How Cultivating Creativity Can Improve Our Everyday Lives
Why creativity is important:
When we hold ourselves back from being creative for fear of getting lost or not being able to create a perfect product, we deprive ourselves of freedom. We stop discovering new ideas and begin to view creativity as an exclusive commodity. But, creativity is uncertain. There is never a guarantee that every idea you come up with will be your best, and that is part of the beauty. Instead of being bestowed upon you, creativity is found by sifting through countless thoughts, discovering patterns, and embracing the outlandish. Oftentimes, the ideas from the top of our minds are the safest. They lack excitement. And, there is no fight to get others to embrace something new. Being able to embrace this uncertainty and learn along the way invites innovation, originality, and new found enthusiasm for the once monotonous. Although grueling, the creative thought process engages people around you in a new way and forms new connections that are worth the effort. Face your fear, entertain the stupid, and find what excites you.
What it means to be creative:
Creativity shows up in many different ways. Yes, it can be the classics such as painting, designing, photography or drawing, but creativity also shows up in ways of thinking and daily practices. It can mean problem solving, asking questions, exploring fresh viewpoints, the willingness to explore and embracing discomfort.
If you are able to enter projects with an adaptive mindset and search for new approaches, that demonstrates your ability to innovate and generate new, unconventional solutions.
Just hearing the words “group project”, will often send ripples of signs through a classroom because they always have the same end result due to lack of commitment and communication. But, just acknowledging that and establishing check-in points from the beginning has made every project of mine go smoothly. Dedicating time for reflection and for adaptation removes the expectation of enduring the rigid pattern group projects often follow.
If you ask questions it is a sign of curiosity, that leads to deeper insights, challenges assumptions, and sparks imagination.
I think we can all relate to finding an area of passion as a kid. The one thing that made you want to ask why over and over despite your parents growing irritation. For me, that was fashion design. Over the years, I have spent tons of time digging into pattern design, fabrics, and all the technical details. After repeatedly asking “why?” and “how?” I now love to create my own pieces! The more you learn, the more you are able to create.
While you might not be aware of it, taking the time to walk through different roles or perspectives to understand the needs and motivations of others is inherently a practice of imagination.
I spent this summer working on a marketing competition for a Korean skincare company. This was the first time the competition had been open to an international team, so we knew we had to take the time to understand what their motivations were. By taking the time to do so, my team recognized what areas the company was most likely to be interested in learning about. These reflective moments are incredibly valuable when selling an idea that you are passionate about. They help predict what questions they may have and tell you how to spend other people's time.
And stepping out of your comfort zone and opening yourself up to the unknown is one of the many ways to generate new ideas.
When it comes to drawing, I used to plan every mark down to the centimeter in advance. Last semester I began trying new techniques that required me to process my art as I created. As a self-diagnosed perfectionist, this was my personal hell. However, once I became accustomed to the practice, what was once extremely uncomfortable became exhilarating. This new way of processing my creativity got me to think beyond what I knew and create pieces I never thought I would see come from myself.
Unlocking creative potential:
Creativity is more than a possibility. If you take a look around you, you will begin to find it everywhere. But, if you feel lost, here are some places to start.
Afraid your first attempt won't be perfect? Make your goal to create a “bad first draft”, it's ok to be messy.
Scared of a blank page? Color it pink, the page isn't empty now.
Fear it will be a waste of time? Shift to thinking about the process. It doesn't have to be about what you make, it can be about what you learn.
Worried it's been done? But not by you. Your interpretation comes with your personal story, something no one else has.
It takes time and practice to change the way you think. But maybe the blank wall you have been staring at is really just an opportunity you've dressed in fear.