Join guest writer Damian Wolf to explore how creativity can help your business.
Have you ever been called creative? Even better, have you ever met anyone who is creative? What do people mean when they refer to someone as creative? And, is creativity something we are born with or it can be learned as we grow up and improved as we are getting older?
According to the traditional psychological division, there are two main criteria that need to be fulfilled to call a new idea creative: originality and functionality. A creative notion or subject needs to be unique and unprecedented, while also having a functional role. If something is derived from an already existent concept, it is not considered creative, or at least should not be accepted as original.
When we talk about creativity, it is important to bear in mind that there are two types of creativity. The first one is the everyday creativity we employ in everyday routines and tasks. The second one is the big, conceptual creativity, which is sparsely distributed on this planet, but that hatches great artistic works and is also the carrier of the technological progress.
Business-wise creative 24/7
Creativity is differently defined and even its divisions are multiple. If you want to be successful in business, you need to be creative 24/7 and come up with new ideas and creative notions with every new blink of your eye. Because of that, many businesspeople have been developing, gathering and applying numerous creative thinking techniques for decades, even centuries.
A younger or less experienced business person might wonder why they should waste their time on dead-ends and unnecessary failures if many before had already summoned their experiences to learn from. Creative thinking can significantly boost your business.
Storm your brain
Probably the easiest and most applicable technique for original and creative ideas is brainstorming. In this process, you keep your mind open and write down (or draw) each and every idea that crosses your mind. This process will result in many different variations and some completely opposite concepts, but don’t block or judge your mind.
Whatever erupts on the surface of your brain should be noted down. This openness of the creative process is of ultimate importance, since you do not inhibit your brain and it can come up with really brilliant thoughts. Whenever you’re in this phase make sure you can uninterrupted for an hour or so. It is vital that you are alone and that you have special time for brainstorming. During this process, your mind might shoot some business innovations that you would never say you possess.
Stream the mental pictures
Image streaming is based on mental pictures that we all have in our brains, and is similar to brainstorming, but this technique is focused on the visual aspect of the mind. You will need something on which you can record your voice, such as a phone or a voice recorder and 10-15 minutes for each session.
Turn off all your gadgets, appliances and devices that might disturb you. Sit down in a comfortable armchair or on a sofa, pull on the shades, turn on the recorder and close your eyes. Concentrate on the images that are passing in front of your eyes and concentrate on the cinema-like projection that is taking place behind your eyelids.
After finishing your recording session listen to the track and try to get as many constructive ideas as possible for your business from your musings. Many companies, such as Cubic Promote, use a mixture of visual ideas to refresh and update their assortment. Images can push you towards a connection that you would have never come up with in your regular thinking mode. This process can give birth to some great, unexpected ideas, which can make a difference for your business.
About author
Damian Wolf is an entrepreneur and small business co-owner from Brisbane. He loves to write about creativity and useful tips for small business. When he’s not sitting at the business desk, Damian spent most of time on travelling and barbecues with family and friends.
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