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It's Your Move
WANT TO BE MORE CREATIVE? STOP DOING THESE 6 THINGS.
1. Stop judging when generating ideas.Is judgment taking place during your brainstorming -- whether with a team or by yourself? Stop it. Brainstorms come to a halt whenever we say, "That's a stupid idea," or "We've already tried that," or "That will never work," or "The client won't like it," or "We can't afford it."
Don't mix brainstorming and editing. They're two totally separate activities.
2. Stop seeking perfection.
You'll never find it. Not in your organization. Not in other people. Not in yourself.
"Even if the world was perfect," said Yogi Berra, "it wouldn't be."
Always give your best, but don't let quests for perfection paralyze creativity.
3. Stop all that worrying.
If worrying worked, it would be a precious commodity. We could just prop up our feet, worry our heads off and watch problems magically dissolve.
But that never happens. Worry is insidious because we're focusing all of our time and energy on exactly what we don't want to have happen. Wouldn't our finite resources be better spent focusing on solutions?
More people die of worry than work, a mentor told me, because more people worry than work.
Identify the problem -- then spring into creative action.
4. Stop being afraid to fail.
Visit the Tim Burton exhibit currently at MOMA, and you'll see the achievements of one of our most creative and successful artists. But you'll also see a list of his projects that never saw the light of day.
Burton understands failure is part of the creative process. He generates lots of ideas. Puts himself out there. Takes risks. Some of his ideas make it to reality. Others are slammed to the ground.
Burton puts those failures in the rear-view mirror and keeps moving ahead.
"Fail early to succeed sooner." That's the mantra of IDEO, one of the world's most creative product-development firms.
5. Stop blaming others.
When asked what Teach for America looks for in its candidates, founder Wendy Kopp said: "It's what we call internal locus of control -- people who, in the context of a challenge, have the instinct to figure out what they can control and own it rather than to blame everyone else in the system."
Exercise your internal locus of control. Stop blaming others. Figure out what you can control and creatively change it.
6. Stop taking yourself too seriously.
Highly creative people laugh a lot -- and often at themselves. When you find yourself all puffed up or with your pants in a wad, head for the bathroom. Look in the mirror. Laugh out loud. Resume life.
And be silly now and then. "If nobody ever did anything silly," said Ludwig Wittenstein, "nothing intelligent would ever be done."
Run around the room with a child. Roll on the floor with a dog. Sing a stupid jingle until it gets stuck in your partner's head. Hold a bubble-blowing contest with co-workers. Make a paper airplane and sail it out the window. Leave a trail of pennies down a hallway or sidewalk. Give your right brain lots of open space. Creativity loves a playground.
©harrison2010 www.zingzone.com
Want to learn more ways to boost your creativity? Scroll down and sign up for Sam’s “Speaking of Ideas” email newsletter.
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PACK YOUR NEXT PROJECT WITH VERBS.
Early in his career the renowned sculptor Richard Serra created a text work know as Verb List – compiled by writing down more than 100 verbs: “to roll, to crease, to fold, to store, to bend, to shorten, to smear, to twist…”
Into Action:
These projected actions preoccupied Serra. “It struck me that instead of thinking what a sculpture is going to be and how you’re going to do it compositionally, what if you just enacted those verbs in relation to a material,” he said. “So I started tearing and cutting and folding lead.”
This focus on verbs brings to mind James Gibson and his concept of “affordance” – he looks at what various spaces afford us for reading, working, playing, collaborating, contemplating and other actions. With this perspective, work and living spaces are viewed as active energy rather than static spaces.
Make a list of verbs associated with a project. For example, if you’re working on a client profile piece, verbs might include: “to read, to act, to laugh, to understand, to accept, to save, to buy…” Brainstorm on ways to satisfy one or more verbs.
Into More Action:
Look around your workspace and assign verbs to various areas – reading, collaborating, sketching, writing, etc. Brainstorm on how you can enhance those spaces to facilitate desired activities.
©harrison2010 www.zingzone.com
Want to learn more ways to boost your creativity? Scroll down and sign up for Sam’s “Speaking of Ideas” email newsletter.
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TRY WRITING BEFORE YOU BEGIN CREATING.
