3 ways to use creativity to be creative!

Say you've chosen a creative project, and moved along the path far enough to feel you're starting to get somewhere. Most of the time, an obstacle will arise. A time obstacle, a hitch in your plans, negative feedback from someone who really counts... something will come up.

Well, good news! There is an answer: more creativity. Each obstacle can be examined and framed as a creative challenge.  Not enough time? The creative challenge can be, "How can I make time for my project without sacrificing other things that are important?" If you think outside your normal patterns, there may be ways to shift your creativity time around to fit it in, or schedule a vacation break where you can focus 100% on your idea.

Here are three ways to use creativity to overcome obstacles:

• Redefine the obstacle as a creative challenge.  This is step one of the creative process: identification. How could you reframe "My mentor thinks this is a terrible idea!" as a creative challenge? Use your imagination here, just as you did when you first had your idea.

• Tap into your original motivation.  Your motivation--the reason you feel this is important--has carried you this far.  Go back to that place and sit with it until it fills you up again.  The creative energy you get from doing this should help you to restart your creative engines and find ways to get around barriers.

• Use your creativity to reshape your idea.  It's your motivation that matters, not the details of your idea.  If there's something about it that doesn't work, you can use that information to make it better!  J.K. Rowling has written about the number of characters she worked hard on who never made it into her books.  The ability to change your idea when you need to is a hallmark of successful creators.

Whatever you do, don't just give up because something's in the way.  The world of your creative imagination is rich and vast.  There is plenty of room to get around the obstacles.

Do you see what I see? The three traits of perception.

Creativity requires perceptions that open the mind and awaken it to unforeseen possibilities.  Perception isn't just passively taking things in:  it is conscious awareness or understanding of input from our senses.   You can train yourself to be more perceptive just as you can train yourself to be more decisive, or more organized.  The only requirement is the will to do so.


Being perceptive means seeing more than others see.  Typically, the reason we miss what's right under our noses is that we are distracted or operating on automatic.  The way to train yourself to be more perceptive is to focus and really look, listen, and strive to understand. 


As you go through your day, set aside time (such as a walk to the coffee shop) to develop these three traits:

• Actively observe. Clear away your assumptions and see your world with fresh eyes.

• Be curious. Why are things they the way they are? Do they have to be that way? How would you want them to be different?

• Perceive. Strive to internalize and understand what you observe, letting what you learn lead you to new ideas.

The more you practice, the easier you will find it to perceive.  And within those perceptions, you will find creative gold.