Am I Creative?

Am I Creative?
by Sam McLaren, service improvement analyst

One of the aims of becoming a Digital Council set out in the Digital Dorset Vision is to become more innovative and creative.

So, what better way to showcase this than to take part in a week revolving around celebrating and encouraging creativity and innovation!

Last week (19th-23rd) was International Creativity week. A trio of passionate and creative individuals came together to promote creativity in the organisation. We ran brainstorms, activities, and a #whatinspires me campaign.

But why is creativity so important?

When many people think of creativity, they think of artists, graphic designers, writers, painters, etc.

But that’s not what it means to be creative, because creativity doesn’t necessarily mean artistry. Yes, an artist could be creative, but so could a software engineer, a mathematician, a social worker, or a CEO.

Creativity has become a buzzword that gets thrown around with countless thought pieces in business news trying to answer the questions “What is creativity?” and “Is everyone a creative?”

In a world of seeing other people’s artistic ‘greatness’ flashed over social media, how do you reconcile what it means about you and your talent when you can’t think of amazing outside of the box ideas or produce an extremely detailed sketch of your morning coffee?
Creativity has a lot of meanings and means a lot of things to different people. I see creativity as the ability to derive meaning from things and make connections between them. This is idea generation in its simplest form.

In your team, your service or even the whole organisation, take a moment to think how you are creative and innovative. If you’re not sure how to answer, how can you ‘change how we think and behave, to see ourselves as more creative, innovative and adaptable’?
The real secret to great creativity is it’s a skill you need to practice, just like any other skill.

How do I improve?

The first and best way to start being creative is to suspend your judgment and self-criticism. We are our own worst critics. Insecurity in your abilities can suppress creativity, which is why it is important to build confidence by practising.

When brainstorming or problem solving the goal is to generate as many ideas as possible in a relatively short span of time. Instead of simply going with the first idea you have, take the time to think of other possible ways to approach the situation. Ten ideas minimum will mean that you really have to think and not just pick the first few ‘easy options’.

This simple activity is a great way to build both your problem-solving and creative thinking skills

Never expect creativity to just happen. Look for new sources of inspiration that will give you fresh ideas and motivate you to generate unique answers to questions. Read a book, watch a TED talk, visit a museum, listen to your favourite music or engage in a lively conversation. Use whatever strategy or technique works best for you and you will notice your creativity start to flourish.

You might not be able to change your entire team or service but if you channel your inner creativity then it will encourage others. It only takes one person to make a change, let it begin with you…

Dorset Council