Don’t Just Be Creative. Be A Creative Achiever.
There are two types of creative people — those who have learned to use it to their advantage and those who haven’t yet. Creative people are naturally different and sometimes struggle to fit in, but they also have the ability to be more open and innovative.
Here are a few things you can do to help you become a creative achiever. These are promises you can make to yourself, and goals you can set to achieve in 2017.
Switch It Up
As a creative, routine is mundane and boring for you. It’s important for you to experience new things and broaden your horizons. Make sure that you are excited by the projects you are working on, even if that means moving the posts and switching your role every now and then. You will perform at your best when you take a fresh perspective and you need opportunities to solve problems in your own way.
Set Yourself New Challenges
As a creative achiever, you thrive when you are taking risks and delving into the unknown. Set yourself new challenges that give you opportunities to exercise your curiosity and courage, and use your trial and error processes. While others may find this stressful, creatives thrive on the precipice of risk and failure. It can be pretty much anything; thinking pitching for that project at work? Go for it. Spent years wondering whether you could get a Non-Executive Director role? Give it a go.
Follow Your Instincts
However you define creativity, one thing is for certain… it’s not about thinking, logic and following the rules. It’s an instinct influenced by a mixture of intuition and experience. Don’t allow yourself to be confined by bureaucracy and processes, and instead try and find the freedom to work in your own way. This may require some negotiation, but it will be worth it. In those moments when I’m not sure I always find myself saying ’if you’re not sure what to do, just do something’…remember, the key here is do something, not do everything! Take one project you have a strong feeling about and try it.
Seek Independence
It’s important for creatives to have at least some feeling of independence, as they often feel a deep connection with their work and require personal freedom to succeed. Motivation is likely to be much higher when you have responsibility for overcoming problems independently. As well as helping you to achieve, it will also make you a happier person.
Be Nice
With all of the above said, no-one is an island, and being creative definitely isn’t the sole domain of freelancers. Make sure you prioritise relationships with those around you wherever you work. Creatives tend to be non-conformist and to some can appear aloof, so to be successful within a team they need to take into account the feelings of others. Start by making sure those around you understand how you like to work…maybe after you’ve understood how they like to work.
Dream On
As a creative, your imagination is your most valuable tool. Exercise it regularly and daydream about the future. Your unique ability to visualise will help you to figure out what is needed to reach a specific goal, and brainstorm innovative solutions.
If you know you have a creative streak and want to achieve more, or have a sneaky feeling you’re more creative than you get credit for, then it’s time to expose your ideas by expressing yourself…you’ll earn respect by displaying courage and, if not, you’re probably in the wrong place! Either way…just go for it!
