The HEART of Creativity: Questions to Stimulate Creativity Training
The word “creativity” can be used in a variety of ways. Most often, it’s used to describe someone creating a piece or act of art—fine artists, dancers, movie producers, etc. What is often left out of this definition, though, is that every day every one of us uses our creativity in simple ways: creating your garden, your meals, the document you need to send to your client, or a new selling strategy.
Everyone has this ability, not just the artists in the world. There are ways creativity can be fostered and encouraged, and ways that it can be stifled. In creativity training you need to make sure that all ideas, no matter how silly or weird, are cultivated. The best inventions often come from such open formats.
Three Quick Questions:
- Do you like to change the routines in your life after a while, because you’re bored with them?
- Do you like imagining how a building, a dish at a restaurant, or a piece of clothing would be if… (you fill in this blank)? In other words, you are wondering about adding to, deleting or changing an aspect of what already is done.
- Do you think of more than one answer to a problem before deciding what to do?
These questions are to assess if you’re already using your creative abilities on a regular basis, not whether or not you have them. You do.
To get to the HEART of Creativity, it’s important that you allow all ideas to flow; to not judge yourself (or others) for bizarre or unusual ideas that just pop out of your (or their) brain. It’s important to realize that there’s not only one answer to any problem, but many.
For a moment, look around at all the creative people you know.
What sets them apart from the rest of the crowd?
Write down the words or phrases that identify them as being more creative than your other friends and acquaintances.
How can you incorporate some of these qualities into your own life to help expand your creativeness?
Here’s a quick exercise:
Imagine you are asked to come up with a solution to save your company money. It doesn’t have to be in your department. It can be in any part, place, or section of the organization.
Does being asked to create a new solution stymie you?
To solve this challenge, change the perspective from which you ordinarily view a problem or issue:
Imagine the same scenario… Your organization wants your ideas on saving money.
Now imagine that it’s not you who is coming up with the answers to the situation.
Who would you ask?
What do you think they would suggest?
Keep asking yourself all kinds of questions to find innovative answers. These answers can produce amazing results if you keep judgment from entering your mind (and those of others with whom you do this exercise).
These types of questions will allow you to get to the HEART of Creativity within your organization.
Are you ready, able, and willing to change your environment to bring successful creativity into your workplace?
It’s up to you.
For expert facilitation of questions such as these, contact
Suzy Allegra, entrepreneur, artist, and author of How to Be Ageless: Growing Better, Not Just Older!, and Where’s Your Organization’s HEART? Questions to Propel Your Business to Greatness. She helps organizations pump up their bottom line and expand their heart through employee retention. Through her art-based presentations and other media tools, clients learn how to lead more productive and fulfilling lives. She can be reached at: (602) 331-3929; toll-free: (866) JOY2AGE, or email: suzy@suzyallegra.com
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