A friend sent me this today and it is so true. Enjoy.
We can choose to walk down a new path in any area of our lives.
Here are some tips to help you see a new path open up.
- Choose to live a creative life.
- Expect new insight and ideas every day.
- Capture your ideas ˆ write them down.
- Take intelligent risks ˆ be willing to fail more.
- Accept responsibility for where you are now ˆ never blame or point fingers.
- Keep feeding your mind ˆ read positive material every day.
- Make decisions based on your passions and purpose.
- Spend time with people who are performing at the level at which you want to perform.
- Learn from your mistakes.
- Act on your creative urges.
It seems that over the years my work and my hobbies have totally been blurred. Due to a certain "illness" for my love for marketing and branding have totally merged with my leisure time (not all of it). Sometimes it's a blessing and sometimes a curse. A blessing, when I'm rolling on a concept or strategy with the creativity electrifying me. A curse, when I wake up at 3 am with my mind full of ideas and feel the need to quickly get it in the mac before I lose it. This leads to creativity in general. It's something you can learn to channel, but not always. Sometimes it just sparks up and you either need to embrace it and roll with it or squash it. The danger of squashing it though, is that the idea might not come back. And we all know the struggle of "forced creativity." Not always the most efficient or the easiest path to follow.
Off to bed shortly. Wonder if I'll be up at 3 am?
Excellent article by David C. Baker, Bringing More Process to Creativity. I couldn't find it published online anywhere so you'll have to look for the most recent issue of Communication Arts.
He talks about the process ladder, why we shun process, and the benefits of incorporating more process. I'm a firm believer in process, even when it comes to creativity and this article sums it up nicely.
The final thought in this article... "What passes for fixation on quality by many creatives is really just a fixation on control. If they really cared about quality, they'd pay a lot more attention to process."
Go buy this magazine now.
What are some recent things you've seen lately that you believe are just great, creative ideas? Please post!
Pics relating to the first comment by Lindsay Grates
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Ran across this that I had written several years ago. Take a look.
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Whether you’re an artist, a writer or some sort of other creative type, think about how you tackle a creative project. Each and every one of you have your own creative ritual in preparation for the battle. The battle of creativity. The battle from within you, the artist.
Creativity runs inside each and every one of us, whether we like it or not. The struggle begins when creativity attempts to escape, or should I say, when we as artiststry and force it out. Dragging it kicking and screaming at times. Sometimes it’s definitely easier than others. Why? That’s what we all ask ourselves. Why doesn’t the creativity flow easily when that client calls up and needs something right away? Don’t you wish it were a faucet that you could simply turn on? Well, in thinking about how the creative process happens in each of us, one thing to think about is what state of mind you’re in and in what way your environment makes you feel when you’re most creative.
As far as your mindset when creativity hits, are you relaxed or feel pressured? What state are you in?
It could be in your studio or it could be far away from your studio. I tend to hide away in my studio filled with various Snoopy images, a couple pen and ink illustrations from a friend, some handmade paper I found in Seattle, a few idea-generatingcard decks and a variety of stress balls. I also tend to add music. Sometimes ambient sounds, other times Jimmy Hendrix or electronica drones.
Regardless, be aware of your environment and how it’s conducive to your creativity.
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Thoughts, comments?
Over the next few weeks I'd like to explore and offer my thoughts about creativity. What it is and what helps foster it. Please chime in with any thoughts or opinions. We'd love to hear from you.
A couple of my favorite creativity quotes to think about:
Good taste is the enemy of creativity. –Pablo Picasso
Imagination is the beginning of creation. –George Bernard Shaw
Creative activity increases creative ability. –Harry Lorayne
What is Creativity?
Imagination
Originality
From the heart
From the soul
Personal
Feelings
Whatcha think?
Don’t just push the envelope; throw it off the table. Start with your story (Is it compelling?), modify your packaging (Is it different?), reconsider your brand name (Is it memorable?), adjust your attitude (Seemingly rare?) and experience (Like none other?). These are just a few places to look. Creativity will land your brand. Conformity will kill it.Always protect the integrity of who your brand is, but then build relationships by creatively expressing your essence (purpose, position, personality, promise) and then create lasting loyalty with your confident distinction.
Five steps to get it right:- If it scares you, get excited.
- If peers say, “Are you out of your mind?” say, “Yes!”
- If your industry starts gossiping, send them a thank-you note.
- If no one’s done it before, move faster.
- If you think your brand distinction is your quality product or extra caring staff, read this article again.
Here’s something that I have tacked on my wall in my home office. I apologize for not giving credit to the author, but honestly, I can’t remember and have no record of it.
Harnessing (or choking off) Creativity
Companies may identify fresh thinking as a core value, but this doesn’t square with a corporate strategy in which minimising risk is seen as a virtue. How can an organization adapt its culture to embrace innovation?
TWELVE THINGS PEOPLE SAY TO KILL GOOD IDEAS
It’s too risky/unpredictable. (In the Gold Rush of 1849, people made money through the creative production of commodity shovels, not from
stab-in-the-dust exploration.)
Best to be a fast follower, not a first mover.
It will cannibalise sales of our existing products and services, in which we’ve made a large investment. You can’t just write that off.
We haven’t got a budget for that/we’ll have to cut money from other departments in order to find the funds.
Engineering/Human Resources/Legal/Ethics/shareholder activists say it can’t or shouldn’t be done.
We’re too big and cumbersome to make the most of this and other ideas. We need to form partnerships with SMEs, government labs and universities, or set up an autonomous unit.
We/somebody else did that before and it failed.
Our suppliers will never rise to the challenge.
The punters are so dumb they will never buy it/will snap up every one we’ve got.
Punters and sales staff will be too slow to grasp how it works. Anyway, they don’t need to know that and, apart from a few geeks, aren’t usually interested.
We need to protect our intellectual property and our brand at all costs: diverting resources into this innovation doesn’t help in that.
It’s impossible to forecast the market for this innovation.
Have you avoided killing ideas today?