So at work they asked you to think outside the box, or are you going to find a truly creative idea for your new novel. There is nothing to worry about! Thinking outside the box, like any other skill, is a faculty that can be developed through practice. To start empowering your intellectual faculties in a creative way, keep reading the article.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Come up with Creative Solutions
Step 1. Change your space
It is important to get away from any particular habit if you want to encourage creativity. The idea of shifting gears is a common one among successful thinkers and creatives. This means both giving birth to a specific ritual that stimulates your creativity and finding just a way to take a break.
- Take a shower. There is something strangely propitious about the shower, because who has never had an amazing idea while in the shower (only to forget it when they finally had something to pin it on)? If you're stuck on an idea, pop into the shower, with pen and paper close at hand, and see what is on your mind.
- Go for a walk. Like a shower, walking stimulates creativity. Whether it's taking a walk as a prelude to a creative project or as part of the project itself, taking a walk will help put the fuel of creativity in motion. Steve Jobs used to hold meetings while walking to collect and discuss ideas. Tchaikovsky took several walks around his village before working on his musical creations.
- Create a psychological distance between the normal routine and the time to devote to creativity. Writer Toni Morrison always watched the sun rise in the morning before starting to write. In doing so, he felt he could tap into his creative instincts.
Step 2. Collect ideas
Throw out a bunch of different ideas, especially ones that seem a little crazy, because they can be great for modeling excellent projects. Collecting ideas helps to open your thinking, not leaving it stuck in the old and always the same thought patterns.
- This phase of gathering thoughts (or brainstorming) is not aimed at identifying what is or is not feasible. Don't limit yourself when you're in a "storm of thoughts". In fact, it's the time when all ideas are welcome, no matter how silly or unachievable they seem. If you start limiting yourself at this stage of your intellectual activity, you won't get very far.
- Avoid saying things to yourself at this stage that turn off creativity rather than encourage it. Surprise yourself every time you say, "This won't work", "We've never done it this way before", "We can't solve this problem", "We don't have enough time".
- Example: Let's say you are writing a new story. Instead of focusing on the next stage of the story, start thinking about throwing out ideas for what might happen next, or start thinking about how the story might progress if there were no limits to what you could write (even if you need to change the ending. to make the story believable).
Step 3. Organize the problem into new concepts
Part of the solutions and creative ideas depends on looking at the problem or project with fresh eyes. By looking at something in a new way, you may notice new possible solutions that you might not otherwise have considered. Fortunately, there are some concrete aids to conceptualize what you are drawing on in an original way.
- Turn the problem upside down. You can do it literally or figuratively; turning a photo upside down can actually make it easier to draw, because the brain is inclined to look at it for how it is structured rather than how it thinks it looks. This procedure works for multiple conceptual problems.
- For example, if you're writing a book and can't imagine how the protagonist must behave at some point in the story, ask yourself "Does this character actually have to be the protagonist? What would the story be like with a different character in the lead role? more than one?".
- Work backwards. Sometimes it is necessary to focus on the solution first and build the path back from this solution. Example: Let's say you work in the advertising business of a newspaper. The paper is losing money because it failed to put enough advertisements. Start with the best final result (despite having an infinity of suitable ads). Work backwards by contacting businesses and groups that can deliver the best advertisements in terms of convenience.
Step 4. Daydream
Daydreaming helps to make connections and patterns, recalling information. This is key when you think outside the box, because daydreaming can help you make connections that you would otherwise never have considered. It is for this reason that your best ideas often seem to come out of nowhere as you daydream.
- Give yourself time to daydream. Turn off your computer, TV, and phone. If you are constantly distracted, it will be much harder for your brain to rest and make connections.
- You can daydream while taking a walk or in the shower (this is one reason why taking time out for a walk or shower can be so conducive to creative thinking). Daydream in the morning before getting up or in the evening before falling asleep.
Step 5. Establish the parameters
Sometimes, if you have a hard time thinking outside the box, it's time to give yourself some basic parameters. It may seem like a decision that hinders creativity, but if you set the right parameters, you will find that it can actually hatch new things.
- A full-throttle start risks putting too much pressure on you. For example: instead of saying "How can I increase advertising sales?" Ask yourself "How can I encourage business ad growth? How can I go about making newspaper ads appear a good investment?" or "How can I get companies to advertise in the newspaper?" or "What incentives can I use to encourage businesses to advertise?"
- Always keep asking open questions and considering a wide range of options, but sticking to your ideas about a specific question or task. This will help you come up with more specific ideas.
- Another example: instead of asking yourself "How can I differentiate my children's novel from the others on the market?" consider the more specific parts of the story: "Who is the main character? Is he the same as every other main character (white, straight, cute but doesn't know?)?" or if it's a fictional novel "What does the magic trick look like? Is it the usual wizard magic that comes up in any children's novel?"
- Or you could tell yourself to rewrite a scene in the story only in the piece where the character doesn't have access to his or her magical arts. How are you going to get out of this situation?
Step 6. Consider the worst case scenario
Fear is what holds back creativity. Fear is what makes you walk glued to the paths you know best. If you consider the worst case scenario, not only will you be able to program it, but it can also convince yourself that the worst case scenario isn't so bad to try.
- Regarding the ad example: You might consider what happens if you try to put a new creative system in place to offer long-term incentives to advertising partners (such as a better layout arrangement, a color ad at a reduced price, etc.). Perhaps the worst thing that could happen is that no one will accept the offer or that you will lose money. Make a plan for how to deal with these possible setbacks.
- Regarding the novel example: the worst case scenario may be that no publisher or agent intends to market your work, because what they really want is a clone of the latest children's bestseller.
