Currently viewing the tag: "mindset"
Sometimes, you just don’t feel creative. Everything seems to be more of a struggle than usual. Today is working out as one of those days for me.
My advice is not to fight it. Just accept that’s part of being human and look forward to tomorrow when you’ll have a fresh start!
To try and [...]
Today’s creativity tip is a little more philosophical than usual. Over the weekend I was working at an art fair on a stand with a quite inspirational sculptor. We got into some fairly in depth discussions about the meaning of creativity, self-realisation and the way in which we choose to live our lives.
Have you ever [...]
The essence of creativity is doing something differently in a way that brings you joy.
Pure creative activities should bring you joy by their very nature… unless like me you try to smash your guitar in a violent rage when you can’t hit all the chords. But what about adding creativity to other less inspirational [...]
I was recently asked why children are so creative. After all, we’re still the same people we used to be. Why does our natural creativity disappear?
Well as kids, we don’t have any real pressures in life. There is no perceived need to be logical, sensible and always right (a skill that seems to develop [...]
Have you ever got so stuck in working away on a solution that you want to make it work whatever it takes? We can quite easily build up an emotional attachment to our ideas and this can be unhealthy. You just need to look at some of the people on Dragon’s Den who think their [...]
When we evaluate ideas we most often begin with our own thoughts and feelings. This is the 1st person perspective. By sticking to this viewpoint it may be difficult to overcome our inbuilt beliefs and prejudices.
Actively exploring other perspectives is a simple tool to help free your mind to appreciate other possibilities. So when [...]
Most of the time, meetings are monopolised by traditional thinking. Suggestions must be workable, sensible and logical otherwise they will be shunned and you may end up feeling foolish.
However, this approach can often mean endless cycles of tussling over right and wrong, leading to a crippling breakdown in momentum. But if everyone is prepared [...]
Are you a procrastinator? Do you often need a kick up the bum to get you going?
I admit my own motto can often be ‘don’t put off ’til tomorrow that what you can do next week’!
But when pressed to do something in a seemingly impossible time-span, you can surprise yourself by your achievements. Think [...]
I didn’t get round to putting a tip here yesterday as I got distracted by the pub!
But as it happens, the pub is a good tactic for creativity. By going to the pub or taking a bath, mowing the lawn- anything that distracts you from your problem- you put your conscious mind in a [...]
Today your challenge is think like someone else. The way you see the world is coloured by your experiences and perceptions. But if you experience this world through someone else’s eyes you may get a whole new set of insights.
Example: My challenge is ‘how to cope with stressful situations’.
I randomly picked a cartoon character, a [...]
See failure as feedback and you’ll access a continual source of inspiration.
A fear of failure will only hold you back from trying anything new. That’s why you won’t find many risk averse companies in creative industries. Failure also gives some people license to make convenient excuses to give in, or worse, not bother.
Instead, [...]
Creativity requires both techniques for generating ideas and a mindset that is conducive for a positive thinking environment.
Creative thinking techniques alone will be ineffectual if you or your group isn’t mentally prepared to be different. For more on creative attitudes, read my article ‘Don’t be a Creature of Habit’
More on creative thinking [...]
We’re usually so quick to jump in with reasons why ideas won’t work. But next time, resist this urge and task yourself with first exhausting all the positives you can think of. You may even generate some new, better solutions.
Example: What are all the positives of a house with no roof?
We’d usually immediately [...]
Just because you have a solution, it doesn’t mean you have the best one. Try to at least find one other approach before being satisfied.
I find thoughts suddenly begin to flood to me whenever I go for a walk or run.
There’s something about constantly moving that opens up new connections in the brain. Also, being out in the air in a different environment definitely has a part to play in this added stimulation.
So next time you’re struggling [...]
Whether you believe you are creative or not, you are right! Take creative agencies; they are full of knickknacks that constantly reaffirm their employees’ creative beliefs. If your office is somewhat on the bland side, there’s nothing stopping you furnishing your mind with the proverbial pool tables, desk toys and amusing wall doodles.
Visualise a time when you were at your happiest and most creative. Bring the sensory experience to life in your mind and anchor those strong feelings in order to recall them when you need a burst of inspiration. You recall Pavlov’s dog from school biology lessons right? Ring the bell in your mind when you [...]
Have you ever experienced that moment when you come up with an idea but then gradually find more and more flaws before eventually turning yourself completely against your initial idea?
It’s quite common and we habitually do this as a safeguard to prevent embarrassment in front of others who may be just as quick to [...]
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