Keeping the creative juices flowing can be a major challenge in
a world of increasingly demanding clients and time pressures.
You could fill your library with encyclopaedias by De Bono,
Feynman, Clegg etc. and/or do a PhD in brainstorming; however there
are fortunately some far less onerous ways to stay fresh and keep
your creative juices flowing. Here are but a few:
Ditch your day job - get out of the office, ignore your to do
list, hold the phone. Block out time (yes, actually schedule
time) to think, imagine, dream and get into a creative flow.
It doesn't have to be all day - a few hours on a regular basis can
be invigorating and invaluable. It's very hard to get into
"the flow" while you are being interrupted or distracted by the
usual demands of the daily routine.
Practise, practise, practise - creativity is not just the domain
of artists; it is a skill that everyone has the potential to
develop. The brain is like any other muscle in your
body. The more you use it, the better and stronger it will
become - so dedicate time for regular practise.
Beam yourself up - to a different stratosphere. Put
yourself into a different space mentally and/or physically.
Go somewhere different (library, beach, gallery, cafe); talk to
different people; read different stuff; go to a thought provoking
seminar or show; write a poem; do the cryptic. All of this
will help you to break out of your familiar patterns of
thought. J K Rowling was on a train journey from Manchester
to London when the idea of Harry Potter popped into her head!
Sleep on it - the subconscious mind is an extremely powerful
tool and can play a major role in problem solving. Parking a
problem and getting a good night's sleep can result in startling
clarity. Dreams (night or day) can also be great source of
inspiration. The melody for the Beatles hit "Yesterday" came
to Paul McCartney in a dream.
Ask for help - most people are more than willing to help with a
sticky challenge. Ask your colleagues, suppliers, friends
& family for their thoughts and ideas. Another
perspective can be invaluable. Don't necessarily expect the
answer but perhaps a pointer to take you in the right
direction. At designers' collection we are suggesting
creative ideas and solutions for Interior Designers and their
clients on a daily basis. If in doubt, ask for another
perspective.
Adopt some favourite techniques - there are endless
simple-to-use techniques for generating creative ideas and
solutions. Brain storming & mind mapping are a couple of
my favourites. Your local library will have several books
with easy to learn techniques to stimulate creative thinking.
Add a few to your "tool box" and you'll be surprised what can be
achieved using them regularly.
Do it regularly - creative idea generation and problem solving
are not something you do at the start of the year and then forget
about. Commit an appropriate time (when you feel fresh and at
your creative best) to do this on a regular basis. As I said
previously, practise will help. Although it may seem
contradictory, creativity needs discipline.
So before doing anything else, ring fence a creative space in
your diary in the next two weeks. Ditch your usual workspace
and get those creative juices flowing.