Create: Day 47
April 17, 2011 
1 Comment
Day 47
Creativity 7 days a week–even during the work week.
Steve Jobs by mylerdude. Creative Commons.
I’m sometimes guilty of considering creativity only as it applies to the arts. But creativity is necessary in all ventures, and especially, these days, in the corporate world.
A recent poll of 1,500 CEOs, for example, identified creativity as the No. 1 “leadership competency” of the future. Companies including Hewlett-Packard and Sears have hired creativity consultants. Top business schools offer classes in it.
When a Harvard study looked at 3000 executives to identify what separates innovators from the pack, they found the most crucial skill was the ability to “associate”—or to successfully connect seemingly unrelated questions, problems, or ideas.
And yes, it can be taught. Neuroscientists have confirmed that those who practice being creative can get into the zone quicker than others.
I couldn’t help but think about this in recent days, given all the fuss about Steve Jobs’ resignation from Apple.
Jobs on creativity:
“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask a creative person how they did something, they may feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after awhile. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or have thought more about their experiences than other people have.”
Do something creative today. Put two disparate things together and make something new. It’s not just for fun anymore.
(And if you’re a parent, encourage creativity in your kids–to ensure a successful future. A recent study shows that children’s creativity scores in the U.S. are on the wane. Researchers Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Gary G. Gute found creative adults grow up in families that encourage uniqueness, yet offer stability. Some hardship helps, too, as it forces kids to become more flexible. I’ll do more research and write a full post about this later.)
Create Month 2
What to do so far:
In case you missed a day, the reminders below are clickable.
Don’t put off creativity.
Use your limited experience with unlimited imagination.
Don’t worry about the destination.
If you’re stuck, lower your standards and go on.
Take a creativity vacation.
Value your creative visions.
Moodle every other week.
Fill out Creative Project Completion Plan I.
Fill out Creative Project Completion Plan II.
Fill out Creative Project Completion Plan III.
Track project reality versus guesstimates.
Practice seeing creatively.
Keep a creative project box.
On the Ides, I’d rather be…
Your materials don’t make the masterpiece…you do.
Use your creativity in business, finances, everything. 7 days a week.
Need a refresher for Create Month 1? Click here.
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