Creativity is Hard Work; Here’s How to Have Fun Anyway
By Dominika Heusinkveld
Anyone who’s ever tried to create something new — be it writing, drawing, music, or product design — knows that it’s a lot harder than it seems. People who don’t do creative work tend to look at it and say “I could do that”. But they don’t, because it’s not, in fact, as simple as sitting down and creating something on the first go.
This difficulty is one of the things Timothy Kreider talks about in his essay on creativity and procrastination. Creatives procrastinate for the same reason everyone procrastinates difficult tasks — to avoid the pressure of trying to create something new. Fortunately, there are some techniques to try to make it less painful and more fun.
When working in a group (something very common in product design) there are some fun ways to brainstorm that, amongst other advantages, prevent domineering group members from taking over. Always remember that in a brainstorming session no idea is a bad idea, and to let everyone talk. It’s best to have everyone brainstorm on their own first, then share ideas with the group.
A fun beginning creative activity is called “Worst Idea Ever”. It’s pretty simple: take the problem you are trying to solve and then individuallythink of a number of terrible ways of solving it. The sillier it gets, the better. Then share your ideas with the group. This has several advantages. It can act as an icebreaker for the group; it can serve as a practice session for the real brainstorming, and it allows everyone to have a good laugh to ease the tension and pressure of problem solving.
Another helpful activity is to take a few minutes (again, individually) to think about product solutions that you love and can’t live without, and why they work so well for you. Do they save you time? Money? Do they educate you? Entertain you? Then, in the group, everyone shares their favorite products and discusses why they are so effective. Themes begin to emerge, and this can be helpful in figuring out what your own product solution needs to do.
Ultimately, though, the creative process is work. Work can be fun, but it does need some structure or it will never develop into a fully-fledged product.
