An idea can turn to dust or magic, depending on the talent that rubs against it

By Ugiloy Sulaymonova


How would you cultivate creativity and innovation?
“An idea can turn to dust or magic, depending on the talent that rubs against it” — Bill Bernbach

These are the words that Bill Bernbach left to refer to creativity and innovation. What do we understand by creativity and innovation? When we use the word "creative" we are referring to the capability of producing such works, such as the light bulb was a creative invention at that time. "Creative" also relates to the person who produces the work, as in, Edison was creative. 

Creativity is about developing new ideas and thinking outside the box. When it comes to innovation, it is the implementation or creation of something new that has real value to others. Innovation is most evident in the form of a physical tool, aid, or benefit that solves a problem or creates an advantage. Innovation makes a demonstrable, often disruptive difference in a product, service, or industry. Creativity and innovation have become increasingly relevant in the world, and there is growing interest and awareness in their role and relevance. To become more competitive in the economic and social sphere, it is therefore important to boost its capacity for creativity and innovation. Creativity and innovation are closely linked as part of a creation process. Our understanding of concepts is enhanced by them. Innovation and creativity are key for the generation of new ideas, improvement, and satisfaction, and they ultimately lead to improved productivity and success. With a creative mindset, we can look at things differently and acquire new skills in a variety of fields. Creativity is not easy to do, it is often a process that can involve effort and may even require a shift in perspective. However, having creativity in our lives is still worth doing since originality leads to innovation. Consequently, this facilitates unique outcomes crucial to driving success and elevating your status as a leader. Inspiration for creativity does not come now and then, nor is it predictable, but it works like a muscle. According to studies, creativity is often viewed as a characteristic or talent of eminent people. There have been many studies examining the ways creativity can be nurtured and enhanced. Creativity research has been divided into two distinct trends, according to Craft. Artists, such as Mozart, Picasso, and Einstein, belong to the first category of creativity known as Big C creativity. As a result of their exemplary works, these artists have been recognized and valued within society. The little-c creativity criterion does not take into account bursts of creativity and innovation that have a significant social impact. As a concept, little C can be described as a mindset, a behavior, or the ability to come up with creative solutions to everyday problems. Not everyone possesses this talent. Shneiderman makes a similar distinction between revolutionary creativity, which is attributable to Nobel laureates and geniuses, and evolutionary creativity, such as doctors making diagnoses or editors writing magazines.
How do we cultivate and foster creativity and innovation?
Motivation. Creativity needs to be trained, challenged, and developed over time.
We first should challenge ourselves to believe differently to develop innovation and creativity. People that seem to be creative are successful because they feel inclined when they employ their creative ability, and this motivation lasts a long time. Motivation has been demonstrated to play an important role in boosting creativity. Motivated behavior is commonly viewed as the major behavior because it has a considerable impact on our performance and encourages us to act. Teresa Amabile developed the theory about creative motivation after conducting a psychological study. She states that people will be most creative once they are motivated primarily by the interest, satisfaction, and challenge of the job itself – not by external pressures.
Creativity can flourish or die depending on your insights. Individual motivation is the key factor in determining creativity, but the social environment also plays a large role. In a pleasant environment, innovation and creativity thrive, whereas, in a negative environment, they are stunted. Those who are relaxed, comfortable, and stimulated positively are thought to be more creative and imaginative. Many elements influence creativity, including space, environment, inputs, and aesthetics. Creative people need an environment that allows them to unwind and relax. What we see and experience does have the potential to bring us to discoveries. Art, products, games, music, sounds, tastes, and colors may all have an impact on us. Productivity, morale, and collaboration are all affected by the environment. While encouraging productivity may be a stretch, perhaps we use to prefer workplaces with a view of the outside world since it makes us feel connected to the outside world.
Diverse settings also encourage innovation and creativity. Diverse skills and knowledge also spark creativity. As you gain more knowledge and educate yourself in more subjects and areas of discipline, your creative process also grows and develops. By getting access to innovators in science, math, the arts, and business, learners are armed with skills from these many disciplines, as well as a broader understanding of the world in general. Being more creative means broadening your thinking and seeking knowledge that is related to other ideas. Our creativity is enhanced in ways we cannot even imagine as we learn more and are exposed to more. It is also vital to alter the vocabulary we use and avoid negative thoughts and words including "I cannot, I have tried, but nothing works." We should always use more creative-building words. It has been emphasized that creativity and innovation are essential skills for the 21st century, especially when we consider that both skills can enhance our potential by activating positive aspects of our personalities. We can open pathways in the mind that lead to optimum innovation and creativity by broadening our visions, changing our perspectives, creating a pleasant environment, and deepening our knowledge.
Every individual has the potential to cultivate creativity and innovation. But creativity is much more than novelty. Innovative approaches to problems and challenges are developed by finding innovative, creative, and appropriate ways to solve them. Considering that creativity is a personal resource. This resource needs to be nurtured, supported, and encouraged. It is the imagination that allows us to embrace bizarre and unusual experiences. A person cannot be born with creativity, it is something they must work on. By practicing and learning, we can enhance our creative abilities. Further, we can certainly boost our creativity using a variety of tools and approaches. Training the right side of our brain will improve our imagination, creativity, and ability to think creatively. It is true that our minds can perform incredible feats, and that our beliefs influence our abilities to learn and do. It is more likely that we will come up with great ideas if we convince ourselves that we are creative and capable of doing so. Playing certain games or solving puzzles can provide us with a variety of creative outlets. Those games in which we formulate strategies and make decisions based on the actions of our opponents. Among the examples are chess and checkers, as well as sports like football, basketball, and tennis. Our imagination can be exercised when we identify or use a current pastime. We will exercise our creative side when painting, sketching, and sculpting, for instance. We must design something from scratch when we take up hobbies such as sewing, metalwork, woodworking. While technological hobbies can provide creative exercise for people who are more scientifically oriented, such as when they develop or build something new, such as when they program new computer programs. In addition, active travel broadens and renews our perspective. Being interested in the people and culture of the country we are visiting is essential. Taking photographs of travels and reflecting on our experiences might provide us with a new idea.

Finding creative solutions to problems that arise is easier when people adopt a playful attitude. Innovative behavior is created by questioning how something works. Playful behavior can generate radically new ideas and those new ideas can give birth to new forms of behavior. Innovative behavior begins with curiosity about how something works. Those who are curious want to learn new ideas and experiences and try to avoid boredom. As they play, they try out new ideas and discover what works and what does not. Innovative ideas are those that have practical value and are adopted by other people. It is often difficult to turn new ideas into successful innovations. Innovations come from analytical, persistent, and resilient people. Positive attitudes and willingness to play cooperatively characterize their play. Innovations are typically successful without being explicitly targeted for profit. Innovative products, techniques, and solutions are the foundation of successful enterprises. The way we work, how we interact, and how we live are changing. Investing more time and resources in creative pursuits leads to innovative outcomes. Information fuels creativity by stimulating the imagination and laying the foundation for innovation. Various tools and techniques can be used to stimulate creativity. Self-creativity can be boosted by using techniques such as mind mapping, idea boxes, synthetics, and design thinking. Moreover, it is common for creative individuals to seek external recognition and rewards. The importance of constructive feedback also cannot be understated. For most of us, the creative process requires a point of completion when we recognize what we have accomplished and the results we have obtained. Even if things do not go as planned, self-reflection allows us to see what we did and did not do well. We must be creative to be successful in life. The global environment is quickly changing and expanding, which requires us to solve problems and meet challenges that are messy, difficult, and complex. While we are always faced with deadlines, demands, and routines, it is crucial to remember that innovation and creativity are essential to surviving.