Tips Exchange: How do you nurture creativity?

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Karen Unland — 9 Comments ↓

Success in business requires creativity. To come up with new ideas, or ways to execute those ideas that are better than before, you need to get outside of “the way we’ve always done things” and spend some time in the “adjacent possible,” as Steven Johnson puts it; that’s where good ideas come from. But it’s hard to be creative when your nose is to the grindstone. If the return on investment is not immediately obvious, it can seem hard to justify time spent on crazy ideas that just might work (but also might not).

We’ll be exploring creativity’s role in successful business at The Subsequent Fall on Friday, Oct. 12. It’s “an evening of creative-tastic cross-culture collaboration” put on by the ever-creative Guru Digital Arts College, along with Edmonton on the Edge and the Jubilee Auditorium. (Tickets are free, so get yours now.) As we get ready for that, we want to hear your tips.

How do you nurture creativity in your business?

Here’s what we’d like you to do:

1. Use the comments field below to share your tip with Capital Ideas. We will choose the best advice and publish it in the Edmonton Journal later this week. (It will look something like this.)

2. If you know an Edmonton-area business owner who would have great advice on this topic, send him or her a link to this post.

To comment, you’ll need to sign in to Disqus so we can see your face and your real name. You can sign in with Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or your name and email address. You can also reply to specific comments, or vote comments up. If you have any questions, ask us.

Want more shared expertise? Check out past Tips Exchanges.

(Illustration courtesy of Brittney Le Blanc, who helps keep Capital Ideas creative with her Meeting Dinos.)

http://twitter.com/DennisMichael_1 Dennis Michael

Like all graphic designers, you need to take a break from client projects and explore through personal projects if you want to remain creative and sane LOL. Whether its drawing, exploring new techniques, painting, gardening, or whatever you enjoy doing – DO IT!!! You will be amazed that often these moments of freedom breed solutions to client problems.
http://twitter.com/Owen_Brierley Owen Brierley

I have a variety of corny sayings that I drop on my students on a semi-regular basis. One of them is, “if you want to be a better rockstar, sing some opera.” The trick here is to get out of your comfort zone. Creativity is like a muscle and the more your stretch it, the more pliable it becomes. True creativity is an ability to find solutions to problems that others aren’t thinking of. Paula Scher talks about her career and her continuing need to push herself into projects where she has no clue what she is doing. watch her here: http://www.ted.com/talks/paula_scher_gets_serious.html David Carson talks about seeing creativity in the least likely places and how everything communicates something. watch him here: http://www.ted.com/talks/david_carson_on_design.html And finally, Daniel Pink offers some excellent perspectives on how creative thinking works and why the stick and carrot theory does not lead to greater innovative thinking. (for me, creativity and innovation are cousins). watch him: http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html

There are many exercises that can lead to greater creative flexibility and help you use your knowledge in new ways. One word stories, concentration games, theatre improv exercises, life drawing, and more… Ultimately, you need to get a little uncomfortable if you are going to get more creative.
http://styleforsuccess.com/ Terry Pithers

Humour keeps us creative. I have a couple of blogs that I try to keep funny by finding an off the wall slant to the topic. Humour certainly works in training to keep learning sticky and engaging especially on drier subjects like business etiquette and dress. Laughter is like a reboot, it resets and releases our brains.
natalieharperPR

A spark of creativity can often come from something as simple as collaboration. I often find some brain-share time with one, or a few people, can often cultivate creativity and nurture a blooming idea.
http://www.edmi.ca/ Amin

Creativity is all around us, albeit surrounded by an overwhelming amount of noise. To nurture creativity in my business, I like to get out of the office and simply observe what’s around me. Sparks are often ignited from things as simple as watching a baby discover a toy for the first time, to marveling at the use of steel and glass to create amazing architecture, such as that of the Art Gallery of Alberta. Perceptive observation will lead to a stronger imagination, which will, as a result, help nurture creativity.
Connie Warner

Creativity happens when we are allowed to think outside of the box. Great leaders using emotional intelligence create a safe environment where creativity is allowed to flow. It’s amazing what we can create together!
FaaizaRamji

If you’re not an inherently creative person (just like me) then you need to find a way to be exposed to creativity and absorb it like a sponge. This can only happen if you put yourself in an environment that lets you outside of your 4 walls. We live in an era of “coffee-shop business” – where there is constant collaboration and inspiration – meet people, sit in new environments, think differently. This can only happen when you break routine – of your office environment, your hours dedicated to thinking, your day-to-day ventures.
Steve Russell

Allowing for creativity in a retail environment is critical in todays ever changing markets. We can’t do what we did 10 years ago and engaging staff is paramount.
I’ve taught a philosophy of “Team Leaders” that has proven to be successful. Providing staff with the ability to be accountable and engaged in day to day operations. Choosing certain staff to “look after” a specific area within the business with the goals of increasing sales, creating a teamwork type environment, providing feedabck to management on a weekly basis and coming up with ways to be effective and strategic.
Most staff below management feel they are pawns and go from task to task with very little input. We need to harness the ideas of these staff members and create a team concept while providing a balance in the company where everyone feels their views and suggestions have merit.
Everyone wants to feel involved and we all know that happy staff create not only a better workplace environment but also tend to produce better results. Everybody from ownership, staff and the consumer win when this strategy is implemented properly.
Pamela Young

Quite literally, I walk away from logical, sequential thinking. Going for a long ramble, with no destination, allows my brain to relax. If I pass by a playground with a swingset, I’ll jump on and go for a ride. Writing a poem with magnetic poetry, dancing to Katrina and the Waves – anything with an element of spontaneous play often gives me a creative solution that never would have occurred to me if I’d stayed deskbound.