April 21, 2011 – 10:07 am
I was working on a rather mundane project last week when suddenly I was struck with a brilliant idea that stopped my work dead in its tracks. I love it when this happens, even if it sidetracks the work at hand for a few hours.
But sparking your creativity is easier said than done. It is usually a serendipitous phenomenon, but I believe there are a few techniques you can use to trigger that creative impulse. Here are over 13 ways I get the creative juices flowing.
1. Doodle. You’ve heard of brainstorming and stream-of-consciousness writing to free your mind and unleash your creativity. But even those activities are limited by conforming your boundless imagination to language. Instead, just take out a blank piece of paper and a pen and doodle away. Draw whatever comes to mind. Just scribble anything and see what appears.
2. Challenge Yourself. People under pressure tend to surprise themselves. Try giving yourself a deadline, say, coming up with 10 great ideas by the end of the week. If your mind understands that there is a deadline to meet, it starts to work extra hard to ensure you meet it.
3. Join with Fellow Creatives. Creative people inspire each other. [...]
Organizing people around a common goal and empowering them to act is no easy feat. However, Obama’s presidential campaign was a fantastic example of how it could be done using technology and social platforms. It is why he is one of the example in my upcoming book, “How to Create a Revolution: A Step-by-Step Guide from History’s Social Influencers.” So, when Obama announced his campaign for re-election, it started my wheels on how he could do things differently-really create an empowered experience for his supporters through transmedia storytelling. In the video below, I give three suggestions. Take a look.
What storytelling ideas do you have for this re-election campaign, or any campaign for that matter? We would love to hear from you.
Related Posts:
Social Marketing, Metrics and the Relationships They’re Built On
Why I Started Our Revolution
How Leaders Can Be Great By Asking The Hard Questions
Have you ever gotten back from vacation or a conference and realized that life has not stopped while you were gone; that there are over 1,000 emails in your inbox, projects are awaiting your blood, sweat, and tears; and that friends and family are clamoring for your attention?
Ringing any bells?
When I returned from a month on the road (check out Our Revolution), I found myself in the unusual position of having to play catch up. I travel constantly and have a time management system for when I am on the road. So then why do I find myself inundated with an endless to-do list? For me, there were unexpected circumstances about the trip that left me doing most of the driving (close to 3,000 miles worth) and unable to have the time or energy to keep my regiment.
Have you ever found yourself in that situation? If so, here are some tips on How to Catch Up:
1. Strategy. Do not start “doing” anything until you have laid out what needs to be done and you have formulated a week long strategy to tackle all of them. Set aside time in the morning to decide what you will accomplish that day and [...]
Revolution! Solutions Contest for March: Your 5 Minute Spotlight:
People talk about change. They talk about how restless they are, how conditions are intolerable, how something must be done. They stamp their feet and holler and let anger, resentment, and disillusion fill their heads. And when the pressure has been building long enough and enough people are riled up, there is rebellion, revolution, dissent. This is usually the end result of something that’s been long overdue. But then what?
Most people don’t plan for the end. They get caught up in a wave of emotion or swept away in a tide of personal attachment. They know something must change, but they’ve no idea what to do if that change actually were to take place. They have nothing to fill the vacuum.
So what about you? Imagine, for this exercise, that you actually got five minutes – before the President, a legislative committee, the mayor, the town council, the board of trustees – to convince them of the importance and validity of your project. Is there something in your town that’s an injustice? Is there a crisis that the locals are dealing with that you wish you could escalate to someone in a position [...]
November 2, 2010 – 7:36 am
Many teachers are struggling trying to keep social media, like Facebook and YouTube, out of their classrooms. But they could be missing out an innovative and effective classroom learning experience.
October 27, 2010 – 8:30 pm
As artists, we are passionate people full of raw emotion and creativity. But we can channel our anger into a burst of creative thinking. Here are a few ways I have learned to turn my anger into creative problem solving:
People are always looking for the next big THING; the idea that will change the course of mankind; the thing that will change life as we know it. Most innovation comes from creativity. I would actually argue that all innovation comes from creativity. In today’s world, generating new fresh ideas is essential to survival. Whether you’re coming up with an integrated marketing campaign, the next Google or just looking for ways to innovate your life, here are 3 simple ways to feed your brain and get those creative juices flowing:
1. Lumosity is a site full of games to increase your attention span, improved your memory, and better your concentration. The site allows you to create a training course based on the areas that you are looking to improve upon. 10 minutes a day will do wonders. I love this site and cannot say enough about it!
2. Daydream Believer: Einstein did some of his best work while daydreaming. He would sit and stare out the window for hours. It was the secret to his revelations. If you have an idea that you are working out or trying to solidify, why not daydream about it? Write down your problem or your idea [...]
I was so pleased to read Talent Culture contributor Mike Brown’s list of recommendations for leaders seeking to foster creative strategy and build creative minds amidst their team members! I’ve experienced tons of trial and error regarding this very subject, especially because I deal with teams in so many industries, including the small business, freelance, social media, consulting, and life coaching sectors. The core of Brown’s advice turns a leader’s questioning gaze inward, to ensure a level of accountability that sometimes gets ignored when a manager assumes that the root of a team’s deficiency is the result of individual deficiency. Speaking of accountability, I love how one of Brown’s strategies is to up the ante of accountability for EVERYONE, not just for the boss.
Long story short, creativity is a process of give and take, and that should be mirrored in the collaborative process between managers and staff. Take a look at these strategies and let us know what you think. How do you build creativity on your team? How do you encourage your staff to think outside of the box? Any anecdotes from the field? Any tips to add [...]
I have been thinking a ton about the artists program I’m putting together in Assisi and my spiritual pilgrimage to Taizé. Of course, it brought back great memories of my last trip to the monastery and a conversation a friend and I had over a pint of Guinness:
Sam: “You do a lot of sh*t, Nae. I am not sure if you sleep.”
Me: “Of course, I sleep. Didn’t you have to wake me up this morning?”
Sam: “Yeah, but how do you tell people what you do and who you are?”
Me: “I believe that we can sum up who we are in one word. Sooo….what’s yours?”
Though I won’t go into our answers, I still firmly believe this. As Americans, we put a lot of emphasis on what we do instead of who we are and what we believe. Isn’t who we are and what we stand for more important than what we do for work (unless you are completely aligned with doing what you love)?
People connect with people, not tasks or jobs. So, I figured I would reach out to some of my Facebook peeps and see who they are. Which one word represents each of them. Here are some of their [...]
Imagination is the key ingredient to innovation. Without it, creativity and possibility would not exist. A conversation with one of my coaching clients inspired this video. Take a look!
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Posted in Adventure, Entrepreneurship, Happiness, Innovation, Marketing, Strategy, Uncategorized
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Also tagged brain and creativity, creative, freelance, Home base businesses, home-based business, How much do I need to retire, imagination, Moms work from home, Money needed to retire, Online income, Online money, Online work, outsource, Retirement, work from home, working from home
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