Creativity

I hate to be a myth buster, but we are all creative.

I define creativity as the assembly of experiences and observations that result in a unique point-of-view. Since none of us has seen exactly the same television shows; read the same magazine articles; watched the same sunrises; fed the same baby at 2:00 am; watched the same front left tire go bouncing down the expressway in front of us during rush hour; I feel safe in suggesting that each of us is one of a kind and our thoughts and ideas are distinctive and worth considering.

Perhaps it is the expression of creativity that we confuse with being creative.  Here are three techniques you might consider applying the next time you want to express your creativity.

• Juxtaposition. Take two unrelated ideas and overlay them. I learned this in seventh grade. The assignment was, “Write a paragraph about spring.” I was watching television and saw a car commercial describing the creation of the next Ford model. I “repurposed” the narrative of the commercial. “Spring. It was formed in God’s mind and it promised to be beautiful.  It was landscaped in roses and dew and the promise was fulfilled.” Thank God nuns don’t watch television, or I’m not sure I would have been gotten an A+.

• Turn left instead of right. Use spaghetti squash instead of pasta under your marinara sauce. Take a different route home. Pull over and watch the sunset.  Replace the pictures on your desk. Take a walk at lunch. Actually take a lunch. Ask a team member to do something completely unrelated to what they normally do. Randomly pick a letter and read through that letter in the dictionary. Switch back and forth between American Idol and the hockey game.

• Collect ideas. Tear pictures and ads out of magazines. Take pictures of billboards. Think about why some ideas engage you and others repel you.

We are all creative and we should take every opportunity to express it.

Click here to learn more about how Quicksilver Associates can enhance the creative development of your next project.

Kathy Morris is Vice President and Executive Producer for Quicksilver Associates. Her creative talents are a combination of getting the best out of others, then stringing the ideas together to deliver a coherent message.