Creativity... It's great when you're in the flow. But what about those times when the bubbling brook seems to have blocked up? What do you do to get things flowing again... throw all your toys out of the cot and make a lot of noise?... maybe you sit in your chair pulling out your hair and chewing the skin off your fingers now that all your nails are gone...?
The pressure of coming up with 'the next best thing' in your industry can be a daunting task when all you have to inspire you is the four bland walls of your cubicle and the old staples from previous workers who bashed them in so hard that the jaws of life could not salvage whatever wall space is left. I think the best place to start is to stand up and look around your little cubicle farm, how are all the other cubicites? Now that you've seen a little further than your four walls how do you feel? Probably no better, all you've done is seen another 20 identical cubicles.
How do you get your ideas flowing? What is it that you most enjoy doing outside of work? Maybe you enjoy mountain biking, knitting, lawn bowls, skiing/snowboarding? What is it? Now my next question now that we've established that is, how often do you take the time to do it? One thing I've learnt is that, in order to give out of yourself, you must first have something inside of you.
I love snowboarding, I am by no means fantastic at it. But there is just something about being up the mountain looking out across a fog covered land with only the peaks of other mountain ranges in sight and the sun beaming down, it really inspires me. When I'm up there, my head is clear (it could be the elevation and i just get light-headed when I'm up there, who knows) and free of all the stresses of the day. I always find it easier to add to a brain storming meeting when I've taken some time before to invest into myself.
With this also, you can get thrown curve balls. Things come up that you didn't expect, whether in business or life. Sometimes a perfectly good creative flow can be interrupted by a curve ball. The best solution that I've found for this is to get up and get some fresh air and a glass of water. Take 5 minutes and just clear your head and come back to your brain storm - you'll be more productive if you do this than just sitting there staring at your screen blankly.
I hope that you will take a few moments to breathe and also take the time to invest in yourself, as we live in a world that requires us to give so much of ourselves. May the creativity flow and the ideas list never end!
The pressure of coming up with 'the next best thing' in your industry can be a daunting task when all you have to inspire you is the four bland walls of your cubicle and the old staples from previous workers who bashed them in so hard that the jaws of life could not salvage whatever wall space is left. I think the best place to start is to stand up and look around your little cubicle farm, how are all the other cubicites? Now that you've seen a little further than your four walls how do you feel? Probably no better, all you've done is seen another 20 identical cubicles.
How do you get your ideas flowing? What is it that you most enjoy doing outside of work? Maybe you enjoy mountain biking, knitting, lawn bowls, skiing/snowboarding? What is it? Now my next question now that we've established that is, how often do you take the time to do it? One thing I've learnt is that, in order to give out of yourself, you must first have something inside of you.
I love snowboarding, I am by no means fantastic at it. But there is just something about being up the mountain looking out across a fog covered land with only the peaks of other mountain ranges in sight and the sun beaming down, it really inspires me. When I'm up there, my head is clear (it could be the elevation and i just get light-headed when I'm up there, who knows) and free of all the stresses of the day. I always find it easier to add to a brain storming meeting when I've taken some time before to invest into myself.
With this also, you can get thrown curve balls. Things come up that you didn't expect, whether in business or life. Sometimes a perfectly good creative flow can be interrupted by a curve ball. The best solution that I've found for this is to get up and get some fresh air and a glass of water. Take 5 minutes and just clear your head and come back to your brain storm - you'll be more productive if you do this than just sitting there staring at your screen blankly.
I hope that you will take a few moments to breathe and also take the time to invest in yourself, as we live in a world that requires us to give so much of ourselves. May the creativity flow and the ideas list never end!
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