There’s nothing more frustrating and career-damaging for a creative professional than facing creative block. This kills not only the productivity of a person but also destroys creativity and enthusiasm in doing things at work. Creative block is just a state of mind. If your mind is full of positive energies, it ignites creativity. Don’t bother yourself focusing on the negative side instead look at the problems as great opportunities in seeking alternative solutions to think creatively.
To help awaken your enthusiasm and sparks your imagination in doing your work, here are some useful insights on how you can maximize your creative potentials.
1. Say NO to PERFECTION!
Nobody is perfect. Creative outlets come in all different flavors and packaging. Some people didn’t know that they were blessed with creative gifts. They are unaware of it until they were given the chance to unleash their innate potential. To realize your personal gifts you have to cultivate curiosity, be courageous in venturing off into the unknown or uncertain, and stop being perfectionist and people- pleaser. Once you figure out what you love doing, your true artistic potential will just reveal itself.
2. Believe you have POWER TO CREATE
As an artist, you have to see yourself as a creative person. Believe that you have the power to creatively reinvent the world and your life. You must build that confidence because it is an important ability that motivates you in creating something out of nothing or ordinary. It helps you in thinking of breakthrough ideas and gives you the courage in pursuing your craft.
If you have enough personal creative confidence within you, nothing is impossible for you. But don’t get it wrong, enough creative confidence is different from having an over-inflated ego. Too much confidence can become a destructive creative sin so you must be very careful.
3. It is all about BALANCE
Maximize the capability of your brain. Use both sides of it if you want to generate more ideas in less time. Some creative works takes time before you can come up with a really good creation because most of the time you only use your right-brain. But today, try to exercise both hemispheres in harmony and look at the result of your experiment. Maximize the ability of your brain. Be logical and creative in thinking ideas.
4. Creative Roadblocks: SMASH IT!
To make your creative fuel runs out of your brain, do not just break creative roadblocks. You must SMASH it with anger! Negative emotions and sometimes bad habits can be a great source of breakthrough ideas. Dig deeper to the problem or anything that bothers you and let your emotions speak through your craft. Some artists said that a person who is in the highest and lowest peak of his emotion is the one who can create great masterpieces.
5. Transform the MUNDANE into the SUBLIME
Some creative professionals hate staying in their comfort zones and playing safe because being safe means boring. Every individual has the freedom to step out of the norm. You are given with such gift so you must make the most of it. Do not limit your creative thinking in developing aesthetics or focusing in the same ideas and concepts. Reconstruction or transformation is needed to remove the shackles that hinders you in being wildly creative. Turn something ordinary into an extraordinary and see how it can change you to become a better creator.
6. The positive effect of REJECTION
When we say the word rejection, our minds are filled with negative thoughts and this is the reason why we get stuck in our work routine. To become more productive and creative in your career, you need to use rejection or failure in a more positive manner. Think of it as an opportunity to improve yourself and embrace the changes it will bring to your thinking.
7. Designing an OPEN SPACE with AMBIENT NOISE
A closed and small work space is sometimes the reason why people have difficulty to do creative work. There are distractions everywhere and as we all know this affects our concentration in our work. But did you know that a moderate level of noise in a workplace can actually break some monotonous pattern of thinking and trigger the brain to think abstractly? Yes, listening to music and those tolerable noise can be a good way to let your mind wander. Take advantage of this and make it a habit.
8. Be part of a CREATIVE TEAM
Some of us didn’t know it but creativity is actually a team sport. You cannot create a successful project on your own. You need to connect and work with other people to have a fresh perspective in making new creative solution. To generate more ideas, you have to find people who have diverse background and skills set. Ask their opinions about things and see how it can help you in coming up with good projects. Be part of a team that can help you enhance your creativity and can lend a hand in making your plan possible.
9. Find a MENTOR and seek support
Aside from being part of a creative team, you will also need a good guidance from a mentor. This can be your boss or a person whom you trust. If you have someone who can mentor you on your creative endeavors and give you advice on how to do it properly you do not need to get worried if the management or the company your working for will support you.
10. Make ideas happen!
Do not focus only in thinking and making ideas because the most important step in creating a creative solution in your workplace is execution. Look where your creativity leads you because that’s the main point of it, you need to have results. Implement your plan. You have to determine how to make your ideas happen and how it will benefit your company.
Candace Meyer is a freelance writer, blogger, graduate student, and an enthusiastic learner.
Image Credit: stacyennis.com
