5 Creative Strategies Straight From The Books Of Famous Artists
According to LinkedIn Learning, “Creativity is the single most important skill in the world.”
When you think about it, the world’s best inventions be it Uber, Amazon, or even the mobile phone you are reading this article on is a result of a creative idea. Not only is this skill required for CEOs or founders, but it’s also an important one for all of us.
From finding creative solutions to our tasks to coming up with creative strategies for a business problem or a work problem, we all need to nurture and grow our creative minds.
Brutask compiles a list of five brilliant creative strategies that were practiced by famous artists (and will work for you too)
1. Henri Matisse’s “Don’t wait for inspiration”
Henri Matisse, a French artist, was popular for both his use of color and original draughtsman ship. Not only did he paint, he was also a sculptor and printmaker. His paintings can be found in many museums across the world and he won recognition as a leading figure when it came to modern art. Does this mean he had an ideal life? Well, far from it. In 1913, one of his paintings named Nu Bleu was burned in protest and he often failed to make ends meet and provide for his family.
But when it came to creativity and breaking free from the classical painting traditions, he was a genius. Matisse said, “Don’t wait for inspiration. It comes while one is working.” He believed that creativity wasn’t talent or gift but something that came to you while you were busy working. So, instead of waiting for that breakthrough idea for an article or post, start writing. The minute you do, you are equipped to get creative thoughts.
2. Richard Feynman’s “Loosen Up”
Yes, Richard Feynman isn’t an artist. But there’s a reason why this Nobel prize-winning physicist appears in this article. He acquired this learning in an art class and it’s worth adopting. When Richard Feynman was attending an art class, he was instructed to draw without looking at the paper. To his surprise, he was amazed by how the end result turned out to be. He said, “I had thought that ‘loosen up’ meant ‘make sloppy drawings’ but it really meant to relax and not worry about how the drawing is going to come out.”
Sometimes we try too hard. Instead, try working on something without caring about the results. Try your hand at doodling. Start writing whatever comes to your mind. The best thing about this strategy is you know the result may not be perfect and so you always have that thought, “I can try it again.” And guess what? That’s how you unlock your creativity.
3. Mozart’s “Set your goals”
Musicologist Neal Zaslow once mentioned that Mozart generally had a practical purpose for each piece he wrote. It would be to fulfill a formal commission, please patrons, or to meet some financial needs.
By setting goals, you can give structure to your creative tasks and think in that direction. For example, as a designer, you may have different clients. The work you may have to do for a client who is in the architecture field may be a lot different than one who is in the technology field.
By setting different goals for these different clients, you will be able to think from their unique perspectives and come up with various creative design ideas. You can also set goals such as designing an illustration every day, reading about design for 10 minutes, and so on to help your brain generate novel and unique ideas.
4. Salvador Dali’s “Have no fear of perfection”
Salvador Dali, a Spanish surrealist artist, worked on many things like painting, graphic arts, film, sculpture, photography, and design. He also collaborated with different artists. If that’s not enough, he also wrote fiction, autobiographies, poetry, and criticism.
His creativity can be said to be the result of brutal honesty with himself. He once wrote, “Have no fear of perfection. You’ll never reach it.” This may be the reason he was able to create over 1500 paintings because he was never scared of making mistakes.
So, instead of worrying over how that article would turn out or if that new design would be liked by the client, turn that doubt into action. Start working on it. After all, you can always make changes to your work but unfortunately, you can’t change a blank design or a blank Google doc.
5. Van Gogh’s creative exploration
In the years between 1888 and 1890, Vincet Van Gogh had a hot streak in which he painted his most famous paintings such as The Starry Night, Sunflowers, and Bedroom in Arles. What might have been the reason behind this? Researches have been conducted and one of them says it’s a result of creative exploration. In the years leading up to this streak, Van Gogh experimented a lot. He produced various portraits, still-life drawings that were different from one another and even to the ones he produced during his hot streak.
This might call for us to engage in different activities and try out new approaches in our fields to come up with that one idea or thought that can change things around for the better.
Now that you know these five strategies, which one would you be trying out first and how? Let us know in the comments.
