How often do we look at someone else’s work, in awe of what they have created? It could be an original painting, a handknit sweater, beautiful home decor, colorful stained glass, or a gorgeous garden. We admire them, then shrug and say, “I wish I was that creative.” Would it surprise you to learn that you already are? Everyone has the capacity to create beauty that is uniquely theirs. But there are three things you need to be creative, and without them, you may have trouble getting started.
An Experiment in Creativity
Years ago, I taught a psychology course for people who wanted to be teachers. One of my favorite activities centered on creativity and how to foster it in young learners. The students sat In small groups, and each group had a large envelope filled with odds and ends, such as cotton balls, paper clips, magnets, straws, napkins, small pieces of cloth, wire, etc., whatever could fit in the envelope.
The directions were simple. Each group had to create something functional, a thing with a purpose. They had the full class time to work on it and then present what they had created. This activity was always great fun, with lots of silliness, ideas coming in fits and starts, and then the hum of concentration as the groups settled on their projects and their creations began to take form.
The next day we discussed the creative process. How did their groups manage to create their inventions? How did the creativity flow (or not) for them? What did they find they needed to be successful?
What Fosters Creativity
The answers were simple but insightful. The groups agreed that whether you are a child in a classroom, an artist in a studio, a writer at a desk, or a corporate employee in a cubicle, we all need the same three things to be creative in our work.
Time
Creativity can’t really be rushed. A 2002 Harvard study of 177 employees at 7 different companies showed that time pressure actually negatively affects creative thinking. While some people may produce well under pressure, ongoing creative practice requires something more. If you want to tap into your innate creativity, you have to allow yourself the time to experiment, try new ideas, fail once in awhile, and start again… and again.
How to add creative time to your day –
- Redefine “productivity”. Not everything has to make money or produce something of value to the outside world. Your creative play is valuable in and of itself and the process is its own reward. Ironically, once you accept the process and practice as time well spent, you begin to find and make more time to enjoy it.
- Figure out when you get the most out of creative time. Do you like to begin or end your day with creative practice? Can you get up one hour earlier to knit? Can you end your workday an hour earlier to paint before dinner? Can you turn off the TV and write a few evenings each week?
Persistence
Motivation can be very elusive, especially after the newness of an idea has worn off, and the real creative work has begun. Rather than waiting for the muse to show up, we need to show up and start, knowing that just the act of being there will eventually kick-start the creative process.
Persistence also means continuing to practice even when the project is going nowhere or the idea seems dumb. It is allowing for mistakes and looking at each misstep as a next step toward a more creative you.
How to persist when you’d rather quit –
- Make creativity a habit to be practiced every day – like brushing your teeth. Even when there is nothing specific to work on, sketch a little, write about what you’d like to write about, pick out some yarns for the next knitting project, figure out next steps on a painting – anything to make creative practice less of an event and more of your daily routine. Even a little bit done every day will add up to finished pieces and a renewed sense of creative purpose.
- Feed your muse by talking with other creatives in your life, spending time browsing different places (antique or craft stores, museums, botanical gardens, etc.) to spark ideas, or (believe it or not) arranging your materials or cleaning your creative space. You will be reminded of what and why you are creating.
Space
While physical space is nice to have, what we really need for creativity is the mental space to make mistakes. Creative people know that to create something less than perfect, or maybe even something really bad, is just a part of the process. They chalk it up to learning what doesn’t work and try something else. Accepting attempts as part of the creativity process is a habit you want to cultivate.
In the above experiment, the groups had to work through all their ‘dumb’ ideas, they said, before they settled on what would work for their projects. They accepted a lot of “bad” ideas from everyone in order to find their “aha” moment! Without the rejected attempts, they never would have reached their goal.
How to allow yourself the space to make mistakes –
- Create a positive mantra for when something goes wrong or you’ve lost the creative thread for your project. Repeat it to yourself as often as needed: “I’ll get there.” “I’m on my way now.” “Each try brings me closer.” “I got this.”
- Remind yourself that any skill you have was once new and difficult. The skills needed for your creative practice, while maybe new and difficult now, will become easy over time.
- Mistakes can be funny. Try laughing at your poorer attempts. Then let them go and try again.
All of us are creative by nature, and if we are having trouble accessing that piece of ourselves, we probably just need to give ourselves the time, persistence, and space we need to be our best creative selves.