How Creativity Works For The Rest of Us – Ryan Bonaparte

Creativity is usually associated with “creative types,” those who professions and hobbies include art, music, design, etc. While it’s true that these people do rely heavily on their creative skills, there is room for a bit of creativity in everyone’s life.

I spend a lot of time looking around me and just observing, especially watching people. I look at the way people do their jobs, how they choose to park their cars, what they do when it unexpectedly starts to rain, you name it.

One of the consistent things I’ve noticed about people, is that people are unpredictable. Sure, if a parking lot is full, most people will decide to park elsewhere, but more often than not, people do unexpected things.

Why am I talking about parking cars and what does that have to do with creativity? Well, because even the most mundane act (parking) can be changed when creativity is applied to it. I’ve seen people create complex plans on positioning themselves to be optimally placed to grab the next available space. I have seen people come up with some of the most creative ways of accomplishing tedious tasks, while maintaining their sanity.

Really, when it comes down to it, we all have areas of our lives where a little creativity would go a long way. So, why not do that? Why not try something new and see how it turns out?

One of the things you start to realize when you try to add creativity to your life is that it builds on itself. The more you do it, the more naturally it comes. Soon you start to realize places where you thought you were stuck, that you now know how to work around.

The Challenge

So, I challenge each of you to think about something you do that you’ve taken for granted in that it’s the only way to do it. It could be something at your job, something for your family, or even just your commute. Once you have that thing, think of three different ways to do it. They don’t have to be major changes, or even be easier/better.

For me, the task that comes to mind is getting ready for work in the morning. Seems pretty trivial, but it’s something I do everyday and pretty much follows the same steps. As I think of three ways of changing that up (ex: setting clothes out at night, organizing my closet differently, setting the kettle to boil earlier), my mind keeps going and I’ve got even more to try out.

I bet that once you start to think of the three ways you can change a mundane task, you will come up with another few while you’re at it. Even more so, I think that you will start to realize that just the act of looking around you will get your brain working in better ways.

Creativity is an important part of growth and development, because it allows you to look at problems not as just problems, but as challenges that can be solved. The more you practice your creativity, the easier it will come to you in times of need.