Scott Jeffrey » Creativity

Fear versus Caution

Scott Jeffrey — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:00:39 +0000

Is fear crippling your business?

Fear is a primal emotion associated with a low level of consciousness. Some people think fear is an important part of our survival. It’s not. Caution is what’s important. Caution and fear are not the same. We survive in spite of fear, not because of it.

Fear shuts down our executive functions—our ability to think and make decisions. Fear causes paralysis, kills creativity, and limits our growth.

People who operate from fear are unhappy. Businesses that operate from fear may survive, but they never thrive.

Caution means that you’re aware of potential pitfalls and take precautions when necessary. Caution keeps us alert. Caution doesn’t tangle us up in a web of emotions like fear does. Caution doesn’t hinder our ability to stay relaxed and focused. We can be cautious and still think and act with reason and accountability.

Fear can be pervasive within any person or business. When fear becomes our default position to act, think, talk, and make decisions, we are debilitated.

Caution is used only when needed, like after a fruitful brainstorm where many ideas are created. Caution helps Black Hat your ideas, searching for the potential pitfalls you missed in the idea generation stage of the creative process. In fear, creative ideas are rarely discovered.

Let go of fear and utilize caution when appropriate. The benefits you’ll reap are beyond measure.

Eight Creative Problem-Solving Techniques

Scott Jeffrey — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:00:34 +0000

When faced with a difficult challenge, realize that you have multiple ways to approach a solution:

1) Ask Compelling Questions

Use “what if?” questions to project different scenarios into the future. In A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative, Roger Von Oech, says, “In the imaginative phase, you ask questions such as: What if? Why not? What rules can we break? What assumptions can we drop? How about if we looked at this backwards? Can we borrow a metaphor from another discipline? The motto of the imaginative phase is: Thinking something different.”

2) Explore Context

Many problems arise because we neglect to zoom out from the content of the problem and examine the overall context of the situation. If sales are down, instead of revisiting your sales strategy examine the context of your overall industry. Has your industry changed? Are you disconnected with your customer’s needs? Is your product becoming obsolete? Take an expansive viewpoint before narrowing in on the specific problem.

3) Seek Wisdom

In Mastering the Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success, author Andy Andrews recommends putting together a personal Board of Directors, “advisors” for various areas of your life. Asking an experienced advisor from outside your industry for their thoughts on your problem can yield insightful perspectives. Even better: Instead of asking them what they would do in your situation, ask them what question they would ask.

4) Walk Away

Sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to stop trying to solve it. Walking away from the problem brings forth the Wanderer archetype and the potential for hearing the Muse’s Call. The key is knowing when to let go of trying to solve the problem.

5) Mind Map It

Mind mapping is a visually-oriented brainstorming process using free association, colors and illustrations around a central theme. Read this post for a 60 second tutorial.

6) Switch Roles

Our minds tend to get locked into old patterns, leading to what’s called “paradigm blindness.” If you have a marketing-related problem, try putting on an engineer’s hat—or even a gardener’s hat. The idea is to shift your perspective so you can approach the problem from a new angle.

7) Use the Six Thinking Hats

Speaking of hats, de Bono’s Six Hats method provides you and your team with six different perspectives to utilize when tackling a problem. It’s an ideal tool for group brainstorming and problem solving.

8 ) Generate a Plethora of Ideas

As Aaron Shields points out in Creativity in the Workplace, research suggests that the most effective way to uncover the best solution is to brainstorm as many ideas as you can in a nonjudgmental environment before evaluating them.

There are numerous pathways to get to the answer you seek. Some pathways, however, are more effective than others. The key is to experiment with various methods to uncover which ones work best for you.

Different methods will be more effective in different contexts. Here, wisdom and intuition come into play.

Dancing with Creativity

Scott Jeffrey — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:41:26 +0000

Creativity doesn’t happen through brute force. When you try to force the creative process, you usually move backwards. Yet, you can’t remain passive either.

Learn to dance with the creative process. Listen to the music and trust you will find a way.

Above all else, learn to be patient. This will be the most difficult task for many of us because we tend to want immediate gratification. We demand results now—and may skip steps to get “there” quicker.

The creative process is an elegant dance with no true beginning or end. The beauty and magic of life is in the dance itself—unbridled and always changing.

When we learn to embrace each moment of the dance as if it was our first, we open up to an incredible new world. Only then do we possess the power to create what we want and have a whole lot of fun in the process.

In The Dancing Wu Li Masters, Gary Zukav had this to say about the dance: “This is another characteristic of a Master. Whatever he does, he does with the enthusiasm of doing it for the first time. This is the source of his unlimited energy. Every lesson that he teaches (or learns) is a first lesson. Every dance that he dances, he dances for the first time. It is always new, personal and alive.”