Part 2 of 3: Preserving Creativity Over Time
Step 1. Eliminate the negativity
What more than anything else can keep you from thinking outside the box is negativity. Constantly telling yourself that you can't think creatively, vetoing every idea because it's too "far", will seriously curb what your mind produces.
- Consider what you say to yourself about your ideas. When an amazing idea for a book comes to your mind, do you immediately think "I could never write it"? If so, it is guaranteed that you will never write it.
- Whenever you find yourself reacting negatively to an idea, replace the destructive thinking with a positive or impartial one. For example: if you've found yourself thinking "I've never been able to attract advertisers with these incentives" stop and say "I'm going to test how these incentives work to gain better ad loyalty."
Step 2. Keep your creativity sharp
Like all faculties, creativity must be exercised in order to progress. Even when you don't have a particular problem that needs a creative solution, keep your creativity working. It will help you when you suddenly find yourself faced with something that needs to be thought out of the box.
- Put the words in alphabetical order. Take a word from a magazine or billboard and arrange the letters in alphabetical order. For example: the word NUMBER should be, in alphabetical order, EMNORU. The reason this exercise boosts brain function is that it forces you to use all the information you have (all the letters) to do something unusual. The brain trains itself to think surprising connections and solutions and to look at problems differently.
- Play a game to invent new or different uses for the objects in the house. It will teach you to look at objects and situations taking into account an unusual approach. For example: use an old boot as a planter or build a table of books.
Step 3. Change your habits
Creativity thrives when it doesn't get stuck in the same old routine. Even the smallest changes can have positive consequences for getting out of the grind and encouraging creative thinking.
- Get out of your comfort zone. Doing new things, especially the ones you haven't planned, helps you to deal with new situations more easily. It also helps to open your mind and guide you to new ideas and situations that can contribute to the production of new or unusual concepts.
- Be spontaneous. From time to time, do things you haven't planned. This way you will be forced to adapt to the moment and overcome problems on the fly. You could also match this ability with an ongoing project.
- Change the little things. For example: he comes home from work with a different means of transport every day. Change the bar you go to for coffee in the morning.
Step 4. Study another area
This way you will understand how people outside your industry operate and come up with new ideas to adopt within your area of expertise. The industry might be completely different from yours or overlap to some extent, but it should be different enough for you to look at yours from a new perspective.
- For example: The ad person might take a look at some psychology topic or study how the companies they advertise to operate.
- The novelist could read a book outside his field (children's literature), looking for a source of inspiration in non-fiction, detective stories and classics.
Step 5. Learn new things
The wider your horizons, the more nourished the connections your mind will be able to make. The more information your brain has at its disposal, the more it will be able to come up with unusual ideas.
- Take lessons on things that are not within your sphere of competence. This could be anything from cooking (assuming you're not a cook) to rock climbing. The novelist, then, could use what he learned in the cooking class to invent a new system of magic (people who have an idea of what they are doing and don't use what they know against those who follow a series carefully. detailed instructions).
- Learn a new language. Not only does it help keep your mind sharp and form new connections, but it can open you up to new ways of thinking. The person working in the advertising field might use another language to start a section of bilingual advertisements that reach a different group of people than they normally reach.
Part 3 of 3: Connecting with other People in a Creative Way
Step 1. Surround yourself with creative people
Human beings are social animals. You will get inspiration when other people are inspired. Creativity will stay high when you work or are friends with people who are inspiring your creativity at work as well.
- You will find it especially helpful to show a spirit of friendship towards people who do not work in the same field as you. They can make you look at your work from a point of view that someone who is saturated with your own ideas could never offer you.
- This is another reason why it is so important to do things outside of your comfort zone. This way you can meet people who challenge and inspire creativity, people who think differently from you.
Step 2. Pay attention to the ideas of others
Ideas don't exist in a vacuum. Even creative thinkers, such as Salvador Dali (for example), started with an idea of painting drawn from others. Paying attention to other people's ideas will help you promote yours.
- You will see how others think outside the box. Learning other people's patterns and ways of thinking will help you avoid stagnating in your way of thinking. You could also say to yourself, "How would my creative painter friend imagine this problem with advertisements?"
- You can also turn to the ideas of famous innovators. Examine which ideas worked and which didn't. See what they put into practice to encourage creative thinking (like the examples of Steve Jobs, Tchaikovsky, and Toni Morrison in the first part of this article) and try it out.
Step 3. Learn to listen
One way to encourage creative thinking is to stay calm and listen to what others have to say. This is a good idea because it really helps you hear what others have to say in order not to propose ideas that have already been presented. It also helps to order thoughts before speaking.
Example: The person working in the advertising field tried to sell the ads to a company that actually hated the newspaper. If he hadn't really listened to that firm's concerns (including the feeling that its ads were not prioritized and disagreement over some of the newspaper's content), he wouldn't have made the company place an ad. This company then joins a plan to bring other dissatisfied advertisers back into the fold
Step 4. Remember to come up with ideas that may be out of the ordinary
You need to remember this when you are busy with other people, especially in business relationships. Sometimes out-of-the-box ideas aren't actually the right way to go.
It is also good to keep in mind that not every idea has to work. That is fine! It is part of the learning process and is why you have to consider the worst case scenario when an idea comes to mind
Advice
- Be willing to explore what's outside your comfort zone. It is refreshing and you can find new interests and meet new people.
- Read something that is not the usual genre. For example, if you think you hate noir, why don't you try reading a book like this? You might be pleasantly surprised; at least, you will have challenged your way of thinking.
