Creativity: what it is and how to get it

February 2009  |  Posted by: Carolyn Pikoulas

When I started writing this article, I wanted to use my creative skills and sketch a funny cartoon to accompany it. But, coming up with an idea was harder than I thought. I'm not a cartoonist, and I've always wondered how the folks who write cartoons, stand-up comedy, and sitcoms come up with something new and funny every week. Since I'm probably not the only one who's curious, I decided to write a little bit about channeling your inner creativity.

 
"The life of the creative man is lead, directed and controlled by boredom. Avoiding boredom is one of our most important purposes."
-Saul Steinberg (American cartoonist and illustrator, best known for his work for The New Yorker.)

Creativity can be summed up in the most hackneyed, uncreative quote of all time: "thinking outside the box." Yes, it's a huge cliché, but it's true. In order to stand out and be noticed, you must do something different than your competition and be perceived as having unique qualities. Of course, there's nothing new under the sun. A "new" idea is really just an old idea used in a different, more interesting way. Creativity is the ability to distinguish relationships between two or more seemingly unrelated things.

When you grow up, you learn to only think logically. This can stifle right-brain-thinking, and creativity is vital for any type of company to survive. The first step in being creative is not saying to yourself that you're not the creative type. It's not about inventing something no one has ever thought of. It's about improving old ideas to fit your own objectives.

One tip I've learned from a high school teacher to help exercise creative-thought was to freewrite: setting aside 5-10 minutes a day to write whatever was on my mind (a dream I had the previous night, what I thought about on the drive to work, where I'd rather be at the moment...anything). It's what psychologists call "loose associative thinking." It can jump from topic to topic without reaching any real conclusions. When I begin writing an article, I simply write down the thoughts as they come to me. First, I write short sentences related to the topic, then I go back to elaborate and edit, edit, edit.

Here's some advice on getting your ideas flowing:

• Ask yourself questions like "Why?" and "What if...?" Many philosophers and scholars, such as Leonardo da Vinci have used this approach to encourage discussion. He asked things like, "Why does the thunder last a longer time than that which causes it?" and "Why is the sky blue?" Socrates asked more intangible questions such as: "What is wisdom?", "What is piety?" and "What is beauty?"
• Be inspired by others (but don't copy). Living with your head in the sand does not help with innovative thinking. Ask others what they think of your ideas, but at the same time don't stray from your own path.
• Creativity isn't just about visual communication. It can be applied to all areas of business -- customer service, best practices, presentations, etc.
• Don't be different for the sake of being different. People can easily associate this to being phony. Different does not necessarily mean better.
• Although routines can seem like drudgery, they can actually be a good thing. You can routinely aspire to grow, learn and experience new things. Listen to a music genre you've never heard before, read a book that has an opposite opinion of your own, visit a town you've never been to, take a class on something you know nothing about.
• Keep a notebook and pencil on hand at all times. You never know when something will pop into your head. If you don't write it down, a good idea may never flourish.
• Feed your inner child and let your imagination wander. Remember when you could see all kinds of animals hidden in fluffy clouds (instead of just cotton balls or cotton candy)?
• Avoid perfection. Don't get hung up on being right or wrong. Mistakes facilitate progress. Sometimes "perfect" things are the things that go unnoticed.
• Writers' block? Step away from what you're working on and go back to it at another time, even if it's a week later.
• Pay attention to what is trendy, and steer clear. Everyone "going green"? Go purple. Anything that is meant for the masses does not help you with your own creative powers. Most of what's popular is hardly creative. (Take that, Grammy's.)
• Be a loner -- not anti-social -- but when you have a moment alone, it can be the best time to think. The bathroom can be a sanctuary for great philosophical thought. Just don't forget to wash your hands.
• Play word association games. It'll bring back fond memories of Mad Libs. Even if you're alone, you can write down a word and spend a few minutes writing the next word that comes to mind, and so on.
• Have fun. Don't put so much pressure on yourself that creativity starts to feel like a chore.

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