Maya Lin is a highly talented artist and architect, best known for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Lin has also created many other significant American memorials as well as remarkable landscape art.
For every project she undertakes, Lin does a massive amount of writing to capture what she wants people to experience when they interact with her work. Only after completing this writing does she begin to create and execute her designs.
"I'm in love with writing," Lin says in her book, Boundaries. "It's very critical to me in my process."
Into Action:
Before diving into your next project, write about what you want your audience to experience. With this envisioned result as your goal, begin brainstorming and execution.
©harrison2009 www.zingzone.com
Want to learn more ways to boost your creativity? Scroll down and sign up for Sam’s “Speaking of Ideas” email newsletter.
_____________________________________________________________________________________ARE YOU INTERACTING FACE-TO-FACE WITH PEOPLE (AND IDEAS)?
While in New York a few weeks ago, I once again marveled at the new pedestrian zones created in Times Square. Last May, Janette Sadik-Khan, NYC transportation commissioner, took the bold, creative step of closing several traffic lanes to cars.
"Half a million people go through Times Square each day," Sadik-Khan told Fast Company. "It's 90 percent pedestrians and 10 percent vehicles - yet 90 percent of the space was allocated to vehicles."
The result of Sadik-Khan's initiative is an oasis for human interaction. Families stroll down spacious lanes. Couples sit at red cafe tables in open spaces previously packed with bumper-to-bumper traffic. People laugh, talk, pose for photos.
Into Action:
Look at your workspace to see where there's lots of foot traffic. Could you carve out a portion of this space for people to relax and interact? If so, add a few tables and chairs or benches and sofas. Create an oasis for human interaction. And don't forget to consider stairways -- Google, Wieden + Kennedy and other creative firms have their stairs double as gathering spots for meeting and collaborating.
Want to read more about face-to-face interaction to boost your creativity? Scroll down and sign up for Sam’s “Speaking of Ideas” email newsletter.
_____________________________________________________________________________________ARE YOU KEEPING YOUR CREATIVITY IN SHAPE?
"I'm in no shape to exercise."
Hearing this sentence in a coffee shop, I turned to see an overweight guy clutching two gooey pastries and a drink topped with whipped cream.
He and his buddy laughed, but there was sad truth in his words. He had let his body fall into a state where exercise would be difficult, maybe dangerous. But if he didn't exercise, matters would only get worse. And so it goes.
This same vicious cycle can apply to creativity. Stop exercising imagination, and it gets flabby. Sluggish. Dull. Creativity sinks into passivity. And when the time comes to generate ideas, that lazy right brain resembles the fellow at the coffee shop -- in absolutely no shape to exercise.
But it doesn't have to be that way. Here are six steps to keep your creativity in shape and ready to sprint toward ideas.
1. Do a creative push-up every day.
It's easy to slip into routines, even if you're in a creative profession. Next thing you know, you're whipping out the same solutions, following the same formulas. Push yourself into creating something new -- no matter how small -- each and every workday.
And push creativity in your personal life as well. Make something. Write something. Concoct a recipe. Rearrange a room. Plant a garden. Take a photo. Invent a game. Have a dream. Make the right brain work up a sweat each day.
2. Jog your imagination every day.
Give your creativity a daily boost by seeking out inspiration. Read a new blog or magazine. Drive a different way to work. Try a new restaurant. Check out a museum or gallery. Study retail displays. Notice colors and shapes in nature. Talk with a stranger. Watch kids play. Eavesdrop on conversations in airports and elevators.
3. Hang out with creative people.
One reason people join fitness clubs is to be around those with similar goals. It's easier to work out when surrounded by other people working out.
Same with creativity. It's easier to be creative when we're associating with others who appreciate ideas, try new things and are passionate about life. They inspire us. We inspire them. They support our ideas. We support theirs.
Build a creative network. Keep it active and interesting.
©harrison2009 www.zingzone.comWant three more steps to shape up your creativity? Scroll down and sign up for Sam’s “Speaking of Ideas” email newsletter.
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DON'T LET IDEAS GET BLOCKED BY BUREAUCRACY!
