Be creative -- but understand, it's difficult and it's risky. Part 1.
I was recently speaking with an associate looking for change-the-game ideas to overcome an apparently impossible competitive situation -- and still make money.
Now as a person that manages creative teams, and considers himself capable of the occasional lateral turn, I really ought to have some answers right off the top of my head -- right? I mean, don't creative types just run around wearing non-traditional clothing, and spouting zany, out-of-the-box, spontaneous sorts of things?
Perhaps some do, but I'm certainly not cut from that cloth.
No, I take a far more rigorous approach. I believe creativity can be learned. Similar to drawing, or playing a musical instrument, with diligent practice anyone can develop some real skill. In my view greatness in any field is a combination of hard work, environment, and genetics. But anyone can develop sufficient skill to significantly differentiate them from those that didn't make the effort.
I am compelled to point out that the effort to develop your creativity is no less difficult, and no less time consuming, than developing skill at anything else. You will have to work at it -- and not just a little if you expect any sort of real gain. And because part of the effort involves learning altogether new skills, you can count on frustration and frequent failures. You can count on it. In fact, it's a requirement.
And it's risky. Like playing a musical instrument, every now and again you play a sour note. Sadly, to many an ear, a lot of creative output plays like sour notes.
That is so much true, that most people never consider exposing their creative efforts. In my world, the long term result is an over-reliance upon customer input, competitive analysis, forms, process, and a "that job is done this way" mentality. And of course those results reinforce the behaviors that spawned them. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I am a lucky man for many reasons. One of them is that I get to manage a creative team, and another is that my broader group is growing more and more tolerant of us every day -- and I do appreciate it.
Coming Soon -- Part 2: My personal "free-the-mind" workout.