30 Creativity Hacks: A 30 day guide to become more creative.
We can all agree that children are creative, curious and full of imagination, however, that often goes away as they age.
The question becomes, how do we help our children to stay creative, and how do we as adults reignite the creative fire that used to burn so brightly within us.
It starts with understanding the Creative Process and how to apply it to you life.
According to Graham Walls, author of the Creative Question, there are 4 stages to the creative process.
Preparation—- Incubation—- Illumination—- Verification
During Preparation, you realize that this is a problem to solve. You start asking questions.
Graham Walls, author of The Creative Question
Incubation: this is a time of unconscious processing. Ideas are bouncing around in your mind and new connections are forming. During this time you don’t have control over your thoughts or the problems that are being solved. On the plus side, incubation happens without intention.
Illumination: The moment when you suddenly have an idea. This can and does take place at any time, and you have little control over it.
If we so define the Illumination stage as to restrict it to this instantaneous “flash,” it is obvious that we cannot influence it by a direct effort of will; because we can only bring our will to bear upon psychological events which last for an appreciable time. On the other hand, the final “flash,” or “click” … is the culmination of a successful train of association, which may have lasted for an appreciable time, and which has probably been preceded by a series of tentative and unsuccessful trains. The series of unsuccessful trains of association may last for periods varying from a few seconds to several hours.[…]Sometimes the successful train seems to consist of a single leap of association, or of successive leaps which are so rapid as to be almost instantaneous. “ Wallas
Verification: This is a conscious phase, where you are taking the ideas, putting them into action, and reflecting on what is and isn’t working.
It never happens that unconscious work supplies ready-made the result of a lengthy calculation in which we only have to apply fixed rules. … All that we can hope from these inspirations, which are the fruit of unconscious work, is to obtain points of departure for such calculations. As for the calculations themselves, they must be made in the second period of conscious work which follows the inspiration, and in which the results of the inspiration are verified and the consequences deduced. … They demand discipline, attention, will, and consequently, conscious work. “ Wallas
Want to get more in depth with the creative process, and have practical steps that both you and your children can use to keep those creative juices flowing? Join the 30 day Creative Process Challenge. You’ll receive one email each day for the next 30 days. They’ll be short actionable items, that you can use to get back into your creative groove. And to help your kids keep theirs.
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