I had an interesting conversation the other week with a course colleague who asked why being creative mattered to someone like them – a senior leader in a global professional services firm.
It’s easy to imagine that creativity isn’t important in amongst the meetings and KPIs. I think this is because we’ve separated off the idea of ‘the creative industries’ or any personal artistic practice into some other space outside regular business.
If we think that creativity is only is about painting and poetry, it’s easy to feel that it’s nothing to do with our everyday work lives. And yet employers are increasingly looking for people capable of breakthrough thinking and transformational insights. Why don’t we recognise these skills as being creative?
I wondered – if we accept that business relies on the ability to be creative in this broader sense, what difference would it make if you were to think of developing your creative muscles in the same way as working out?
We know that even if you don’t go to the gym or do yoga, your body will carry you along and (for the lucky majority) do what you need it to do anyway. It will get you through the demands of the day and deposit you on the sofa when you’re done.
But we also know that if you do go to the gym or do your asanas regularly, your body gets stronger. It becomes more able to sprint to that meeting or play with the kids. If you strengthen your body through exercising, it gets fitter inside and out and does what it needs to do more easily. And it feels good too. Endorphins! Hurrah!
Working out your creative muscles is pretty much the same. It improves your mental agility and your empathy.
Pursuing a creative practice strengthens your critical thinking, opens up your imagination and makes you better at problem solving. It gives you new perspectives. These are key skills in the workplace today. It’s also fun and good for your emotional wellbeing. Result!
My friend hadn’t thought of creativity that way before, hadn’t seen that the kind of thinking required in their work could be boosted by something so apparently unconnected. But if you think about it, creativity improves almost anything – from the interpretation of an RFP, constructing a legal argument, innovating in packaging, to solving an operational challenge. Swap in the words ‘imagination,’ ‘inventiveness,’ ‘questioning,’ or ‘fresh thinking’ and you quickly see that the need for creative muscle is everywhere.
If you’d like to start working on your creative muscle with regular coaching support, I’m running a small-group, 12 week programme based on Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way in January. You can find out more here and email any questions to hello@storyroad.co.uk.
Or if you’d like to talk about ways to boost the creative strength of your team whatever your line of work, get in touch at hello@storyroad.co.uk.