What we have learned about creativity with Walaa Kamal

Professor Yunus says that "human creativity is unlimited" and that "creativity provides the key to solving our social and economic problems."?Creativity is a #SkillForTheFuture, but can we all train ourselves to be more creative and use our creativity for social innovation?

We have recently learned a lot about creativity with Walaa Kamal, an experienced writer and "a creative for a living" (as our brand manager put it when he introduced our guest).?

Walaa shared some very inspiring lessons. We are here to share them with you!

What have we learned about creativity with Walaa Kamal?

First of all, Walaa defines being creative as" how you see things and how you look at things differently." More important than a definition, however, he says that we should understand what creativity is about. For him, it is all about development and training. Walaa doesn't believe that creativity is something that you are either born with or not. Instead, he gave ten tips on how we can train ourselves to be more creative (as he puts it, these are tips to make you look at things in a different way).

1. Communicate differently?

We can easily understand how important communication is because everything we do in life is based on it. Walaa emphasizes that being creative is about communicating your thoughts and ideas differently - in an unusual way or in some way that is just not commonplace (like most people communicate the same thoughts and ideas, for instance).

"Start thinking 'how can I do this in a different way' and establish your target audience. Then just think about the feelings and point of view you want to convey in order to make your point."

2. Be compassionate

To Walaa, the best artists are known to be caring, and not just people who have a point of view. Compassion is the tool that helps you achieve that part of your creativity.?

"I think if you're more or less self-centered, or a selfish person, it will be very hard for you to be creative because you'll always see the world from your very, very narrow point of view. And, you know, being righteous about everything you say or do doesn't help your creativity at all."

3. Be observant, or "Train yourself to observe the details around and be aware of inspiration."

Walaa says he doesn't believe in that "magical moment of inspiration." He spent years developing an ability to observe everything that was happening around him and seeing how those things could be useful to him. At the end of the day, it was the uniqueness of his point of view that inspired him. The good news is that every person is unique. We just have to channel our observations and our own experiences to our creations!

4. Be obsessed

The process of training your observation skills is associated with getting a bit obsessive about whatever it is that you are working on. Walaa says that if it is always in your mind (like an obsession), you'll manage to be observant about anything that could actually be linked to this idea or this dilemma that you're going through (or this issue that you want to tackle). Again, our guest stressed that creativity doesn't come from magical inspiration but from a labor-intensive process.

"You cannot be creative unless you're a bit obsessed. Just try to be obsessed healthily."?

5. Be inspired by other forms of art and other subjects

When writing "730 Days with Cairokee", Walaa followed the band Cairokee and let their music inspire his writing. And this is what he suggests that we all do: enjoy the unity of the arts. You can easily get inspired by any other art form and then use it in your work. And remember that the inspiration doesn't need to come from the same source that you are writing about - you could be inspired by any art form!?

To Walaa, we should stick to the simple idea that everything is connected. So if you're working on a project and feel stuck, watching a movie could inspire you. Maybe you can have a conversation with someone or just read a post on Facebook.

"Whenever you feel stuck, you just need to get out of this whole confined area that you're in and try to look for inspiration in different things."

6. Focus on connecting the dots

When you have a problem to solve, you have to get inspiration from different sources. That, however, is not enough if you do not focus on how these new things relate to the issue at hand. Walaa says that "you need to turn to be that person whose surroundings revolve around this idea or this thing that they want to tackle or talk about."?

If you observe and look for inspiration, you start thinking about how everything around you is related (or could be related) to your problem/project. According to Walaa, this has absolutely nothing to do with talent or anything you're born with.?

"It's about how willing you are to work on this thing that you want to do. You need to try to be the mad genius, but it's not about talent."

7. Always defy the norm - or make it challenging, bold, and risky

To our guest, the very first basic rule of creativity is that it always defies the norm. Walaa believes that people who want to embrace a more creative mindset should at least try to reject the sense that there is always a certain way to do things - "the right way."? If you want to be creative, you have to be OK with defying the norm and doing stuff that's challenging or bold.?

He taught us that being creative is also about accepting a certain element of uncertainty:

"Creativity does have an element of risk to it. You know, it's always a bit risky. And that's why some people fail, and some people just make it."

8. Be sincere, and always respect your process

Walaa believes that we have to appreciate how creative people embrace their originality and make a true effort to be sincere about their feelings, what they want to do, and what they want to achieve. He thinks that appreciation is especially important when we are reminded that this is one of the pressures that creative folks usually fall under when they try something new after having done something "successful." "When it works out, people might just expect them to repeat it."?

Walaa and Fernando (our brand manager) talked about how you might sometimes feel trapped or pressured always to do everything right. However, the notion that you have to excel at every characteristic you have and every endeavor you embark on could be misleading - and a source of the very anxiety that stops so many of us from embracing our creativity. Walaa thinks we shouldn't view creativity like that.

"Doing it 'right' is great, but sometimes you fail, and then you can just try to be creative about how to turn that failure into something good, or into a lesson about how creativity is not a linear process."

9. Reflect on what success means to you or your creative project

Can we fail when we're being creative? To Walaa, it's all about how you measure failure and success. If you set these goals at the very start of your creative journey/project, your whole process might become a little less intimidating.?

Do you want to create something you like, or do you need a specific audience to connect with it? It's essential to have that in mind because it is pretty unlikely that any piece of creative work will resonate with everyone. If you know what you're going for, it's easier to keep yourself grounded in the process.?

"As long as there's another party in this equation (your boss, your target audience, people that you're helping, or an audience you want to reach), you have to take them into consideration."?

10. You do not have to be an artist to be creative

Creativity can be part of our lives even when we do not work in the arts. It can be a tool to solve problems or just a way to live a more fulfilling life. In all those cases, we can embrace the idea that our uniqueness as human beings is the best starting point.?

How can creativity be part of your life right now? We would love to hear from you!?

Follow Walaa Kamal on LinkedIn to know more about his work!?

Stay tuned for more inspiring sessions with Walaa (we hope to talk to him again soon!) and with more members of our community.?