Key Messages
Nurture Your Creative Muscle And Reap The Benefits Of Creative Confidence
Flexing your creative muscle is more important than ever before, and Creative Confidence by Tom and David Kelley shows you how to do so.
It teaching readers how to rediscover their creativity, drawing on the authors’ experiences at design and innovation firm IDEO, as well as the d.school at Stanford.
The book also shares examples such as how one member of The Beatles nearly gave up his career to pursue manufacturing–but thanks to taking a risk with his creativity, he found success.
You’ll learn why it’s better to fail instead of succeeding on the first try, and how having the “do something” mind-set can open new opportunities.
These lessons demonstrate that anybody can exercise their imagination and benefit from boosting their creativity.
These skills are great tools for designing a life that aligns with one’s values and aspirations–and Creative Confidence will show you exactly how.
We Are All Born Creative And Can Be Trained To Find Innovative Solutions
Creativity is not just about producing sheer masterpieces or works of art.
It’s about taking the broadest approach to thinking and finding innovative solutions for all sorts of situations.
Whether it be creating a breathtaking painting, sculpting iconic pieces out of marble blocks, scripting music, inventing something new or even problem-solving–creativity is truly expansive and on different levels.
The way Doug Mietz transformed MRI machines into exciting pirate ships and UFOs is one example of this breadth of creativity that can accompany analytical types, like employers and programmers.
Creativity isn’t something we relinquish when we become adults; rather, you could consider it as a strong muscle that requires some training in order to flex again.
We must never forget that even those who are not seen as the traditional artists or “creatives” have the aptitude to use their imaginations in incredible ways.
Creativity Is No Longer Reserved For The Artsy Types; Today’S Businesses Are Seeing The Value Of Creative Thinking
When we think about creativity, traditionally it has been considered something for those artistic types.
Thankfully, after years of being viewed as irrelevant, creativity is becoming a highly prized quality.
It’s seen as necessary to succeed in complex and global markets – according to a 2019 survey by IBM, Creativity was the single most important trait for CEOs regarding innovation solutions.
No longer is it acceptable for young adults to be told to put away their dreams in favor of more “secure” jobs in transportation or manufacturing industries.
Kids have started to be encouraged at school to be creative and let their imagination run wild – embracing outside the box thinking instead of simply obeying the rules.
Companies are recognizing just how creatively powerful an employee can be with access to collaborative tools and specialized education.
Businesses are investing in this idea and giving employees an environment where they feel supported and empowered when it come to exploring their own ingenuity right at work.
Using Design Thinking To Flex Your Creative Muscles And Overcome Your Fears Of Being Creative
The first step to unlocking your inner creativity is having the courage to explore it.
Many people believe that they don’t have the creativity to come up with innovative ideas, but this isn’t true!
Everyone has a creative muscle that can be trained, and believing in yourself is the best way to start tapping into it.
It might be intimidating at first, but once you take that leap of faith and start exploring the depths of your own creativity, the reward will be worth it.
To make it easier, think about creating a roadmap for yourself – one that takes you through all the techniques you’ll need to develop your creative muscles.
This can include things like design thinking: immersing yourself in environments and talk to people who have experienced problems in order to come up with new solutions.
Developing courage and exploring your creativity ultimately leads to discovering a new version of yourself; it’s an empowering process filled with moments of surprise and achievement.
Believe in yourself and give yourself some space – both emotionally and physically – to try out different ideas without judgement.
It might take some time, but when you find an idea that works for you, it’ll all be worth it!
The Wright Brothers’ Story: How Failure Leads To Success
The book Creative Confidence reveals that success and failure go hand in hand.
You’ve got to allow yourself to fail if you want to succeed.
Take the example of the great genius’ such as Mozart and Thomas Edison – even these giant minds didn’t find success with their first attempt, but rather by learning from their failures.
Professor Simonton of the University of California discovered that these iconic creative geniuses actually failed more than others, yet they still persevered and achieved great things.
Rather than quit, they kept going and used their mistakes to modify their next attempts so that they were closer to the mark.
It’s a paradox: sometimes, it’s actually better not to succeed at first attempt in order to progress further down the line.
Consider the story of the Wright brothers who we now know achieved flight back in 1903 – they had hundreds of unmanned trials beforehand which allowed them to perfect and adjust their design ready for take-off!
So don’t be scared to fail; use your failures making positive steps leading towards success.
Gaining Inspiration By Thinking With “New Eyes”: How To Find Creativity Through Fresh Experiences
Are you looking for creative inspiration? Have you been waiting around for ideas to magically appear in your head? Don’t wait around any longer – gaining creative confidence starts with exploring new experiences.
The authors of Creative Confidence suggest that taking new experiences can expand our perspectives and open up otherwise hidden opportunities for us.
For example, two of the authors’ students went on a journey to various countries and hospitals in order to gain insights into how to reduce child mortality.
This led them to develop a sleeping pouch with a built-in heating pad, which has had a huge impact on the lives of many children living in harsh climates.
But what if you don’t have the opportunity (or funds) to travel around the world? That doesn’t stop you from gaining valuable insights – simply start seeing everything with fresh eyes, as if it was all brand new and unfamiliar.
Challenge yourself to ask “why” when faced with mundane tasks or environments – by digging deeper into reasoning behind certain behaviours or products you can find ways to improve them.
Taking new experiences can help unlock your inner creativity and provide you with valuable guideance towards your goals!
Working In Teams Is The Best Way To Exercise Your Creativity
When it comes to unleashing your creativity and creating innovative ideas, there is nothing better than having the support and encouragement of a team.
As outlined in the Creative Confidence book, working with other people is not only beneficial when it comes to reducing stress and unlocking potential, but also increases your chances of making your most creative ideas come true.
At the consulting firm IDEO, authors highlight how you can work with other passionate people in order to achieve great results by using the wall-sized blackboard that was installed – where colleagues can jot down their own ideas, questions and quotes as a source of inspiration for one another.
This idea helps ensure that each person will have access to not just their own idea bank but to the collective knowledge of all those involved in the collaboration.
By working with others who share your passions and are able to provide positive feedback and inspiring thoughts to help push you out of any creative rut you might find yourself in, it allows you to use teamwork and collective energy for greater output which ultimately leads to enhanced creativity.
So don’t be afraid to reach out for help from friends or colleagues whose skills complement yours – it is sure to yield great results!
Stop Every Chance Of Regret – Seize The Opportunities That Life Presents With Creativity And Courage
Having the “do something” mind-set is key to successfully and confidently taking advantage of opportunities that present themselves in our lives.
We all know there are times when we should take action – like applying for a new job or going up to talk to that attractive person at the bar – but we find ourselves too scared to do so.
We don’t want to be seen as failures, so instead of facing an uncertain outcome, we just sit down and stare from afar.
However, this type of fear-driven inaction will limit our potential for growth and may ultimately lead to unpleasant results.
Luckily, with the right mind-set, we can get ourselves moving in the right direction and end up creating something unique and beautiful out of it!
We saw this with John Keefe – who was able to use his creativity to create a hack into the Transit Authority website which enabled listeners on his radio station to quickly view bus arrival information in real time.
The Pursuit Of Balance: Finding Harmony Between Money And Passion
When you’re searching for the perfect job, it can be hard to choose between a career that pays well and one that allows you to pursue your passions.
Too often, these two options are mutually exclusive.
The Creative Confidence book describes how Tom Kelly faced this exact dilemma after leaving his job as a consultant for an opportunity at IDEO which allowed him to pursue his passions but wouldn’t pay as much as his previous role offered.
After days of grueling thought, he decided to put his passion first and declined the offer.
This goes to show that it is possible to find a balance between money and passion in order to find a job that fulfills all your desires – not just financially, but emotionally too.
If you can dare to be creative about finding ways to satisfy your needs, then it’s possible to create stability both in terms of finances and personal satisfaction from meaningful work.
This balance might take some time and effort, but when you’re finally able feel fulfilled both economically and personally from your career its worth it!
Unlock Your Creative Potential To Unleash A Happier Life
When you tap into your creative potential, both your work and personal lives can be vastly improved.
Not only will employers notice your innovation, engagement and creativity at work, you’ll also enjoy the recognition and success that comes with taking charge of new ideas.
CEOs who allow themselves to get involved in out-of-the-box projects gain palpable benefits, leading to more career growth.
The same holds true for lawyers who are able to look at tough cases through a different lens–and win!
It’s not just your professional life that will benefit either; nurturing your creative self is essential for finding personal happiness too.
When we become uninspired or discontent with our life trajectory at any point, having a creative mindset helps us find joy in the little things such as watching the leaves change color in the fall or admiring our children playing first thing in the morning.
Relearning how to view life with fresh eyes reinvigorates us and motivates us to go after our dreams.
So don’t shy away from channeling your creativity–it can be beneficial on so many levels and set you up for greater satisfaction in life by inspiring you while improving the level of work that you do.
Wrap Up
Creative Confidence has one key message: creativity isn’t just for artists, it’s in all of us.
For people to access their creative side, they’ll need to take a leap of faith and face the fear of failure.
To help, this book provides actionable advice like giving children the gift of creative thinking and letting them explore, make mistakes and come up with novel solutions.
The final summary is that rather than being focused on perfectionism or conforming to society‘s expectations, we should instead strive for creative confidence by embracing our own uniqueness.
