The Creativity Ceiling
Filed under: Blogging, Practicals of Life
Does anyone ever feel that when you are wanting to do something creative, or given a task by someone and asked to just be creative that you often run into a cap or a ceiling that you just can’t get past?
I have often run into this ceiling and find myself often falling short of what I know that God has put inside of me. God is a ginormously creative God and with His help and some practical tips to guide us along the way we can bust through this ceiling found when calling upon the depths of our imagination.
Here are 6 ways
that Kim Roach over at Life Hack gives (and one I threw in at the end) on how to become a creative genius:
- Keep a Notebook and Pencil on hand at all times
- Ask Questions
- Be a Voracious Reader
- Seek Out New Experiences
- Become a Whole-Brain Thinker (Mind Mapping)
- Dialog with the Creator (*Changed for improvement)
I changed the last one a bit because I think it is much more useful to obtain real-time information from a real God who is able to give original thoughts from a source like no other, rather than an imaginary one like the article suggests (Read the article for more in depth thoughts on each of the items above).
Creativity isn’t just for “those type of people.” You can teach yourself to think creatively and develop your creative skills. You just have to work hard at it. We have grown up in a culture like Roach says where we have “created a world of employees who are very good at following directions but are not so good at developing new ideas.” But we can break out of this for those stuck under the ceiling.
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May 10th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
I have a design friend who I bounce projects off of to get his feedback and he’s always reminding me to ask God for ideas.
May 10th, 2007 at 11:40 pm
Yeah, I have the same problem. I’m feel like I can’t do anything creative when I sit down to do it. And I have a hard time with # 3. I blame the public education system for that one (because it’s easy and it’s true) but, I think I’m overly critical of myself so I end up getting rid of good ideas that could lead elsewhere or I just don’t really get started/finish.
It’s a discouraging cycle of annoyance. I’m working on it.
May 10th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
I find that I can create really great portions of things, but creating something really good from beginning to end is much harder. I have many half finished songs because of this dilemma. I think the only thing that’s going to be able to help me with that problem is following principle number 6.
May 11th, 2007 at 8:28 am
@ Portorikan: I used to have an extremely hard time make myself read books. I would never really have any drive to do it. But over the past few years I have started to read more and more and it started out with just one book and forcing myself to sit down and just do it. Reading is a definite must in creativity.
@ Stephanie: I hate it when I have unfinished projects. Which if I really thought about it I probably have a few lying around.
May 11th, 2007 at 10:34 am
I guess I’ve always been one of those people. Creativity comes easily for me and doing 1-4 is how I grew up and so that might have something to do with it. But I must say that since I’ve come to know Jesus and have a realationship with God the creator of all I’ve had more “God” ideas then I know what to do with. I have notebooks full of things that are so beyond my current capacities that it is often frustrating. I would ask God to surround me with partners or people who know more about this stuff than I so that we can begin to make some of this stuff happen. But as of late, especially with my new position over the children’s church, God has been telling me that He is my partner and that even if I’m the only adult in the room I am not alone. And He has been faithful to help me come up with creative ways to teach the Word of God in a way that keeps their attention. I think if we stay close to the Source of creativity (God) and allow Him to do the work through us, it will free us from having to produce something and as a result more will get done. Whenever I get so called writer’s block I pray and ask God about it and if He doesn’t answer right then, He usually wakes me in the night with the answer. And I keep a notebook and pen on my bedside table so I can be ready when He wakes me.
May 11th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
I have the same problem as Sam-I tend to be overly critical and throw out most ideas I come up with, even if they might not actually be all that bad.