By Pinaki Kathiari
Chief Executive Officer
The Uneasiness of Creativity and Six Things You Can Do
Whatever your career, we bet you’re constantly tasked with being creative and innovative. But that’s difficult, because in doing so you’re putting yourself out there and, at the same time, likely facing some kind of deadline and the pressure of criticism. Some people may think that creativity can be turned on and off like a light switch, and that expectation can be a little scary.
Like many other fears, rather than avoiding creative challenges, we believe it’s best to condition yourself to run straight into it. Here’s how to make the process a little easier.
1. Just get started
Start today. Start right now. Brainstorm. Don’t try for that one perfect idea. Instead, let your creativity shine and rapid fire as many ideas as you can think of — and silence that internal critic that says some of these are a waste of time.
2. Play around with it
Now that you have tons of ideas to work with, it’s time to refine. Everyone has their own approach, but the main goal is to narrow it down, move things around, copy, paste, duplicate…until something great emerges.
3. Start over if you need to
At this point, you’ve spent a good amount of time cultivating and refining your idea. But what if you get frustrated? What if trying to fix this idea becomes more troublesome than simply starting over? At that point, it might be OK to kill the idea and start fresh with a new one.
4. Get used to discomfort
Ready to share your creative idea? Many find this step intimidating. The good news is that it gets easier the more you do it. You just have to get used to feeling a little vulnerable. Some tips that help include a bit of scripting and anticipating potential feedback ahead of time.
5. Don’t fall in love
No matter how great you think your idea is, it’s important to remain open to change. Especially if you’re working in a team or collaborative environment, constructive criticism can make your amazing idea even better.
6. Practice, practice, practice
We’re all beginners until we are good at anything, and we have to practice to get great at anything. If you can use some creative thinking and co-creation practice, below are two upcoming workshops.
The Power of Co-Creation: Collaboration that Drives Value
In association with IABC NJ and Fairleigh Dickinson University
March 7th from 6 to 9pm, Madison New Jersey
Rated 6.7/7 – “Wonderful, remarkable hands-on experience. Really drove home the value of collaboratively creating. Loved it!”
The 7 Do’s And Don’ts of Co-Creation: Brainstorm and Design
In association with Advance Learning Institute
March 26th to 28th, Las Vegas, Nevada
Rated 4.9/5 – “Absolutely amazing session. I loved the audience engagement … I left with some great points to take back to the office.”
