Practice Creativity to Get the Best Results
“To live a creative life we must lose our fear of being wrong.”
Creativity is a funny thing. People often label themselves as creative, or more likely they say, “Oh, I’m not the creative type.” If you’re in the former category, its time to rethink your creative position.
Especially in the building products industry, creativity is more than designing a great product, putting together a fabulous sales presentation or making your meetings exciting.
Creativity sparks innovation. Have you heard of the artist Henri Matisse? Old age and illness made using his hands more difficult and he became bedridden, but he didn’t let it be a hindrance. In fact, he made a breakthrough in his final years with a new form of art. He found that he could still hold and use scissors, so he cut out colored paper to form beautiful work.
Creativity not only sparks innovation, but also enhances product development outcomes. Designers who think outside the box can create materials that are more efficient, durable, and environmentally friendly.
Embracing creative strategies can lead to breakthroughs in functionality, reducing waste and increasing sustainability. These innovations help companies stand out in a competitive market while addressing consumers’ growing demand for eco-conscious products.
He made creativity a choice. He opened his mind to being creative and reached outside of his comfort zone. Are you doing the same thing? Here are some tips to add creativity to your life:
- Stretch yourself. Be like Matisse and don’t accept limitations. Set a goal that makes you make choices that you haven’t had to make before. This could be as simple as going for a walk over lunch, meeting in a new spot or rearranging the furniture in your office.
- Choose to connect with life and other people. Start a creative network of people that you can share ideas with and provide support to each other. This could be a professional organization in your area, a handful of like-minded people in the office or a new group waiting to be formed.
- Change. Think about the rules in your life… Do they need to change? Change can be scary, but it can also be powerful. The building products industry has been doing a lot of things because ‘it’s the way its been done’ but our industry is changing and now is the time to make changes to thrive in the future.
Use technology to boost your creative process. Tools like 3D printing and CAD software offer new ways to explore innovative ideas.
Virtual reality can be used for testing designs, allowing you to visualize projects before they hit the ground. Such technologies not only enhance creativity, but also improve collaboration and communication within teams, leading to more refined and impactful products.
Bottom line – choose to be the best you. Take the best ideas around you and improve on them and don’t hold back for the risk of failing.
For more information, check out Sam Harrison of Zing Zone, a creative author and speaker.
