Stimulate creative thinking | Don’t kill creativity

 

Creative skills are becoming increasingly important for organizations. Standing out is no longer achieved by following the market, but by innovating and creating. The term “steal like an artist” does not mean copying or taking things without inspiration. On the contrary, you draw inspiration from your surroundings and use it to nourish and stimulate your own creative thinking, feeling, and actions.

• What is creativity? (meaning)
• Why is creative thinking important?
• A child’s creativity – Don’t kill creativity!
• Examples of creative thinking
• Creative thinking exercise

What is creativity? (meaning)

Creativity is the ability to come up with and/or create new ideas and applications. It influences a person’s thinking, feeling, and actions. Someone who thinks creatively, for example, can develop original and out-of-the-box solutions. They use their imagination to envision possible scenarios and work them out theoretically or abstractly.

On the other hand, there are also creative makers, who focus more on developing (doing) ideas into something tangible. This includes, for example, artists, writers, and other creative professions.

Creativity includes several skills, such as:

• Creative perception – The ability to look at a situation from a perspective different from your own.
• Imagination – The ability to visualize and emotionally experience a hypothetical situation.
• Divergent thinking – The ability to generate alternative solutions and viewpoints.
• Opportunity thinking – Postponing judgment in order to explore opportunities without limits.
• Parallel thinking – Making associations and connections between unrelated things to generate new ideas.
• Creative expression – Expressing, designing, or developing a vision or idea into reality.
• – …

Creative individuals are able to think beyond their own perspective. Because they can easily place themselves in other perspectives, they often discover original connections that lead to new ideas. The expression of creativity differs from person to person. Some choose a creative profession, while others apply their creative skills in different contexts.

Why is creative thinking important?

In a world full of change, creativity enables adaptability and innovation. Creative thinking is therefore becoming increasingly important for organizations. In addition, there are many benefits to developing and stimulating creativity.

Creative people:

• Have an open mindset
• Can adopt different perspectives
• Think in a solution-oriented way
• See more opportunities
• Are proactive and innovative
• Draw inspiration from their surroundings
• Are adaptable and flexible
• Gain happiness and fulfillment from their work
• …

The ability to quickly generate ideas and solutions is also extremely valuable for companies and teams. By encouraging creative thinking, organizations can respond quickly and adapt regardless of the situation or context. However, it is important to create a safe environment where people feel comfortable taking risks and experimenting.

A Child’s Creativity – Don’t kill creativity!

Everyone is born with creativity. Unfortunately, many people unlearn this skill as they grow older. Children, for example, act out of curiosity. They want to discover, and the best way to do that is through experience.

A child does not think about possible negative consequences. They are brave and have the courage to try new things. They dare to fall and get back up, try and try again until they succeed! That is a child’s creativity.

Adults, on the other hand, often create barriers for themselves. They worry about possible negative outcomes. As a result, we often limit our own creativity out of fear of being wrong, failing, or not being accepted. Innovation often feels like a risk. This has a lot to do with how we deal with mistakes, causing us to unlearn our natural talents.

For innovation, it is therefore essential to create a safe environment where trial and error is the norm. It requires courage, curiosity, and perseverance. Without the willingness to fall, there can be no originality.

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Examples of creative thinking

After Storm Eunice, these children immediately saw playground equipment in a bench that had been blown over by the storm! Without fear and with great courage, they decided to climb on it — willing to fall, and above all, focused on having fun.

Or simply go windsurfing. Just a shopping bag, a skateboard, and nature!

In Zwevegem as well, a fallen tree was used creatively. The children even got a temporary extra playground feature!

Creative Thinking Exercise

How many uses can you think of for a paperclip? Most people do not get beyond ten to fifteen ideas. Children, on the other hand, reach a “genius” level. The older we get, the fewer possibilities we tend to see. This has a lot to do with the limits we impose on ourselves.

We make excuses, worry about negative consequences, and as a result remain stuck in the analysis phase instead of taking action. However, you can only discover what happens by actually doing it.

Do you want to stimulate creative thinking in your team? Then use this exercise! So, how many uses can you come up with?

Discover more interactive exercises on our free coaching tools page!