Jul 25 2007
Firing up the creative engine
Every so often we’re called upon to do truly creative work. I’m not referring to watercolors or pastels but rather that work that takes us out of our comfort zone and into an area of improvisational thinking to come up with solutions, ideas, or as Gallagher often says, “totally new concepts!” (If you’re not familiar with Gallagher go buy a watermelon and a sledge hammer and do what comes naturally.)
The biggest hurdle for many is getting that creative engine fired up, getting the juices flowing, whatever old salt you want to use to explain it. It comes down to this. At that moment in time you need to think differently than you normally do. Sounds a little more complicated now, doesn’t it.
Know what kind of thinker you are
When you’re firing up the engine, you have to know what type of engine you are. Are you a visual thinker who thrives on whiteboards and mind maps or are a linear thinker who lives by lists and outlines. There’s all different types of thinkers and you need to spend some time to figure out how you think most effectively. For example, I’m a mind mapper because I like to let my mind run completely loose and capture whatever comes out (no matter how messy it is) and then go back to organizing mode when I’m done the creative part.
Find the key
Every creative problem or challenge has a key. A single statement, a problem to solve, a definition of a hurdle, whatever it is it will help you focus your mind and start your engine. Identify the key to the challenge you face and capture it in a way that you can refer back to it over and over again to restart your engine if you stall.
Take the scenic route
The most direct path between two points may be a straight line but it’s definitely not the most creative one. Give yourself the latitude to follow your streams of consciousness for a while and see where they lead you. You may find something completely new or just wind up down a rabbit hole and need to back out. Either way you have a good outcome since you have found a good idea or eliminated a bad one.
Record your trip
Capture things immediately. Don’t get too far down the road from an idea without recording it in some manner whether it’s on your whiteboard, your mind map, your outline, or your coffee napkin. Just capture it. If you are spending creative fuel trying to remember the good ideas you’ve had while trying to have more, you’re just wasting that precious energy. Write it down and keep moving down the road.
Enjoy the adventure
The chances to be truly creative are those rare opportunities for many to break out of the daily grind and journey into a place that’s exciting and a bit scary. Pack your bags and be ready for the next chance to start your creative engine!
