Createvity

I always begin my workshops with my favourite ice-breaking question to the audience. The question goes like this – "How many of you consider yourself creative ?"

I usually find 5-7% of the crowd raising hands. At some fortunate occasions, it reaches 10% too. Never had it been more than that !

Then, I ask my next question –
"How many of you have ever tried breaking an apricot shell using the door hinge ?"
A few more hands rise.
And it goes on...

By the time I am down on seventh or eighth questions, close to 80% of people have their hands up. At some happy occasions, it reaches 100% too.

This little exercise helps me bust the biggest myth ever about creativity, which is – Creativity is all about colours, patterns, forms, lines, and textures

After this, the inevitable question spurts, mostly in the minds of the attendees, but many times a curious soul would ask it loudly too, "What is Creativity ?"

It is an internal process. One that is fuelled and rooted by the freedom to test new waters and apply new techniques, without letting the inside phobia of being judged that disturbs the experiment or analysis.

Creativity demands you to dare, to get curious, to observe and appreciate, to get inspired, and above all, to imagine without boundaries.

If you can do this, or if you do this - You are Creative.

Expressing that creativity more frequently helps you achieve the much-needed and much-wanted, 'Creative Confidence'.

During my many meetings with creative geniuses from across the world coming from different spectrums, two people who mesmerised me by what they are doing to make this world a better place are – Ms. Carrie Hammer, Founder and CEO of Luxury Fashion brand, 'CARRIE HAMMER' and Mr. Albert Bandura, a legendary psychologist and Stanford professor.

During a recent rendezvous with Ms. Hammer, I learned about her thought process behind her powerful campaign, "Role Models Not Runaway Models."

As she quotes:

"I think it's important that women understand that beauty comes from power, personality, and accomplishments. The women we put on the runway are all at the top of their respective fields." - Carrie Hammer

Fox mentioned it as "The Runway Revolution," when a model on the runway arrived in a wheelchair. Another woman dealing with Down syndrome stunned the crowd with her poise on the runway.

Carries is credited with accolades for kick-starting the "body positive" movement in the fashion and advertising industries. Empowering others with creativity is yet another aspect of beautifying and enhancing your creativity. Carrie opened the door to limitless imagination to many others, and that set up new dimensions in her creativity.

Another eminent personality, whose contribution to the field of psychology is unsurmountable is Albert Bandura. He is one of the most renowned living psychologists in the world today. Bandura developed a self-sufficient system named "Guided mastery" to help attain consistency in human behaviour. The theory establishes - Thinking in self-enhancing (optimistic), or self-debilitating (pessimistic) way can profoundly influence one's functioning.

The developed methodology is extremely powerful and helps people cure their phobias in a short amount of time. It is a delicate process, which involves self-learning. The individual needs to take baby steps into this process, and soon, they are on the path of self-discovery. One can do self-evaluation of their behaviour and read their reactions on the recurrence of past experiences.

Let me explain this with an example. Suppose a person is phobic to spiders. Due to this, they are incapable of entering places where they perceive the possibility of the presence of a spider. Now this person can use the step-by-step process of 'Self-Efficacy' to get rid of this phobia. The process strengthens the creative confidence of an individual. That, in turn, helps them in performing the task, which they consider of greater difficulty, with more ease.

The technique can be used for dealing with any psychological barriers like feeling nauseated due to anxiety or shortness of breath — also, many other. The methodology of 'Self-Efficacy' has been super successful in boosting the creative confidence of people coming from all walks of life.

Here are some of the powerful quotes of Mr. Albert Bandura:

"People who regard themselves as highly efficacious act, think, and feel differently from those who perceive themselves as inefficacious. They produce their own future, rather than simply foretell it." - Albert Bandura

"Guided mastery is the most powerful form for enhancing beliefs of personal-efficacy, reducing anxiety, and restoring behavioural functioning" - Albert Bandura

Now, if you are convinced that you have immense potential for creativity, and are willing to unravel it, here are the steps towards achieving it:

1) Curiosity:

Be inquisitive. Ask questions. Start from why ? Why about every aspect of a subject. Like - why is this like that ? Why is this written in this specific way ? Why is this so big ? Why is this colourless or colourful ? Asking the 'why' may seem daunting at the beginning, but you must challenge your thoughts. Kids and AI are more efficient at learning because they are curious. Curiosity is the first step towards education. An openness like that of a child allows opening newer dimensions. Also, it is best not to be critical while questioning.

2) Inspirations:

Inspiration comes from observation. Allow yourself to feel and study the surrounding around you. You will find things to be very joyful and colourful. The way a gardener does his job. The way a mother convinces her child into finishing the lunch. The way a shopkeeper convinces you into buying a product you don't need. Any of these can inspire you.

The more you observe, the more you figure out the innumerable creative ways of performing a task. Allow yourself to explore and appreciate new things and learn from your experiences. With consistent practice, you will notice that you are able to see more than others can see.

Feel free to imbibe the things that inspire you and apply them. The expression is fundamental in the creative process. That helps in creating its most unique solutions to the problems.

3) Appreciation:

Learn from those who inspire you. Moreover, learn without asking questions. You can do this by transforming your curiosity into observation and then releasing that observation into appreciation. When you do this, you appreciate the creativity of others. That, in turn, positively impacts your creativity.

Therefore, every time you feel inspired by something, you must appreciate it. Explore the unexplored territories. Try to read between the lines. Try to make sense of others creativity. That could be a kind of community learning as well, where people come together to study each other's work and draw deeper meanings out of it. This way, you are able to connect with your deepest emotions, which is a vital component of creativity.

4) Imagination:

When you are able to touch and entice your deepest emotions, beautiful imaginations and visions spurt out from there. Now it is the time to define your imagination and express it using the right medium. It could be painting or coding. It could be cooking or music. It could be fashion or social work. It could be any sphere that interests you. It could be a hobby or your work. Your imagination could be bold, vague, colourful, grey, greasy, creasy, or whatever, but it will be unique. Therefore, it will be magnificent !

In the end, with these steps, you will be able to tap the creativity inside you and feel confident about it. However, the key to achieving the ultimate creative confidence is constant practice and continuous improvement daily. Inculcate the above steps in your everyday life. And you will see the magic happening.

Creative confidence gives you the self-assurance to trust that you solely are the beginning and the end. You realize and believe – I am the Alpha and the Omega!

I would end this with a quote from a man, who achieved a task, which was impossible to accomplish – The Independence of India. For centuries many put efforts to make this happen; nonetheless, it turned out to be of not much avail to any.

However, he did it!

"If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning." - Mahatma Gandhi