Uninhibited, passionate and playful, we dance onward, reveling in each step, each note and each fluid movement. Our dance partners are faith and intuition; our dance floor is Planet Earth, and the dance itself is our own true creation.

Are you ready to dance?

Your Creative Identity

Scott Jeffrey — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:58:55 +0000

Creative professionals and knowledge workers thrive on their ability to generate ideas and operate in a state of effortless flow. A consciously developed Creative Identity can help strength your connection to the creative impulse.

A creative identity is your internal representation of how you see yourself, a composite of your imagination, resourcefulness and genius.

The person who consistently comes up with great ideas usually has a strong creative identity. Those who struggle to be creative or don’t even attempt to do so, usually have weak creative identities.

Regardless of your profession, however, you can always enhance your creative identity by re-inventing yourself—by consciously designing a creative persona.

How do foster your Creative Identity?

1) Answer the following questions (and record your answers):

How would you define yourself?
What are your beliefs about your creative abilities?
Do you believe ideas are hard to come by or are they abundantly available?
Do you have the ability to contribute and positively impact others?
What do you do (have you done) that you are most proud of?

2) Take the answers to the above questions and create a statement about your Creative Identity—a paragraph that states your creative intention and ability.

3) Upon rising in the morning, put on some inspirational music, get into an energized state and read your Creativity Identity statement. Try to feel the words as you read them.

4) Repeat this exercise for 14 straight days or until you feel your identity shift. You’ll begin to notice more ideas arising at unexpected times.

Your creative identity can help determine future decisions and projects.

Until now, you may have been unaware of limiting beliefs about your creative capacity. Clarify who you want to become, grab hold of your creative powers and manifest the unimaginable.

Five Surefire Ways To Be Uncreative

Scott Jeffrey — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:00:58 +0000

Creativity arises when the inner, psyche conditions and the external, environmental conditions are appropriate. Instead of focusing on how to be more creative, it’s often more rewarding to stop doing things that inadvertently hinder creativity.

Here are five things executives often do to block the creative flow.

1) Sit in front of your computer all day.

The muse is unlikely to visit while you are sitting at your desk aimlessly staring at your monitor all day. The muse has left the building, and frankly, you probably can do the same. Get up and go outside for a walk.

2) Ensure your day is full of distractions.

Information overload converges from every direction. Staying busy is easy; producing creative results is not. Too many executives sacrifice their innate creativeness in exchange for a relentless stream of demands. Block off time at work and minimize your distractions.

3) Read the same things you’ve been reading.

Reading the latest business book may not be the most valuable use of your time. You can end up chasing the latest trend while you perpetually fall behind in your industry. Be willing to explore ideas, fields, and disciplines outside your comfort zone and make connections back to what you know.

4) Get stressed and emotionally unbalanced.

Part of the challenge of living a life full of distractions is that it tends to activate the “survival self,” which shuts down access to the creative impulse. Learn to let go of negative emotions as they arise without getting “hooked” by them.

5) Assume creative ideas come from your head.

Creative geniuses throughout time have intuited that their ideas didn’t arise from themselves. Operate from a profound level of humility without the need to be the “creator” of your work.

The creative waters are within us; we need only crack the damn and witness the creative forces flowing of its own.

Running on Empty

Scott Jeffrey — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:00:58 +0000

A basic tenet in systems theory states that the system with the most diversity has the least amount of energy. Water pushed through a thin hose will have more force than water sent through multiple holes of a sprinkler.

Look at your mind as a system (a highly complex one), and you’ll see how this tenet holds: The more scattered your attention, the less energy you have for creative output.

This means that if you operate in a space of constant distraction and information overload, your creative reservoir is small. Our modern world is built around information overload. In fact, from my observation of numerous corporations, it appears as though most executives are running on empty—and many people don’t even realize it.

The prevailing belief system in corporate America is if you’re not in a meeting, responding to email, writing a document or developing a pitch, you’re not working. If you’re not staring at a monitor, a Blackberry or a stack of papers, you’re not doing your job.

This belief system guarantees an endless cycle of distraction, energy depletion and a dearth of creative inspiration.

Changing corporate culture is difficult and often painfully slow, but worth the effort. For now, start noticing when you’re running on fumes. Allow yourself moments of rest. Power down your cell phone and go for a short walk or just gaze aimlessly at the top of a tree.

You’ll be amazed at the experiential benefits 15 minutes of stillness has on your mental systems. Recharge and watch your creative energy tank overflow with ideas.

Try Mind Mapping

Scott Jeffrey — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:32:35 +0000

It’s difficult to engage in creative work because our minds tend to process information in a linear fashion (“left-brain” dominance) whereas creativity is largely a nonlinear (“right brain”) process.

Anything you can do to activate both brain hemispheres simultaneously is likely to stimulate creative flow.

Juggling is one way to integrate both brain hemispheres. But you’ll likely irritate your co-workers if you walk around the office tossing balls in the air.

