How many times have you found yourself struggling to make a doodle with your daughter? Thinking “I don’t know how to make a good giraffe” … and did you make that giraffe .. did you!? I have been here myself.
Or perhaps you wanted to write a book, publish an audio show, make a video, paint, or anything creative … and hesitated.
Why are you hesitating in expressing your creativity and sharing your minds eye?
Is it because you aren’t creative, not ready, not good enough, or worried about other people’s opinions?
I have struggled here, often times, and wanted to put down these thoughts so others can avoid the decade of fear I encountered.
How to see that you are creative
The number one thing I hear with my team and clients is that they are not creative. So uncreative that they completely pass off the effort and possible joy of playing in creativity. In order for us to unlock our natural creativity there are a number of tricks that I like to use. Here are two … give them a go:
- Let’s make something but NOBODY will see it. Sit at a coffee shop and doodle or write a short article for yourself.
- Grab your phone; walk outside away from people; turn on your camera and say “I love you .. that’s it, have a great day” and save it.
Now .. you are creative, because you created.
That is the only measure of being creative. We create for ourselves and if others are lucky, they will get to be a part of your creation. That is why we MUST celebrate every doodle, written word, skit (that one your daughter + cousins did during the last family dinner), and encourage the EFFORT.
Ignore Quality of creative, embrace the creation
Quality of creative is subjective and therefore it is invalid as a litmus for determining whether you should create. The biggest mistake I have caught myself making (I am getting better) is hesitating from even creating because in my mind’s eye I see the possibility for it being ugly / awful and the possibility of judgement from others.
The funny thing about encouraging the effort and appreciating each creation — we get better.
Do you judge the love note someone left you?
Do you think your daughter’s first letter garbage because it was messy and misspelled?
Do you wish to lose the passion and energy from your team by shutting down their creative vision and insights?
HELL NO.
Simple as that we FEEL something in these creations, both for the creator and the recipient. What one forgets is what happens after this creation is released in the world. That is the most magical moment.
What your creation causes in the world
Magical, that is the only way to describe the impact of “art”. (Art for us professionals and scribblers means ANYthing we create) When you create anything, you are exploring the ranges of your imagination. As you keep exploring it your thoughts refine, your vision of life improves, and the world is allowed to benefit your creativity.
The world only benefits though if you share it … and so, building on the first two steps above…
3. Now take a picture of your doodle and send it to a friend, or post it online and tag someone .. saying #yourturn
4. Take that video and send it to a loved one.
Simple creativity can have a huge impact on those that enjoy it, and those who create it. If you repeat steps 1–4 daily, your ability to create, write, convey authenticity on the camera will grow. It’ll impact your ability at work — taking that dry erase marker and leading the whiteboard sessions .. or helping to diagram the next product. At home, well, your kids will be thrilled that you are grabbing the paint with them and your spouse will LOVE LOVE any notes / doodles you send their way.
Making your art fancy
Perhaps you are in the business of making t-shirts or products and your drawing skills are not what you view as commercial ready for your customers. That is OK. Still you MUST doodle and put down your vision for that commercial product, page, image, and video. Your doodle will then provide a visual representation of how you want it to be professionally created.
You see — being creative doesn’t mean just the painter with the perfect circle. It means you create the vision of what you want to make. You then can work with a specific type of artist — painter, pencil artist, UIX designer, and any other for the medium you are making the final product on.
A simple flow to fancy:
- Sketch the doodle of your logo / slogan / image
- Take a picture with your phone and hire a Fiverr artist for $10
- Iterate with them to a final version of your doodle
- Receive the vector file and send to your t-shirt (as an example) printer
- Have t-shirts
You are creative, allow yourself to be so
The biggest leap is to simply DO. Don’t worry about how it’ll be received, just do. You’ll begin to enjoy the process, you’ll pull techniques from various parts of your life, and there is no stress. It doesn’t matter how it looks, as long as you shared what you saw in your mind.
“Good” is a judgement and not appropriate in any creative sense. There are versions that don’t fit, don’t connect with our audience, and such … but that never means the art wasn’t worth creating. In fact, I have found more often than not, that what I created previously fed and led to a fun new insight today.
I would never have had that joy and success without creating. The world will be better for that tiger you draw that looks a little like a squirrel, I promise. Share me any doodles you want on twitter @jdeluccia … I can’t wait!
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About Me
I am a father, study of human behavior, strategist, cybersecurity veteran, and a coach and mentor on a journey to give more than I receive everyday. I lead teams globally, build products, and daily an executive for a leading company where I serve the largest companies in the world using the largest cloud deployments in the world impacting the financial services, healthcare, and fintech industries. I provide these publications and content through my media agency to deliver insights and advantages. Mindset, mental strength, mentorship, personal improvement, health, fitness, and humanist ideas are drawn from personal research and practice. Everything read and heard is my original works and my own perspective. All rights reserved for noted authors and sources. I produce research and strategy, as well as provide advisory services that include inquiries, briefings, consulting projects, and presentations on published findings as well as bespoke speaking engagements where I often keynote at conferences, seminars, and roundtables annually.