The Big 'C's - Creativity, Collaboration and Clarity

"Creativity is a journey of exploration, imagination, experimentation, and perseverance, where every step taken leads to an extraordinary creation."

Ami Rasheed

Have you ever noticed how an infant uses his/her building blocks?

Creativity is when you use your imagination to come up with new and interesting ideas. Sometimes, we face challenging situations that can be difficult to solve, and that's where creativity comes in.

Let me give you an example.?

When my daughter was a toddler, she used to play with building blocks. She wanted to build tall towers. However, in the initial stages, she failed many times. She wanted to build houses and buildings that she saw in her little magazines. When she failed, sometimes she cried, sometimes she sought my help, sometimes she giggled, and sometimes she went back to her magazine to redesign her creativity and build the way she wanted to create. She wanted to express herself. She was so eager to build the buildings she wanted; she came up with the idea of using cello taps because she couldn’t fix them in their holes. Her little fingers were too small to do the same. Still, the blocks kept falling off.

As far as the toddler is concerned, that was a great, challenging moment that she wanted to get rid of as quickly as possible. She came up with new ideas with great enthusiasm because toddlers never think about failing. There is no fear of failure. They are always curious to know more, and they love to innovate. Here they use their imagination to reframe their thoughts,

Until she succeeded, she changed her strategies to build new ones.

Well, if you use your creativity, you might come up with a new idea to solve the problem.?

Here is another example of creativity: A student, who is facing memory challenges while preparing for exams can find a creative way to learn things. It could be with the help of mind mapping, with pictures. As we grow, we need to enhance our creativity, and we need to be curious to study the changing market demand and technology. Creativity and clarity are connected because when you use your imagination to come up with new ideas, you need to be clear about what you want to achieve.

What is the first ingredient you need for clarity? It is clarity of thought.

Having clarity of thought can help with generating creative ideas. When your mind is clear, you're better able to focus and explore new ideas and more likely to see connections between seemingly unrelated concepts. This can lead to unique and innovative ideas that you may not have considered otherwise.

You see, in our example, my daughter’s goal was to build a tall tower, but she realized that wasn't working, so she needed to clarify what she wanted to achieve and come up with a new approach to get there.

She was again picturing her ideas, as concretely as possible. For that, she revisited the magazine pages to get that picture clear.

What does that mean? If one idea does not click, she is ready to go back to the drawing board and redesign her thoughts and ideas. There is no giving up. Only trial and error.

Trial and error is a process of experimentation that involves trying out different methods or approaches until you find one that works. This process can be an important part of the creative process because it allows you to explore different ideas and approaches, and to learn from your mistakes.

In many cases, creativity involves taking risks and trying out new ideas that may not always work out. This is where trial and error comes in. By experimenting and trying different approaches, you can gain valuable insights and learn from your mistakes, which can ultimately lead to more creative and successful outcomes.

For example, an artist might experiment with different materials or techniques until they find the perfect medium to bring their vision to life. A writer might try out different plotlines or character arcs until they find one that resonates with their readers. A scientist might test different hypotheses until they find one that explains their observations.

She is even ready to seek my help. For a child, the ego is out! She just wanted to get it done right.

While creativity can certainly be a solo endeavor, collaboration can often be a valuable tool in the creative process. When individuals with different backgrounds, perspectives, and skill sets come together to collaborate on a project, they can often generate more innovative and impactful ideas than they would on their own.

Collaboration can bring diverse ideas and perspectives to the table, leading to more creative and unique solutions. It can also help to break down barriers and challenge assumptions, which can be important for pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

Moreover, collaboration can provide an opportunity to learn from others, share knowledge and skills, and gain new insights and perspectives. It can also help to build relationships and trust among team members, which can be valuable for fostering a supportive and positive creative environment.

However, it's worth noting that collaboration is not always necessary for creativity.

So, creativity is all about using your imagination to solve problems and come up with new ideas. And, being clear about what you want to achieve is an important part of that process. I hope that helps you understand what creativity is and how it can be useful in challenging situations!

Life will always throw curveballs.?

Life is unpredictable, and sometimes things happen that we didn't expect or plan for, and this can feel like a curve ball being thrown our way.

For example, let's say you have been studying hard for a big test that's coming up. You feel confident that you know the material and are ready to do your best. But on the day of the test, you wake up feeling sick and can't go to school. That's a curve ball because it's something that you didn't anticipate happening, and it's thrown off your plans.

Creativity and clarity are closely connected because when you use your imagination to come up with new ideas, you need to be clear about what you want to achieve. In our example, my daughter's goal was to build a tall tower, but she realized that wasn't working, so she needed to clarify what she wanted to achieve and come up with a new approach to get there.

So, creativity is all about using your imagination to solve problems and come up with new ideas. And being clear about what you want to achieve is an important part of that process.?

Creativity is a journey of exploration, where you embark on a quest to discover new horizons through your imagination. It's a process of brainstorming ideas, finding options, and daring to experiment with them. With trial and error, you redraw your vision until it comes to life. And with perseverance, you enjoy the result, knowing that every step taken has led to an extraordinary creation.