| |
| |
|
Creativity Information |
|
|
|
Creative Thinking The Secret Key To Lasting Success
What is creativity anyway? Well, let us look at the word. Creativity means the capability to build, create something. It does mean to build something new but not necessarily something unique. And here is the first trap many of us tap into. We tend to think about creativity as building something unique, something that has never been there before. In fact, everything you create has never been there before anyway. Whatever you create, from making breakfast to writing letters, is something that has never been there before. Right? Ah, I can almost hear you say that is trivial. Well, it might be trivial but creativity is trivial as it is a gift every human being is blessed with. What we need to do to unleash the power of creativity is to put it from the breakfast creating level to new heights. Now how do you do that? You do it as you learn every skill. By practicing and exercising. Any skill you ever mastered you mastered through taking the steps needed and practice them over and over again. That's how we learn new things. Think of your creativity as a muscle. That muscle can be strong or weak, depending on how much you have used it in the past, but no doubt about it that muscle is there. If you compare yourself with a body builder, would you say your body misses any muscle he has? Certainly not, only these muscles might be covered a little bit - or a little bit more- under some fatty tissue and are so weak that they do not show through. Same goes with creativity. We simply have it but it is often our weak muscle covered by the fatty tissue of beliefs we have about our own incapability and about the superiority of others. Once you take that metaphor as a given, you can start building your creative muscle. You can make it as strong as you like it to be. the only thing you need to do is constant excoriate. So, how to build your creative muscle again? Every creative process has 4 phases. * Preparation * Cerebration * Realization * Application Like toning your muscles by going through certain steps in the right sequence you build up creativity by applying these for phases sequentially. At first you might only do it once in a while. But the more you do it the stronger your creative muscle gets and the easier it is. it just becomes a habit. And a habit is something we do unconsciously. Let us look at the steps a little closer. Preparation This is maybe the most important step. Preparation is about gathering the data, the information. All Improvements start with questioning the current situation. Asking questions, and asking the right questions is key. Asking yourself hard questions is not always comfortable. But, remember, starting to exercise is not always comfortable as well. Nevertheless it is a must. What questions to ask? Here are some questions to start the process. What am I trying to do? How am I trying to do it? What are my assumptions? What if my assumptions are wrong? By asking these questions you start the loop of creativity. Just do not start judging for now. Once you have your data collected, you know the frame of the problem. Now, begin with the second step. Cerebration This is the easiest step in the process. Cerebration simply means to stop consciously thinking about the issue and turn it over to your unconscious mind. Because your rational mind has already clarified the frame of the challenge it is time now to tap into your resources. How to do that? There are many ways but one works pretty well for me. I start thinking and doing something totally different after I told myself that I hand the issue over to my subconscious mind. No second thought on it. I actually deny myself to ponder over it. I do everything I can to not think about it anymore. I think my unconscious mind becomes pretty upset of me ignoring it and usually starts acting like wild to get through to my conscious mind. The more I suppress this the stronger it tries. Eventually my unconscious mind is so upset that it fires up ideas. Not only one or two, but because I consciously suppressed it from letting ideas coming out, it starts firing on idea after another. I never know when it happens, it could be hours or even days after I framed the issue. But I am sure it always happens. And, this is my goal. Now I can go to the next stage. Realization This is where you take all the ideas your unconscious came up with and write them down. You realize them. You get aware of them. In that critical stage we often start judging the ideas. Don't do that before you have written down every single idea that your mind came up with. Writing the ideas down or even saying them out loud, gives them a new dimension. You create the idea literally by giving it a form (either written or by producing sounds we call language). This is a very important part. Let the idea emanate, become something that exists outside of your brain. No matter how silly it seems, if it was worth for your subconscious to come up with it is worth to be written down. Value the work of your subconscious mind. After you have written down all your ideas, you can go to the next stage. Application This is the last stage, where you evaluate the set of ideas and pick the one you belief has the biggest chance of being applicable. Make a Top 10 list of your ideas and sort them as long as it takes to find the right sequence. Now you have done it. You can start to apply your idea to the problem. You will maybe find hundreds of issues that have to be solved but that is only an entry point to start the whole process over again until you succeed. Creativity is a skill it is not a genetic gift to some. It is a gift you have too. Build your muscle using the sequence i gave you and you will start becoming a creative person able to solve problems and create the outcome you want. 2005 © Norbert Haag. All rights reserved. PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites given attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated: mail to: nhaag@onlinebusinesscoach.com Norbert Haag is a business consultant, entrepreneur and sought after speaker for more than 20 years. His company - Online Business Coach http://www.onlinebusinesscoach.com - provides information and services for online businesses, small business owners and freelancers. You can reach Norbert at nhaag@onlinebusinesscoach.com.par