Google is one of the world's most innovative companies. Its culture cherishes creativity. Google employees are allowed to spend 20 percent of their time -- one day a week -- working on ideas and projects that aren't part of their jobs.But even Google can have ideas blocked by bureaucracy or deflated by lack of attention. "We were concerned that some of the biggest ideas were getting squashed," CEO Eric Schmidt told The Wall Street Journal.
Early-stage ideas weren't being systematically reviewed by Google's top execs. Employees with new ideas had to lobby their bosses for time and resources. An idea might linger or die without getting attention from senior management.
To overcome the problem, Google recently set up internal "innovation reviews" -- regular meetings where managers present nascent ideas bubbling up in their areas. Schmidt attends these meetings, along with founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
The new process is already paying off. One result is new software that lets companies use Microsoft Outlook email and calendar while storing data with Google. Another fast-tracked idea is an imaging product based on facial recognition software developed inside Google.
Give Idea Review Sessions a try in your organization:
1. If you're at the top, have monthly or quarterly meetings where managers present early ideas brewing in their areas of responsibility. Encourage short, informal presentations -- don't worry about fine details and budget numbers at this point. These sessions are to allow ideas to see the light of day.
2. If you're not the top gun, convince the person who is to give Idea Review Sessions a trial run -- maybe for six months. Find evidence of how good ideas are dying on the vine for lack of attention and present your case with passion and conviction.
3. For Idea Review Sessions to work, top executives must attend every session. And judgment must be suspended during presentations.
And even if you work alone, Idea Review Sessions are important.
Put aside one day a month to review all those ideas stuffed in notebooks, file cabinets and desk drawers. Decide which ones are worthy of next steps. Knowing you have upcoming review sessions will motivate you to generate and capture ideas.
Want more tips? Scroll down and sign up for Sam’s “Speaking of Ideas” email newsletter
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FIVE STEPS FOR MORE CREATIVE MEETINGS AND EVENTS.
It’s easy to fall into predictable routines when planning a meeting or event. As with Hollywood’s blockbuster movies, there’s the temptation to keep making sequels of past successful meetings – until subsequent events become formulaic parodies of the original masterpieces.To generate new themes and directions for your events, try this five-step creative process.
1. Explore.
Get up and out to discover insights. For example, if you’re planning a holiday-related meeting, visit a library or newsstand to see how magazines have treated the holiday. At shopping malls, look at retailers’ themes. Visit Netflix or a video store to check out plotlines of holiday films.
Talk with clients, co-workers and attendees about memories of their holidays. Explore the Internet for cards, events, theme parks and anything else that might spark ideas.
2. Free your mind.
Review everything you gathered during the first step. Banish preconceived ideas and brainstorm with co-workers on a variety of ideas and angles.
Try to come up with as many ideas as possible in less than an hour. Every idea is worthy, even those that seem preposterous. Don’t edit or judge ideas at all during the brainstorming session.
3. Pause.
Stop thinking about the event. Turn everything over to your subconscious. Take a walk. Go to a movie. Work on another project. You’ll likely have ideas pop into your head when least expected. Jot them down.
4. Embrace.
Now you’re ready to select the best theme and directions for your event. List all ideas from the brainstorming session and the pause step. Tape the list to a wall.
Ask team members or other co-workers to join you for the selection process. Weed out obvious ideas. Kill those that would take too long to implement or bust the budget. Chip away until you have the best idea to meet needs and goals.
5. Bring to life.
Present to your boss or client. Sell like you’ve never sold before. Be passionate. Tell stories. Explain how ideas meet objectives. Show how ideas will satisfy and delight attendees. Be prepared for questions and objections.
Be persistent. If you get initial pushback, don’t give up. Revise and refine ideas until they glimmer with glory. Work for approvals. Then bring those fresh ideas to life for your audiences.
©harrison2009 www.zingzone.com
Want more tips? Scroll down and sign up for Sam’s “Speaking of Ideas” email newsletter
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CREATIVITY IS A CONTACT SPORT -- DEVELOP YOUR IDEA NETWORK.
Are you in constant contact with other creative people? Swapping ideas, supporting risk-taking, giving encouragement?The notion of the lone genius is a myth – creativity rarely occurs in a vacuum. Bold ideas hatch from the exchanges and collaboration of two or more people.
