29 Ways to Stay Creative

What is creativity?  Most people seem to think it is break-through ideas and really cool and, to some of us, quite foreign and unattainable abilities best left to graphics artists and marketing people.  In reality, creativity is something much more elegant.  Simply put, creativity is just combining two things together in a way that hasn’t been done before.  Every time you improve a process, think of a new way to do something or exceed what is already being done, you are being creative.  Creativity is more than brainstorming and crazy ideas.  Studies are showing that creativity emerges from a particular state of mind that allows you to open your mental capabilities to new ways of doing something.

To that end, TO-FU, a Japanese motion design studio, has put together a video identifying 29 Ways to Stay Creative.   As you watch the video, make a list of ways that are strengths and areas for personal improvement.  Here’s my list from the video:

Why does creative thought matter?  Because the alternative is rational thought and purely rational thinking only allows you to mimic what someone else is doing or to return to a former way of doing something.  To be sure, there is certainly a place for rational thought in every organization but to move beyond status quo, you must find a better way.  Since the ability to be creative is really just a state of mind, make sure that you are creating an environment around you that fosters creativity.

Watch the video. What are your strengths and improvement areas?