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Creative Drought For the past several hours, I've struggled with this week's message, the words, "what will I write?" screaming in my ears. I've felt like the princess who promises her first born child to the little man named "Rumplestiltskin" if only he will spin straw into gold. How To Master Your Game Learn how to master your area of endeavor the right way. Start out by finding the people and books that will make you exceptional. Codifying Creativity Can we codify creativity? Within these few words are a number of principles that must be identified and resolved before we can really answer the question.The first question is, what is creativity? What are we trying to codify?One useful definition of creativity is that it is problem identification and idea generation. Seeing Problems From Their Creative Side Did you know that winning actually puts less wear and tear on the body than worrying? And did you know that you could worry yourself sick to the point that you'll end up in a hospital bed? And that, depending on the severity of the problem, when it becomes chronic and acceptable mode of conduct, it could lead to options beyond hospitalization? It could very well lead to imprisonment or interment!Dr. Charles H. Creativity: The Key To Getting More Done In Less Time If your to-do list seems as long at the end of the day as it did at the start (or worse yet, longer!) then you could definitely use an injection of creativity in your work day.Here are five simple ways of using your creativity to improve the quality of your day:1) Stop banging your head against the wall -- A good chunk of the time people waste in a day is due to stressing over the same problems that face them day after day. Creativity Management - Synergy of Craft and Art Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. Get your Creative Juices Flowing Copyright 2005 Cherry Communications/Be Heard SolutionsThe creative arts enhance our lives in countless ways. They make us think. Five Steps to Higher Creativity: Engaging the Human Spirit Unleash Your Creativity! Creativity has often been the misunderstood child of the genius family. This misunderstanding has brought along with it a tainted picture of what creativity is, what function it serves, and where it comes from. 10 Ways to Thrive as a Creative Artist 1. Connect with your DREAM - Indulge yourself in a vision of the bigger picture and get out of the mire of self-doubt, details and challenges of today. Creativity: Getting Out of the Box Leadership, especially in times of change, depends increasingly on the ability of managers, professionals and even front line workers to think and do things differently. In other words, to get out of the box!So, how do we get out of the box especially when most people are comfortable staying with the tried and true rather than exploring and championing new ideas? Here are tips to jolt your mind and start thinking more creatively. Creative Thinking The Secret Key To Lasting Success What is creativity anyway? Well, let us look at the word. Creativity means the capability to build, create something. Inspiration, Creativity, and Channeling - Opening Ourselves to Greatness Channeling is much easier to do than most people suspect. As a matter of fact we have all seen people channeling and you have probably done it yourself many times, even though you may have been unaware of it or didn't know what to call it. True Power Series Part I. Visualization: Image Production and Verbal Thought (5 minutes a day) There is no limit to what you can visualize. The most effective visualization usually happens when emotion is connected with a strong image as, for example, when you really want something specific that you think will make you happy. Top Five Reasons to Cultivate Your Creativity Cultivating your creativity is more than spending time with a hobby or performing and displaying your work. Cultivating your creativity takes time, awareness and deliberate action. Tips on Breaking the Creative Block There's no question that creating anything is hard to do. Here are some tips if you find yourself creatively blocked. Trying to Create From Distorted Perceptions? We've all met people who are "negative" - negative thinkers who consistently see the glass as half empty.In certain situations, particularly stressful ones, even the most positive person can fall victim to this distorted thinking. Creativity Management - Finish What You Start Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. Creativity Management - Finding Your Voice Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. Creativity, Innovation, and Science - Separate and Distinct or Not? There is a pervasive belief that creativity and innovation are separate and distinct from the concept of science. That creativity and innovation cannot be scientific. Ideas While the inception of penicillin brought a bit of a stir, and the television warranted some focus, it is somewhat easier now to fashion an idea into something sustainable.Easier again is the ability to make an idea into a business without leaving the house.
|
| home | site map | Ocean Art |
| © 2006 |