Here are tips for building and nurturing your idea network.
1. Pick the right partners.
Just because you’re friendly with someone doesn’t mean he should be your idea buddy. Look for those who are passionate about creativity. On the other hand, don’t pick a person only because she’s creative. No chemistry, no collaboration.
2. Go for diversity.
It’s OK to include co-workers or even family members in your network. But also look beyond your four walls. Add people from other firms and different industries. Old solutions to their problems might be new solutions for your own challenges.
And don’t just look in the mirror for partners. Seek people with different experiences and backgrounds.
3. Tap into professional groups and social networks.
Associations have networking tools, groups, gatherings. Use these as hunting grounds to find members for your idea network.
Do the same with LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other Internet sites. Read posts and participate in on-line forums to source partners for your personal network.
4. Expose yourself.
Once you have a personal idea network up and running, be available. Answer emails and phone calls. Get together when you say you’ll get together. Do what you say you’ll do. Networks die on the vine because members don’t take responsibility for staying in contact.
Want more tips? Scroll down and sign up for Sam’s “Speaking of Ideas” email newsletter
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NOT ENOUGH TIME TO BE CREATIVE?
1. Admit you have the same amount of time as everybody else.Nobody’s trimmed your daily allotment. As Jackson Brown says, you have the same number of hours as did Einstein, Edison, Leonardo,, Hemingway, Rothko and O’Keeffe. You get the same dose of minutes as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Howard Shultz, Julie Taymor and Frank Gehry.
ACTION: For the next week, log all of your time – both personal and business. See exactly where you’re spending your minutes and hours.
2. Make the most of every minute.
On a ride to the Toronto airport, the taxi driver told me he and his wife traveled by car from Toronto to LA at least three times a year. I asked if he enjoyed driving that much, and his answer was profound.
“Most people don’t begin their vacation until they get to their destination,” he said, “so they dread every minute of the drive and the trip becomes a burden. We tell ourselves that our vacation begins the minute we pull out of our driveway – then we relax and soak in the journey.”
Are you always trying to get somewhere and not making the most of minutes that take you there?
ACTION: Take another look at your time log. Are you putting too much focus on the destination – whether for personal activities or business projects – and not making the most of the journey? If so, practice staying in the moment.
3. Quit looking back.
General Electric invests billions a year on ideas and innovations. CEO Jeffrey Immelt says GE hires people who have a healthy sense of disregard for history. “Our idea people don’t sit around and reminisce about the way things used to be,” he says. “They’re too busy thinking about something new.”
Do you waste time talking about the old days or clinging to past success?
ACTION: Catch yourself talking or thinking about past projects and practices. There’s nothing wrong with pleasant memories, but living in them wastes present moments.
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SPOT NEW IDEAS IN OLD IDEAS.
Do you have a stack of old and rejected ideas sitting in a file somewhere?See if one of those ideas fits an existing challenge.
1. Dead then doesn’t mean dead now.
Mark Constantine once showed Body Shop a fizzling ball a customer could
dissolve in her bath to add aroma. Body Shop turned down the idea.
But years later, Constantine started Lush Cosmetics and pulled out his old
idea. Constantine now sells thousands of Bath Bombs each day, providing 40%
of Lush’s sales.
Just because one boss or client slammed your idea doesn’t necessarily mean
it’s a bad one. What rejected idea can you show again?
2. Keep prototypes and drafts.
When architect Rem Koolhaas began designing Portugal’s Casa da Musica
concert hall, he dug up the rejected prototype for a house he proposed
several years prior.
The prototype – basically a wood block with a hole cut in the center – gave
the inspiration for Casa da Musica. The open center became the performance
hall, and the surrounding block became labs, studios and offices.
Can you dust off yesterday’s prototype for today’s project?
3. Trump old ideas of others.
Butterball introduced the first pre-basted turkey 50 years ago. Jennie-O
trumped this idea with turkey in a bag. The bird is seasoned,
soaked in brine and sold in a heat-resistant plastic bag to pop in the oven.
Millions of oldie-but-goodie ideas deserve a second chance. What existing idea
can you make better?
Want to hear more about generating ideas, selling ideas and boosting creativity? Have Sam speak at your organization or event.
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