Future-proof your career by embracing your creativity
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“I’m not creative!“
Painting is not the only way to be creative
This was uttered by my incredibly creative 12-year-old. At that point, he had written two books, made up elaborate, very detailed games with complicated rule systems, and designed and built multiple cities out of Lego, from scratch. But he didn’t associate himself with being creative, as he wasn’t particularly enamoured with the idea of painting.
For my son, in his world of primary education, creativity was best associated with creating artwork. That is painting. And whilst he is certainly happy to pick up a paintbrush if I am doing it, it’s not where his natural creativity lies.
And so, he failed to identify as a creative being.
As adults, we can read this story and acknowledge that he simply wasn’t aware that all his other pursuits were also creative. We assume that, as adults, we know better and understand that creativity appears in many different guises.
Yet, working with my clients shows that this is not the case. Most people do not associate their everyday life with creativity unless it looks like a certain thing. And that particular thing is not dissimilar to a child’s interpretation! So if we don’t have a woodworking passion, a stitching hobby, a thriving cake decorating side hustle or a prolific crocheting or knitting habit, we don’t identify as creative.
Yet everybody has the strength of creativity, and therefore can be and is creative.
You are creative
Creativity is one of the 24-character strengths in the VIA signature strengths model. When working with clients, I use the VIA Strengths assessment because the 24-character strengths in the VIA signature strengths model are universal. That is, they are found in all cultures across the world. And, all people have all 24-character strengths. This means all people are creative!
Strengths can be described as your superpowers. Everybody’s combination of strengths is unique to them, which makes you, you. Tapping into your personal blend of strengths can bring greater clarity, increased confidence, and a deep sense of contentment in and with your career and life.
The important thing to note about strengths is that through practice, we improve. This is especially useful if you identify character strengths that are not in your top 3-5 signature strengths, and would like to develop them further.
So if, like my youngest son, you believe you are not creative, know that you CAN become more creative. I share specific tips below.
But first, let’s adjust your thinking.
Expand your definition of creativity
Writing or Journalling is a form of creativity ANd increases your Creativity
Expanding the definition of what creativity looks like is the first step. Consider all the different ways you use creative thinking. To tackle problem-solving, keep your household running, juggle multiple demands, and even (or especially?!) parenting your kids! All of this involves elements of creativity on a day-to-day basis.
Creativity in your life
Modern life would like us to be too busy to explore our creativity. Our days are filled with meetings, tasks and errands. All of which can drain even the most creative amongst us. Instead, we can go against the flow. By using our time deliberately, and acting with intention, we can find inspiration everywhere. We can specifically use our time to explore many different creative pursuits – whether they be expressing ourselves in a written article, writing a book, or getting down on the floor and playing with Lego with our kids.
Creativity in your career
You do not need to have “creative” in your job title, in your key performance indicators, or in your specific role outline for creativity to benefit you.
“The World Economic Forum predicts that creativity is one of the top three skills workers will need in the future. The other two are complex problem-solving and critical thinking. Therefore, the more we practice our creativity, and build our creative muscles, the more we future-proof our skills.”
As the last few years have shown as more and more people have switched to either working from home, or working a hybrid model, creativity in the way we tackle our career and work is no longer optional. To find harmony and career satisfaction, we often need to think creatively. What worked one week may not work the next. An approach you took on the last project may not work for this project. The conversation with your co-worker that worked last month may fall flat this month. We move on and tackle things with a new approach every day. Recognise and embrace that this is a form of creativity!
Creativity for learning and growth
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.”
Since you are reading this, I know you value learning and growth. Indeed, one of the greatest gifts of humans is our ability to reflect, review and adjust our behaviour and actions, and improve upon them. That is, to innovate and learn! Which is underpinned by creativity.
And despite what the media may tell us regarding the end of certain roles and careers, creativity and thinking creatively are not something that can be taught to robots.
Yet the future, just like the past, will involve change. Change in our society, and change in the types of work and roles needed and valued. As humans learn and grow, so will the expectations we have for our work.
This brings us to the key question:-
How do we futureproof ourselves?
We embrace our creativity, show and share our humanity, build our empathy, and develop our complex problem-solving.
By now you can see that creativity is important, and knowing how to identify and grow your creative thinking and creative skills will be a significant contributor to future-proofing your career.
How to tap into and develop your creativity
Let’s get practical. Here are 10 ways you can tap into and develop your creativity.
Reading Books is a great way to increase your Creativity
Make time - Carve out time for creative exploration, whether it be for journaling, play or something else. Once you have the time set aside, try one or more of the following.
Travel - Be curious, and notice things. And travel to someplace new, that challenges you. The destination doesn’t have to be dangerous, but travel where you can learn. This is not travelling where you sit by a pool or on the beach all day! It’s travel where you get out and explore, and are exposed to ways of being and doing.
Try something new - Take a new route to work, try a new recipe, do things you’ve not done before, or volunteer to lead that stretch project.
Do things differently – At work, choose a typical work task and think of a new way to complete it. Do it at least three times in this new way and then reflect upon what you’ve learned and how you would like to proceed with this task.
Go for a walk! Getting outside and moving my body is one of the best ways to tap into my creativity. I can’t count how many articles I’ve started via dictation whilst walking through my local park!
Be open and ask questions. Explore how and why things happen.
Read books – Fiction, non-fiction, anything! Just keep reading and especially read things you wouldn’t normally. I found a great, creative exercise was reading 2-3 magazines (from my local library), that I would not normally read. It was eye-opening! And sparked a lot of new ideas for me.
Push for seven - Next time you are coming up with a solution or idea, keep going until you get to at least seven different solutions to the problem you are trying to solve. Most of us stop at one or two, yet more imaginative, unexpected and yes, creative possibilities emerge when we push ourselves to go beyond the obvious.
Engage with new voices - Similar to reading more broadly, be open to listening to and reading different voices. Check out podcasts by people you wouldn’t normally listen to, or connect with bloggers or writers you don’t normally read (the Two Booked Up 23 for 2023 Reading Challenge could help here!)
Make connections, join the dots. Clash ideas together. Certain comedians are brilliant at this and can be quite inspiring by looking at different ways to address creativity. Start by asking “what if…?”
There is no need to attempt all 10 ideas, indeed, that could be overwhelming! Instead, I’d encourage you to choose one or two to try. Keep it fun and playful, and you might discover you are a lot more creative than you thought.
Therefore, future-proofing your career does not entail quitting your current job to retrain in a whole new area (unless you really want to!). Nor does it require working yourself into the ground in an effort to become irreplaceable.
Rather, by tapping into and embracing your creativity, you can ensure you are prepared for the future; whatever it may bring. And along the way, you’ll have more fun, be happier and improve your confidence too.
More Support
If you would like to explore your strength of creativity and have greater clarity about all 24 of your strengths, and feel confident to know and embrace them in each area of your career, work, and life - I can help.
Through the twin lenses of intentionality and strengths-based work, career coaching with me is designed to tap into what makes you tick. Exploring your hidden talents and utilising your unique gifts either in your existing career, when considering a future transition to your dream role, or in your general life - within this framework, you will feel more fulfilled, with a greater sense of meaning, more engaged and have better job satisfaction.
