Creativity isn't just for creative people doing unique work. It is a way of thinking that can be embraced by anyone. When you develop a creative mindset, you will be looking at challenges in a different way. You will adapt, overcome and find new pathways to success. Regardless if you are a student, professional, or an entrepreneur; having a strong creative mindset, will help you to reimagine your potential, your work, and your life.
1. Recognize what creative mindset behavior is or means
A creative mindset isn't about painting canvases or writing novels. It is about:
Interacting with challenges through a lens of curiosity rather than fear.
Seeing failure as feedback vs a sense of defeat.
Welcoming new experiences and perspectives.
Having the courage to push the envelope and innovate.
In order to have a strong creative mindset, it requires the development of two critical skills, resilience and flexibility.
2. Leverage your creative mindset through curiosity and learning
Knowledge fuels creativity. The more you know, the more valuable connections your brain can find within a network or domain. Read outside your domain, always ask "why" and "how". Keep a journal or a practice where you can record your ideas and insights. A curious mind always stays fresh in learning and is always stretched and expanded.
3. Question the status-quo
Most great ideas will come from questioning the status-quo. "What if I turned this problem upside down?" From here you will challenge your assumptions and freely brainstorm. Even the wildest ideas have patterns that lead you to clarity.
4. Embrace a Growth Mindset
Psychologist Carol Dweck's concept of a growth mindset is crucial for enhancing creativity. The premise of a growth mindset is that skill can be developed through practice and effort; to think of it differently, practice makes possible. Think of failure as feedback, position effort positively, and simply be willing to try again with determination and persistence in thought. With a growth mindset, obstacles become opportunities.
5. Seek Inspiration from the Environment
The environment in which you dwell will dramatically affect the way that you will think. Connect with people of different backgrounds, expose yourself to new and motivating media (books, podcasts, etc.), and refresh your circumstances (by simply changing your workspace, going out in nature, or visiting new cultures, etc.)
6. Be Mindful and Reflect
You need a calm mind to spark creativity. Simple practices of mindfulness (like journaling, meditating, and being quiet) help to clear mental noise along with ways to be uncoupled from technology, thus inviting more space for original ideas to come forth.
7. Play and Work
Play does not waste your time; play is to a person's imagination what gasoline is to a working engine. Incorporating play time, interests, humor, and a break of your daily thinking helps to jumpstart your imagination. Oftentimes, you will have your best ideas when you step away from serious work time.
8. Take Action and Experiment
A great idea only becomes valuable when tested. Start small experiments, test fast and iterate the feedback loop. Where imagination ends, action will have results!
9. Keep an Open Mind for Feedback and Collaboration
Collaboration can multiply creativity. Share ideas, ask for constructive ideas, and collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds. The longer you can work with someone with a different outlook than yourself, the less "scary" it becomes.
10. Be Patient and Resilient
Creativity will develop and grow. Stick with it, recognize that obstacles and setbacks are growth opportunities, and simply be patient. Over time, creativity is like a muscle. The more time and experience you can commit to it, the stronger it becomes.
In Closing
Creativity is not a talent or skill that only a few people have; it is something we can all develop. The key to creativity is to remain curious, always question the boundaries of why things are the way they are and experiment with new ideas and methodologies by cultivating a consistency towards your skill block and being adventurous.
The world does not just really reward hard work; it rewards fresh ideas and new thinking. If you start to develop your creative thinking styles and mindset now, you will see your success as a business and leader/follower increase and you will have more fun and joy while you are doing it.
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