14 May Unlocking Your Creative Potential

Humans have creativity at their core; some discover it at a very young age, some much later, but all our actions have a touch of creative magic. Despite this, only 25% of people think they are living up to their creative potential. Why? Because we are not used to finding or using our own expression of creativity in our day to day life.

According to a study made by LinkedIn, creativity is the second most in-demand skill in the world, with cloud computing at the top.

Learning how to think more creatively will benefit your entire career and life. Think of a person you know that can be described as creative. You probably identify an artist, musician, painter, writer, someone good at handicraft, but creativity doesn’t always have an outcome in The Arts. Every one of us uses creativity in our daily life to solve all kinds of problems.

Here are some of my favorite examples of creativity:

Putting two or more things together to create something useful and unique

Chase Jarvis (Photographer and chief executive of CreativeLive)

The emergence of a novel, relational product, growing out of the uniqueness of the individual.

Carl Rodgers (Psychologist)

The occurrence of a composition which is both new and valuable.

Henry Miller (Writer)

The ability to make new combinations of social worth.

John Haefele (CEO and Entrepreneur)

Stefan Mumaw, author of six books on creativity, explains it as “problem-solving with relevance and novelty”. If we deconstruct this definition we have:

• Relevancy: solving the problem. As in; it was relevant to the problem at hand, and provided an actual solution to it. A solution without relevancy is no solution at all.
• Novelty: when you are able to solve a problem in an original way. A way that isn’t expected or not been done before.

Creativity is really just solving problems in original ways. ‘Thinking’, ‘new’ and ‘different’ are common words used next to creativity but if you are not one of those super-expressive people, always with original ideas or thoughts, there is a lot you can do to train your brain to explore the fantastic world of creativity.

Find Inspiration

Don’t worry, it’s easier than Finding Nemo! Pay attention to the details around you because inspiration is everywhere. Read a book, explore Pinterest, watch a candle flame, organise your office. Each one of us is inspired by different things; so experiment and find yours. I personally get my workspace organised, as it reorders my mind and helps me clarify some ideas and so is a go-to activities when I am feeling creatively blank.

Get Uncomfortable

Refresh by putting yourself into new spaces where you do not dominate. Growth comes through getting outside your comfort zone and learning and exploring. Be brave and don’t fear failure.

Ditch Digital Devices

Nowadays cellphones are working tools, but they also take huge precedence in our environment. So switch off, get outside, and take advantage of where you are; the landscape, nature, open space – sights, smells and sounds. Let your ideas flow.

Open your Eyes

Environment is just the half of it, pay attention to the detail around you, open your spectrum of vision and your mind.

Break Routine

Visit new blogs, try looking from a different angle, look up alternative ideas to your own. Forget your traditional places and mindset and explore new ways to connect with people and ideas.

Dare to Overcome your Fears

Some artists found that choosing to differentiate turned their negative experiences into positive actions. Take a step outside the box!

Long term impact

Most of us long to leave a legacy. What legacy are your current actions leaving behind? So, while exploring, think about the aftereffect you are leaving behind.

Live to be Present

Enjoy every moment and choose to be joy-filled today. Every day write 3 things you are grateful for. Creativity is a skill that can be developed with time, and is an investment for life. Dare to explore, find your inspiration and inspire others. You have the power to do something BIG.

Creativity is a skill and any skill that you can undertake, the byproduct to it being a skill, is that you can get better at it.”Mumaw