Creativity is defined as “the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.” If you’re an executive assistant who has to plan events occasionally—or you are in a similar position—it doesn’t mean that you can’t be creative or exercise some of your creativity daily. This is especially important if your day-to-day tasks don’t require much imagination, but you are expected to switch it on at any given time to plan an event.
Adding a dose of creativity into your daily tasks will help you make that role reversal easier. It can also make the most mundane tasks feel a little bit more exciting. Let’s take a look at what it means to be a creative person and the ways that you can inject creativity into your everyday life and career.
A Look At The Creative Process
The actual creative process may seem like a bit of a mystery. Psychology Today explains: “Creative individuals are remarkable for their ability to adapt to almost any situation and to make do with whatever is at hand to reach their goals.”
Creativity is something you can study up on—by reading books or even taking on passion projects—as it has been found that there are some traits that people who are seen as creatives possess. The good news is that you can also flex your creative muscles at work, no matter the type of job you have. This may help rejuvenate your love for your job and can even help you become a better networker, employee and leader.
It may be easy to dismiss the need for creativity in the workplace, but it is something that can bring you great success in business. Elite Daily looks at how our society often limits creativity—especially when we are young and in grade school—meaning that it can sometimes be harder to harness as we are adults. We become use to rigidity and being told what to do. In order to truly separate and discover yourself, however, they explain: “It is how well you can think for yourself and actually use your creativity that separates you from everyone else.”
Harnessing Creativity In The Workplace
Some workplaces foster creativity in their employees more so than others—take Pixar, for example, who has built their whole company on it—but if your workplace or position doesn’t offer it in an obvious way, it doesn’t mean you are doomed. You don’t just have to clock in, manage your time and routine and then clock out.
Entrepreneur believes: “Everyone has some degree of a spark within them—you just need to do the work of allowing that creativity to flourish.” So whether you are spending your workday creating the ultimate event or instead doing administrative tasks, here are three ways you can add a bit of creativity into your work.
- Try new ways of brainstorming. Even if you feel you are too analytical to ‘brainstorm’ in the traditional sense—i.e. you don’t do well bouncing ideas around with others—you can get a bit creative. Try using charts and graphs in your brainstorming process to weigh options or ideas and still feed the analytical side of your brain.
- Do a brain dump. Set aside some time each week to write down any ideas you have, even if not directly related to your position. It may help you look at what you do in a new way and see how you can add some of those ideas into your daily tasks. Even better? It helps you clear your mind so there is room for even more new ideas to pop up.
- Find a passion project or task. Volunteer to take on a small project or talk to your supervisor about ideas that may be implemented in the future but need to be tested out. It will let you take time out of some of the more mundane tasks and, especially in the case of testing a new way of doing something, gives you the opportunity to work without guidelines or restraints.
Closing
If you mainly do administrative tasks and want another way to get creative when it comes time to plan an event, try looking through Spacesift at the different venues listed. You can find some inspiration and get your creative juices flowing while looking through the pictures of each space. No matter your job, you can find ways to get a little creative and spice up your workday.