“We cannot solve a problem with the same
thinking that got you there in the first place”
-
Albert Einstein
Creativity is
fluidity, it flows and eddies as a river; meandering and eroding its natural
path through the landscape in which we work. Subsequently, it’s hard to imagine
a freedom of creativity that is set in a system of rules or a place of
boundaries.
And yet, we must face boundaries in everyday life and there is not a
creative pursuit in the world which is not bound to some kind of stricture… so
how are we to produce the very essence of freedom, when constrained by rules?
More a form of measurement, less a doctrine
“The strongest tree in the forest is not
the oak with its deep roots and hard wood, but
-
Unattributed
The environment in
which you are playing or working is integral to the process of your creation.
To set structures or petty requirements can seem counter-productive, but in
terms of productivity it’s essential.
Suggestion: If you
work as a team or as an individual, then decide as what your goals are and then
focus on what will allow success, what will hinder success and, more
importantly – what success will look like when you get there!
The Relentless
Tick-Tock
I was told a
couple of weeks ago that we are all in a society which is becoming increasingly
money-rich, yet time-poor. This suggests that time will be an increasing
increment on the creative process. So straight away we are all provided with a
boundary over which we have no direct control.
Maybe your work is project and deadline based, maybe your creativity is
outside of your regular source of income, and so restricted by the demands of
that roll, perhaps this is a last minute opportunity and it’s “now or never”.
Suggestion: Decide
what you want to achieve in the time set out then decide on the correct
attitudes and actions which will bolster your creativity.
Raise the Praise
When caught up in
the cycle of creativity, it’s so easy to lose track of what you’re doing, if it’s
any good, why you’re doing this in the first place – in other words you can’t
see the wood for the trees. This is where you need to go back to the goals you
outlined in the first place and give a little moment to reflect on how you’ve
achieved.
Suggestion: This is
an ideal time for you to understand your own process. If you’ve only achieved
half of what you intended in the given time, then perhaps you’ve underestimated
the time it takes you to achieve those goals. This is always a good thing, it
lets you understand just how much time you need to assign to your creative
tasks in order to complete them to your satisfaction
