It's a common misconception that creativity is an inborn talent—that it's something you either have or you don't. But the truth is, creativity is a skill you have to work at. It's like a muscle you have to train to be strong, or a flower you have to water to grow in height.
To channel your innovative nature sis, you'll have to start by expanding your definition of creativity. In other words, 'think outside the box' of the normal definition. At its heart, creativity and innovation are being able to see things in a way that others cannot. It’s a skill that helps you find new perspectives to create new possibilities and solutions to different problems. So, if you encounter different challenges and problems that need solving, then creativity is an invaluable skill to have.
Consider this: What is it that allows Janice Bryant Howroyd, founder and CEO of Act 1 Group—the first Black woman to operate a company that brings in $1 billion annual revenue—to thrive so consistently? Innovation.
When in pursuit of achieving our goals, whether in the workplace or not, we must all remember to see things from a different angle. Being creative is trying to understand what limitations we are unknowingly conforming to, and then breaking free of them. It is allowing yourself to experience things in unfamiliar ways. This is the essence of creativity and innovation. So escape the routine, sis! The goal you are chasing is closer than you think.
Here are 7 ways to be innovative and creative in the pursuit of achieving your goals:
1. Go Outside
If you are suffering from a creative block, one of the most powerful ways to overcome it is to go for a walk. It's common for our brains to become stuck in a rut of routine and repetition, and sometimes, we just need to see some unfamiliar sights to help us break free of our mental prison.
2. disconnect from your Phone
Our downtime is a precious thing to waste, sis. If you spend every spare minute of the day filling your brain with IG/Twitter posts, you are crowding out moments when your brain can be rearranging thoughts and cooking up new ideas. Schedule a time when you vacate from social media and allow your mind to explore new ways to be creative and innovative.
3. Start Your Day with Creativity
When the alarm sounds in the morning, give your brain what it needs: Fuel. Instead of switching on the tv or logging into IG, adjust your habit by listening to music, read a book, meditate, do yoga, make a nutritional smoothie, or anything that offers your mind space to breathe and expand first thing in the morning.
4. Surround Yourself with Inspiration
Always be on the lookout for new and stimulating material to decorate your workspace with. It could be mood boards, interesting quotes, plants, photos, artwork or anything else—it’s up to you! What's important is to not let your environment to be dull and boring for your mind to become stagnate.
5. Control and Manage Negativity
Another killer of creativity is negative emotion. If you want to be at your most creative and innovative state of mind, don’t allow negativity to crowd it out. Now we get it sis, of course at times life throws us obstacles that are out of our control. However, if you want to be creative, you need to manage these emotions. Fight back against negativity and allow a positive way of thinking to enter your mind at all times.
6. Be Curious
Creativity goes well beyond just the workplace. If you want to be a creative and innovative #BossWoman, you need to broaden your horizons. Try to find ways to step outside of the world you are familiar with and learn about as many fields of knowledge as you can. Read, learn, listen to podcasts, find out as much as you can about as many things as possible.
7. Encourage Crazy Ideas
In order to allow creativity to thrive, encourage the craziest ideas without any thoughts for whether they are possible. Ask questions like “what would we do if there were no limits?” or “what would we do if we couldn’t fail?”. This kind of thinking will allow creativity to flourish!
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