Mind mapping is another option. Originally developed by Tony Buzan, author of The Mind Mapping Book, mind mapping is a process of free association with words and images. Mind mapping helps link the creative and analytic sides of your brain to facilitate creative work.

To draw a mind map, first determine the purpose of your map (e.g., brainstorm solutions to a business problem, make a difficult decision or plan a big event).

Then:

Start by drawing a central image or word in the center of a blank page or whiteboard.
Begin freely associating words and drawing images stemming from the central idea.
Use different colors and make imaginative drawings (don’t be a boring adult—play like a kid).

Give it a try. It’s a lot of fun and can be highly effective for brainstorming alone or with a team.

Here are some examples of mind maps from around the web.

Creative Geniuses Surrender to the Moment

Scott Jeffrey — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:00:40 +0000

Even the tenacious devotion of the creative genius must at some point “let go.” Creative inspiration doesn’t come from sheer will, but through the willingness to relinquish control and enter the state of wandering.

The ability to let go—to surrender to the moment—is perhaps more difficult than a laborious decade of study. In our Western world, we tend to neglect the wanderer within.

Our lives are inundated with perpetual activities, work and family, emails and phone calls, and other demands of life. Yet, it is those rare moments of allowing when the creative impulse ignites. Intense study and practice is likened to swimming upriver; surrendering to the creative impulse is like floating downstream.

Periods of reverie are a prerequisite for inspiration. The analytical mind drifts aside, allowing the intuitive mind to align to inspired ideas.

Playwright Neil Simon acknowledged this altered state of consciousness by saying, “I slip into a state that is apart from reality. My mind wanders—even when I talk.”

We’ve all experienced these precious moments of insight while taking a shower, driving on the freeway or walking through the woods.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart reflects, “When I am, as it were, completely myself, entirely alone, and of good cheer—say, traveling in a carriage, or walking after a good meal, or during the night when I cannot sleep; it is on such occasions that my ideas flow best and most abundantly. Whence and how they come, I know not; nor can I force them.”

Poet Rudyard Kipling also understood the need to lay the conscious mind aside and embrace the wanderer: “When your Daemon is in charge, do not try to think consciously. Drift, wait and obey.”

Exercise: Commit to walking in nature, cracking open your journal, reading poetry or sitting silently. Schedule time, even just 20 minutes, to minimize distractions and surrender to the moment.

The Origin of Ideas

Scott Jeffrey — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:12:59 +0000

Most people assume ideas originate from our brains, as if there’s a idea-generating machine inside that is always “on,” except during sleep when the dream machine takes over.

Neuroscientists are unable to locate the “place” from which these ethereal enigmas arise; they can only determine what parts of the brain get activated after the thought has registered.

Mystics and philosophers, however, have proclaimed since antiquity that thoughts arise of their own, characterizing them as impersonal. Although difficult to fathom, with honest, introspective observation, one can easily confirm that thoughts arise of their own—whether you want them to or not.

This realization brings up the next big question: Where do thoughts and ideas come from?

Psychiatrist and consciousness researcher David R. Hawkins confirms that thoughts arise from the infinite field of consciousness itself, a sort of collective nonlinear pool of knowledge existing beyond time and space.

This infinite field is known by different names by various religions and schools of thought. Western religions call it God; Eastern philosophy calls it the Self (capital “S”).

A unique explanation of the nature of consciousness is found in Hawkins’ Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior, and summarized in my book Creativity Revealed: Discovering the Source of Inspiration.

Although the topic of consciousness might seem too intellectual or abstract to some readers, the benefits of this research are extraordinary for virtually every field of study—including creativity.

The Capital of Creativity

Scott Jeffrey — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:48:29 +0000

The source of all wealth isn’t found in mega corporations, financial markets or even your local bank. The source of all wealth springs forth from the creative impulse.

What else but creativity can be responsible for such inventions as the car, computer, airplane or electricity?

Intelligence and business acumen are necessary to transform a creative idea into a financial empire. The origin of any financial empire, however, is a novel idea.

Walt Disney reflected, “It all started when my daughters were very young and I took them to amusement parks on Sunday … I sat on a bench eating peanuts and looking all around me. I said to myself, dammit, why can’t there be a better place to take your children, where you can have fun together?”

From this single idea, the Disney Empire was born. (Current market capitalization: $46.5 Billion)

A creative idea—powered by human ingenuity—can produce the miraculous. This is true in any time period—especially in economic downturns.

George Gilder of the Discovery Institute writes, “The crucial conflict … is not between rich and poor, Main Street and Wall Street, or even government and the private sector. It is between the established system and the new forms of wealth rising up to displace it—all the entrenched knowledge of the past and the insurrections of futuristic enterprise and invention.”

Wealth is the natural consequence of fully aligning to the creative impulse. Cherish the capital of creativity, nurture it and witness the fruits of ingenuity.