Did you know that half of the surveyed managers say that they are not creative? According to a recent article at the Harvard Business Review, those who think they are not creative are indeed less creative in their work.
But is it true?
What if you think you’re not creative, but you could be if you just changed your thinking?
Find out if you think you’re creative by answering yes or no to these 5 questions:
- Do you solve challenging problems by drawing on diverse ideas or knowledge?
- Do you ask questions that challenge fundamental assumptions?
- Do you directly observe how people interact with products or services?
- Do you talk with people from other industries, departments, and regions to get new ideas?
- Do you experiment?
At Artisan Creative, we think these are excellent questions. We believe that the people who think they are not creative think of creativity as something that just happens by itself. That creative people just naturally think of new ways to do things all the time. Sure, some of them do. But no truly creative person relies entirely on that magic moment of inspiration. Truly creative people are opening themselves to input from everywhere, always learning, always challenging assumptions, always observing others and trying things out.
So the next time you hear yourself saying or thinking “I’m not creative,” try doing one or more of the suggestions in the questions. Challenge an assumption. Talk over the problem with a bunch of people from different places. Read something new and see what comes to you. I bet you’ll change your mind about your problem–and yourself!
Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative