CREATIVITY: TO TRY IS TO FAIL BY CHARLIE NAUS

In my experience, creativity is not planned. Creativity is not generated in moments like when you have finished your homework and you “sit down to be creative for an hour.” Creativity is about being in the present moment and using what’s around you to stimulate you. As someone who has never really considered myself creative, I have learned that I actually am quite creative– but only in the situations where I realize it after I have created something. Are you with me on that? I hope so.

For example, when I “sit down to be creative” I never come up with anything memorable. It’s the times when I am with a group of friends on a hike, or reading a magazine about advertising, or even just looking out my window with a cup of coffee. The ideas where I say to myself, “damn, that’s a darn good idea” occur when I don’t actually expect them to. So that’s my lesson. Don’t try to be creative, because when you do, you just think of forced ideas. The memorable ideas will come when you’re giving full attention to what’s around you, no matter what or who you’re looking at or listening to.