A few weeks ago, I spent some time with an old acquaintance I had not seen in close to a year.
His comment was, “Dude I forgot how creative and funny you are!”
Now it may sound strange to be addressed as “Dude” after all I am a doctor but this guy was an MD/PhD which gives him one more degree than I have and I guess allows the familiar terminology. I didn’t mind.
His wife asked him, “Is he always this way?!”
The answer is of course, Yes, I am always this way or at least most of the time. There are indeed times where seriousness is not only needed but appropriate.
The conversation then wandered on to “How can we get others to be more creative?”
Here are some tips:
1) Allow and encourage creative thinking. If you are in or create a permissive environment for yourself and others it’s a lot more likely it will happen. Generally speaking corporate environments kill creativity with rules, structure and regulation. If you live in an environment like that you will need to seek your creativity from elsewhere. Music that does not rely on sight reading but on improvisation is one example.
2) Do not disregard structure!!!!! I cannot stress enough how many people I see that are creative but have no structure. With no destination there is no accomplishment except by dumb luck. I would not count on that! In the creativity classes I have taught I start with the simple adage, “Begin with the end in mind”. At least you know where you are headed.
3) Give your brain what it needs to succeed. This includes adequate sleep and physical exercise and on occasion a mild dose of caffeine!
4) Give your brain MORE than the “average” non-creator gets! Here is where I use Brain Force One when I absolutely positively have to get it created, done and made this is my Secret Weapon!
I will leave you with one of my famous quotes: “The next round of great discoveries in science and medicine will come via the creative thinkers who can tap into the “ether of thought” and make something of it.
The same holds true for all areas of human advancement. The mind is the creator, the computer merely the tool.
Don’t be just a TOOL!
Doc
PS here is another quote for you to ponder from one of my very smart friends who moves, shakes and changes the world for the better: “The amount you create and get done is inversely proportional to the time you spend on Facebook!”