Sometimes I get caught up in the process: developing a goal and working on the distinct steps to reach that goal. By focusing on the process and outcomes, I often miss more comprehensive ideas that could be used to better projects or the efficiency of group work.  However, I never labeled myself as a “creative.” I used to think I wasn’t the “creative type” and that my brother and sister were the creatives of the family. I would have to search harder for my talent, because being creative (through music or art) wasn’t my forte.

This year, through my education and opportunities in my life, I realized it was time to redefine creativity. Creativity is not special talent for a select few. It is not a label, but an approach to living that can be incorporated in work and play. In fact, I think that creativity is as crucial to career success and how life is lived; it is your bank account.

Your bank account at one point in your life starts out small. At a young age, it is difficult to grow because of low paying jobs. But once you become more established in your career, it grows faster and bigger (hopefully). When more money is in your account, you can buy and do more things. Creativity takes the same concept.

At first, it is difficult to draw ideas. But once you work on your creativity, like you work on your career, it is easier to build up your creativity account.  Once you are established, developing creative ideas isn’t as difficult as it seems.

Creativity can be learned. It can be learned if you force yourself to take in your surroundings and draw ideas from them.

Creativity isn’t about art. It’s about finding new, more efficient ways to doing things as it applies to your life.

Perhaps you are a business major or focusing on a career that shouldn’t necessarily be labeled “creative.” While Enron may have been labeled “creative accounting,” you can still find creative ways to more effectively do your job and live your life.

Here are a couple of things I have done recently to increase my creative account:
1.    I take a picture everyday and post it to my Tumblr. Sometimes it’s something that inspires me, other times its funny or just something I want to remember. This forces me to think in terms of what I am looking at and how it is framed in the progression of my life.
2.    I keep a drawing pad with me at all times. Sometimes I doodle, other times I write how I am feeling, sometimes I write ideas for Web sites, posts, products.
3.    Forced association of words. I learned this from a professor at Emerson. If you have an idea, take a word that is completely different and apply it to your idea. For example, the metaphor I used for this post is a forced association between creativity and banking.

The ability to draw ideas is what fuels inspiration and innovation. Creativity is what drives product development, social change, and more efficient ways to live. It’s an approach to life, not a label that places you in a box.

-Carla