Crafting new brands and telling their stories through photography and video is what we do here at Strategy Collective, and we love doing it. We often hear people describe us as a creative bunch which is something we’re proud of – we’re lucky to work in an environment that allows our imaginations to run wild, and where we can bring our creative ideas to life. But what does it truly mean to be creative?

Creativity isn’t just important for ‘creative’ jobs, creativity plays a part in almost every aspect of business nowadays. However, common perception of what it means to be creative naturally lends itself towards creative roles – designers, photographers, and artists etc. But what if we said you can discover your inner creative no matter your background, skillset or job title?

If you’ve ever heard yourself say “I don’t have a creative bone in my body” or “I couldn’t draw a stick man if I tried” then this blog is for you! We know that creativity lies in everyone – it’s just about unlocking it.

Defining creativity

Traditional views on creativity mean that many of us don’t consider ourselves as creative. However, when we look at more recent viewpoints on what it means to be creative, you may be surprised to learn that creativity is so much more than a skillset or job.

Entrepreneur, Dan Pallotta puts it well when he says:

“The best creativity comes from a much deeper place than the desire to win. It comes from a desire to contribute to the lives of others, either by introducing something new that improves the quality of their lives or by showing people that something thought to be impossible is in fact possible. When you change people’s perceptions about what can be accomplished or achieved, you contribute to their humanity in the richest possible way. You give them hope for the future.”

Creativity is much more than what you do for a job or what you may be professionally trained in, it’s about how we can enrich the lives of others and change perception. Humans thrive on learning, moving forward and developing. By being creative we can give hope, create impact, and change history.

Creativity vs craftsmanship

When we talk about creativity, it’s also important to distinguish between creativity and craftsmanship – often referred to as ideas and execution. By understanding how creativity and craftsmanship align, you’ll be in a better place to explore your own creative streak.

Ideas and inspiration

Creativity often starts with a great idea – what we like to call your inspiration. Ideas and inspiration often stem from:

• Empathy
• Vision
• Feelings, emotion or passion
• A desire to create a better world.

Often, we have a lightbulb or ‘aha’ moment. You have a new idea and you feel like you know everything about it, however it can be hard to portray this to another person. This is often because we are in a learning phase, so lack the knowledge or skill to articulate the idea. Whereas if it was a topic you knew intimately, the new concept would be easy to explain. This is where craftmanship or execution comes in.

Creative execution

Creative execution or craftmanship is when you begin to master a skill or subject – you’re on your way to becoming an expert! An easy way to demonstrate this is the process of learning the guitar.

When learning the guitar, the process of learning promotes inspiration which in turn, naturally opens the opportunity to express new ideas and in other words, explore creativity. You may know nothing about the guitar when you first start learning however with time and energy dedicated to practice, your new hobby will turn into a mastered skill in no time.

This is why it’s important not to define creativity by a certain skillset or profession. If you allocate enough time and energy to learn a new craft or develop a new idea combined with an abundant mindset, you can do anything!

Ideas to unlock your inner creative

So, just how can you unlock your inner creative? And how can you develop workplace creativity when you’re struggling to think of new ideas?

As we already know, creativity can spring from anywhere – it’s just a matter of unlocking the creativity within ourselves. From trying new things to writing down your ideas, here are some simple tips that can allow you to unlock your inner creative in the workplace.

Embrace the new

It can be all too easy to fall into the same day-to-day patterns and get stuck in a creative rut. If you’re not trying anything new then how can you expect creativity to flourish?

Trying new things enables us to grow and evolve and move outside our comfort zones. Whether you decide to take up a hobby or try a new course, the options are endless when it comes to trying new things. Expanding your knowledge by learning something new will naturally spark creativity.

Note down your ideas

Something as simple as noting your ideas down with pen and paper can be the perfect way to encourage inner creativity. The simple act of writing is known to boost idea generation – by reflecting on what’s happening around us we’re able to think of ways to improve our situation which in turn, encourages creativity.

As Todd Henry says in ‘Manage Your Day-to-Day’:

“When you give yourself frequent permission to explore the ‘adjacent possible’ with no restrictions on where it leads, you increase the likelihood of a creative breakthrough in all areas of your life and work.”

In the workplace, it can be all too common to feel stuck in a rut, especially with deadlines looming. Something as simple as keeping a notebook on your desk and free-writing can allow for workplace creativity to grow – physically writing your ideas down forces you to put them into words and take next steps. Once you start, you may be surprised with just how many ideas you manage to brainstorm!

Mindset

We believe there’s an abundance of creativity that lies within every single one of us. Have you tapped into this or is the river running dry? Our mindset is often the thing that stops us from truly harnessing our creativity in all aspects of our lives.

If you want to have a constant flow of creative ideas then it’s important to have an abundant mindset. Take a second to imagine that:

• You are connected to a powerful flow of ideas and solutions that never stop.
• It never runs dry and can be accessed as you need.
• When an issue comes along it will present itself as an opportunity to discover a new solution.

By harnessing an abundant mindset that is solution-based, this is another way to tap into creativity.

Talk to creative people

If all else fails, it always helps to connect with creative people. If you’ve well and truly hit a wall sometimes all it takes is a conversation with someone else to encourage new ideas.

In the workplace we’re often surrounded by other people who can provide their honest feedback and opinions, so why not tap into this? Talking it out could be all you need to come up with the great idea, next step or ‘aha moment’. Connecting with others will encourage you to take a different perspective on a situation; it can also keep you motivated to do your best work.

Now’s the time to embrace your creativity

Whether you consider yourself to be naturally creative or you’re just getting started on your creativity journey, we hope this blog has given you the inspiration you need to dig a little deeper.

Being creative is about so much more than your background or your job title – it’s about how we can enrich the lives of others. By embracing the desire to make a real change in the world and by using our skillsets, each and every one of us is leaving an impact for good.

So no matter how ‘uncreative’ you feel, by constantly learning and sharing our skills with others, we are all unleashing our inner creative in our own unique way – something that we think is pretty cool.