Now that you have
That's what we are going to tackle today and so hopefully, the next time you need that creativity spark, you'll remember the tips and advice from this post.
Let's start with the art of innovation.
Recently Guy Kawasaki, well-known author and entrepreneur, held a Ted Talk exactly on this topic. I know I've been integrating quite a few talks and videos in my blog posts lately, but they are just too good not to share with you.
In his speech, Kawasaki identifies 11 cornerstones of innovation. Even though these principles outline how to be innovative from a business perspective, they can be used on an individual basis too.
His tips talk about innovative product and business ideas, so I've adapted them to serve our storytelling purposes:
[youtube width="550" height="450"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mtjatz9r-Vc[/youtube]
Another important lesson to learn is that good ideas aren't magic without ground. They have always been build upon previous good ideas. As Kirby Ferguson puts it, creativity "happens by applying ordinary tools of thought to existing materials.” Those include three steps: copy, transform and combine.
These three steps for me are all about continuously learning from our own experiences and mistakes as well as from those of others. Creation in itself is a process, a growing development that requires using tried and tested tools combined with a new, experimental touch.
Finally, what do you do when you face writer's or creator's block? Where do you find inspiration when your mind seems not to function anymore? How do you develop your inner creativity?
'Wow ideas' don't just come out of nowhere. You need to be in the right place of mind to let creativity flow.
Before I move on to some practical tips, here's a short video that denominates some creativity stereotypes and explains how creativity thinking actually works, talking about the left and the right brain, speed of thinking, originality and flexibility of thought, imagination and association.
[youtube width="550" height="450"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO2LdDpx-Tc[/youtube]
Basically, everything that surrounds you can help you get creative. You just need to open your eyes, ears and other senses and let your mind devour that inspiration and make the connections.
The following video and infographic should give you some ideas about little things you can do every day to spark your creativity juices. My favourite ones are:
How do you stay creative?
[youtube width="550" height="450"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mlSrKo16D0[/youtube]
(Click on the infographic for a larger view)
If you want to go a step further and learn even more about inspiration from some pioneering thinkers, I recommend for you to check out "The Little Book of Inspiration" with 24 pages of useful tips - it's free!
Infographic by mycleveragency