We did not have preschool when I was a kid. My first school was kindergarten.
Kindergarten was paradise. I drew and painted and made animals out of clay. We learned dances and songs. I was in heaven. Then I got to first grade.
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First grade was desks in rows and the meanest teacher you can imagine. First grade was hell. I was a doodler. I got put in the bad kid corner many times for doodling in the margins of my worksheets.
Now we know better. Doodling is great for your creative process. Doodling frees up connections to your creative self. I always bring drawing paper and tons of colored markers to meetings so that any doodlers in the group can knock themselves out. They get ideas while they're doodling. You can do the same thing!
Daydreaming is great for your creativity, too. We are too task-oriented at work most of the time and it hurts us. We don't see obvious connections between things we're working on, because we're stuck at the task level of activity — nose almost in the dirt.
To see powerful connections and have the "Aha!s" that propel any project forward, we need to get out of the weeds. We need to get altitude. We need to get perspective by stepping away from the next task on our to-do list.
You can daydream in the shower or driving home from work. You can daydream anywhere, and I hope you will. Turn away from the constant chatter of your busy brain and your to-do list and just think about nothing. Let your mind go where it wants to go.
Imagine your life in the future — dream it up as you drive home from work, wash dishes or plant bulbs in your yard. Picture it clearly, down to the smallest detail. What do you want to be doing at some future point? You don't have to put a date on it yet — the first step is to create your vision.
Most people don't want to do it. They don't want to daydream about their life, because then they're afraid they'll feel bad about not reaching their shining vision, if something doesn't work out.
Be brave. Give yourself permission to imagine what your life would be like if you could call the shots. The clearer your vision becomes, the easier it will be for you to take steps toward it. Have the courage to do it!
Over time you will see that you do call the shots. That is the hardest lesson to learn, because it is scary to pick up the keys and drive your own life and career. We look for villains we can blame for our unhappy state. There are no villains unless we cast somebody in that role.
When your vision takes shape, nobody will be able to keep you from making it real!
Doodling and daydreaming are two important ways to tap your creative side.
Here are eight other ways to tap your creativity — an overflowing well, if only you could get out of its way and let the ideas flow!:
1. Get completely out of your head by immersing yourself in a physical activity for hours — river rafting, a trail ride or a full-day hike.
2. Tackle a big, sweaty project at home, like cleaning out your garage.
3. Read a novel straight through in a weekend, or listen to the recorded version.
4. Try something completely out of your comfort zone — attend a networking event outside your industry where you don't know anyone, or sign up to volunteer with an organization where you'll be a rank newbie.
5. Write your life story. Every time you think back to your childhood, you'll remember something new and powerful. Your memories are an incredible source of insight and new ideas. Don't ever hesitate to revisit and reclaim your path!
6. Go to the theater, or go to a concert. See a dance performance or attend a gallery opening. Get used to attending to things outside yourself and putting your busy brain on hold.
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7. Get out your violin or bongo drums, the ones you haven't played since high school. Give yourself permission to express your creative side in music, poetry, art, weaving, gardening, cooking or whatever activity you like. Signing up for piano lessons after a forty-year lapse is not an indulgence, no matter what your critical brain may tell you. You want to stay healthy, right? Grow your flame! That will give you the motivation to do everything else you want to do.
8. Stop and reflect: you are a vibrant, creative and wise person with life experiences no one has ever had and no one will ever have again. You are much more than your resume, your educational credentials or your job titles. You have incredible gifts to bring the world, and even if it is not clear to you yet, you have a mission. Your assignment is to find out what that mission is!
