. They create and build castles, palaces, towers with blocks; the sofas turn into mountains, carpet into sea, the broom into a spaceship, they become the king of wild things and do the rumpus dance in the jungle and the list is endless. This creation is a possibility until you start putting in constraints, filtering out new ideas before it takes shape, as it doesn’t fit the logical mould, route or explanations. Pablo Picasso famously said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Thinking out of box is thinking like a child.
Shift your focus on the act and not the outcome
Thinking of the outcomes makes you nervous, worrisome and anxious. It doesn’t allow you to focus fully on the act you want to accomplish; rather it dissipates your energy that is needed to optimise your contribution to the act. It minimises quality and plays down your capability. So, keep your focus and involvement on the act, enjoy the process and the let the creative juices flow.
Change the lens view
Don’t be satisfied and contended with the status quo. Look for new dimensions and perspectives, be it the structure or the content of the situation, look deeper for hidden patterns, angles to explore and unfold. You can empower yourself by changing the lens you see with, change fear with love, frustration with perseverance, boredom with awe and resistance with acceptance. These changes of lens will enable you craft extraordinary creations.
Adopt a hobby
Whether it is a hobby as a child you pursued and discontinued, or a hobby you always wanted to learn, a new art, sport, cycling, running a marathon, going for a Himalayan trek, learning paragliding, sign up for it; start it new or get back to it, your music, or guitar lessons, painting, doodling, playing chess, bridge or anything that fascinates you. It is cathartic. Remember hobbies need to be regular not sporadic for effective lasting results. Hobbies help you recreate and reinvent yourself.
Tune into nature
Nature calms your mind. It inspires, rejuvenates and energises you. It demonstrates infiniteness, expansiveness and hues. We witness it in the sky, the mountain, the flowers, the birds, the sea, all brings alive your intrinsic nature of being creative. This is the most simple technique and easy to practice. Spend a few minutes gazing at the sky; watch a bird fly/chirp, a new flower that has bloomed in your pot garden, a tree outside your window, whatever catches your attention, hold on to it for few minutes. Try this and discover the magic of creativity flowing.
Creativity is like a flowing river, it flows effortlessly, beautifully, vividly, energising, lending life and joy to the myriad beings around it. Only Obstruction interrupts the flow, blocks creativity. The tools and techniques will guide in unlocking your hidden potential and unleashing the creativity abundance in you.
“One very important aspect of motivation is the willingness to stop and to look at things that no one else has bothered to look at. This simple process of focusing on things that are normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity.” ― Edward de Bono
“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”
― Albert Einstein
“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious…and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
― Walt Disney Company