Creativity at Work, September 7th, 2006
Change is a constant in the world we live in and maintaining balance can be a challenge. To stay replenished, do a systems check. When was the last time you fed your soul good music, art and literature? When was the last time you immersed yourself in nature to revitalize body, mind and spirit?
I am an artist, a designer and a creativity catalyst. I make a living being creative so I know how important it is to stay replenished to maintain that creative spark. Creative expression is one of the greatest joys in my life.
I’ve made it part of my life’s work to study the processes of creativity and teach people to liberate their own creativity. This study began one summer when I had been involved in a painting project and was feeling blocked. I was wondering why I wasn’t experiencing joy in my work, when painting is such a passion for me. I decided to take a break, go downtown and explore. I ended up in a bookstore and was struck by one particular title . It was "The Artist’s Way: a spiritual path to higher creativity." I opened it up and this is what I read:
"In order to create, we draw from our inner well. This inner well, an artistic reservoir, is ideally like a well stocked fish pond... If we don’t give some attention to upkeep, our well is apt to become depleted, stagnant, or blocked...As artists, we must learn to be self nourishing. We must become alert enough to consciously replenish our creative resources as we draw on them - to re-stock the trout pond, so to speak."
Our society conditions us to believe it is selfish to take time out for ourselves, especially women. When we aren’t working there is the family to look after. There is no time to pursue our creative self expression. Eventually, if we aren’t nurturing our own creativity we feel less and less satisfied. Something is missing from our lives. We’ve been taught ways to work faster, harder and smarter to achieve success, yet as Steven Covey points out in First Things First , in spite of being more productive, we feel unfulfilled. Meaning and fulfillment are the gifts we receive when we answer our inner calling and build our work around it.
The first step to fulfillment and self replenishment is to re-stock that trout pond by allowing yourself time to play. Take time out for solitude for a couple of hours on a weekly basis. Julia Cameron in "The Artist’s Way" calls this the artist’s date. When we play, our logical mind takes a rest and our imagination is given a chance to express itself. David Ogilvy, founder of one of the world's most successful advertising agencies, always encouraged his staff to take time out and let their minds lie fallow. Just as a field needs time to rest before it produces new crops, so do we need a mental rest.
Remember how you played as a child, for your childhood passions are the clue to your genius. Wolfgang Puck is famous worldwide for his artistry in cooking and the experience of theatre and celebration at his restaurants. As a child he was lonely and longed to be part of a family and community. He and his wife, Barbara Lazaroff have created this in their restaurants. His philosophy is to satisfy yourself first and to follow your passion. Their work is about play and celebration.
Canadian born architect Frank Gehry is another success story. He grew up playing with building materials at his uncle’s hardware store. He is recognized around the world for his innovative uses of chain link, pipes, and hardware fixtures in his architectural designs. His masterpiece, the Guggenheim Museum at Bilboa, has made him one of the masters of 20th century architecture.
Incorporating imagination and creativity in our work not only creates fulfillment for ourselves — we also contribute to improving the quality of life for humanity. Expressing our creativity is part of our calling and when we activate this power we are tremendously energized. It is this energy which has propelled many to answer their calling well into their twilight years. Goethe wrote Faust at 81. Industrialist Armand Hammer, was an adviser in U.S. foreign policy with Russia well into his 80’s. Plato, Catherine the Great, Churchill, Freud, and Casals were all creative and productive late in life.
You may be thinking, these people were geniuses, what does that have to do with me? We all have the ability to access genius. Our genius is embedded in our natural gifts and talents. Unfortunately we tend not to honour and value our natural abilities. If something comes too easily it couldn’t have any value.
I remember a few years ago I went to see a palm reader for fun. He told me I was a genius and ever since then, I started acting like one. I paid more attention to my intuition and impulses and developed more confidence in acting on the ideas I was generating. This was a turning point in the career I continue to invent.
Creative thinking is the ability to move out of the domain of logic, which tends to be analytical and critical (it likes things the way they are and resists change) and to allow flexibility, intuition and adaptability to guide you. Rather than thinking of a problem as a challenge to be solved, think of it as a mystery to be revealed. Traditionally business tends to apply creativity only when there is a problem to be solved. Artists use it by design.
How can you access inspiration?
1. Dissolve your fears by taking a playful approach to generating new ideas. Relax and clear your mind. Use meditation techniques or mindless activities that switch off the left brain. Einstein often accessed his best ideas while showering.
2. Listen to the still small voice within. What are the whisperings in your heart of hearts? You can’t hear your inner voice if you always have the radio and TV on. Create an idea friendly environment for your own original thoughts to grow. Nurture your ideas, let them germinate. Spend time in nature.
3. Explore. Start writing a journal. Write three pages every morning before you start the day. This becomes a meditation in itself. I came across this tool in The Artist’s Way and it changed my life. I allowed all my frustrations to come out on the pages. My inner demons revealed themselves. The objective is to write whatever comes to mind and let it flow. Write down everything. Eventually you will start writing down your dreams. Start noticing how seemingly out of nowhere, ideas start coming to you. Write them down. Notice how your ideas start manifesting in your day to day world. I have discovered that when I’m clear about what I want to create, be it in art or business, circumstances present themselves to me to bring my ideas into fruition. A book or magazine might jump out at me with the perfect message. Or I might see something on TV. Or best of all, in an act of serendipity I meet someone who helps take me to the next level of development.
4. Seek out and spend time with people who are actively creative. Expand your network to include people in different fields of expertise. Sometimes someone from a different discipline can offer a fresh point of view. People who have achieved expertise in their own field, can provide fertile ground as guides and mentors in your own growth.
5. Incorporate creativity in simple ways as part of your life style.
• Arrange a bouquet of flowers
• Prepare an exotic meal
• Host a storytelling event Ask people to tell a story about the best experience (a golden moment) they ever had as a _________ (leader, team member, parent etc. Capture "the best of" and explore how this could be amplified in your life
• Make your own greeting cards
• Keep an idea file. Cut out pictures and articles that appeal to you. You will build a gold mine of information.
• Keep a pocket sized notebook with you to record ideas and information at meetings and lectures
6. Take action. Even the best idea is worthless unless it is acted upon. Evaluate your results. Have fun!
For more tips and techniques to help you develop your creativity and foster innovation in the workplace visit www.CreativityatWork.com
About Linda Naiman
Linda Naiman helps organizations generate breakthroughs in business performance through creativity and innovation. She is a pioneer in applying arts-based learning to leadership development and is co-author of "Orchestrating Collaboration at Work" (Wiley 2003). Linda is an associate business coach at the University of British Columbia, and an adjunct faculty member of the Banff Centre Leadership Lab. Her work has been featured in "Artbased Approaches" (Chemi 2006), The Vancouver Sun, The Globe and Mail, ProfitGuide.com, CBC Radio, National Public Radio, and TU Danmark (TV).
Please visit www.CreativityatWork.com for details.
© Linda Naiman 2006
