You have the ability to create things no one else in the world can — whether you realize it or not.
Here are a collection of concepts to help you generate ideas, develop your creative process, and overcome the insecurity that holds you back.
1. The first step to becoming more creative is to stop telling yourself you’re not.
2. Creativity is the art of turning nothing into something.
3. Treat “I’m not sure” as a green light — not a red light.
4. Constraints enable creativity — if I give you a blank piece of paper and tell you to draw a cat, it’s easier than if I just tell you to draw “something.”
5. There’s no such thing as “perfect” creative work because creative quality is subjective.
6. The more you create, the more likely you are to create something great.
7. It doesn’t matter what your creative process is — it only matters that you have one.
8. The ability to recognize ideas you have is more valuable than the ability to generate new ones.
9. What you create is born from what you consume.
(My newsletter can help you with that.)
10. Failure boosts creativity because you learn you can survive it which frees you to try new things.
11. Every creative genius is as uncertain of their ideas as you are.
12. You have nothing to lose so why are you acting like you do?
13. Most creative ideas initially seem bad because they’re different…not because they’re bad.
14. If you want to see something new look at something old from a new angle.
15. You have no idea what a creation will be until you create it.
16. No creation is definitively good or bad — it’s just right or wrong for the person who consumes it.
17. Creating is the opposite of assuming.
18. You don’t need an original idea — you need an original spin on an existing one.
19. No creative idea survives a committee.
20. Creativity is problem-solving.
21. The answer to whether you should focus on quantity or quality is both.
22. Creative sparks don’t become fires unless you fan the flames.
23. A failed idea is nothing more than a step toward a brilliant idea.
24. When you’re not sure what to do next, force yourself to write a list of 50 things you could do next.
(Btw, I can help you get clarity on what to do next.)
25. If you had to create 100 different things with a single page of paper, you could.
26. Creativity is an endurance sport.
27. Creative inspiration doesn’t come from sitting still.
28. The more you ask “What if…,” the more creative you become.
29. Everyone’s creative in their own way.
30. You assume you could never create something as good as the people you admire, but they thought the same thing about the people they admired.
31. You can tinker with your creations forever but at a certain point they’re not getting better — they’re just getting different.
32. The voice in your head saying you can’t, shouldn’t, or won’t may not be right.
33. The thing you create today will become something different tomorrow.
34. Choose to see a blank canvas as inviting instead of intimidating.
35. Every creation is a stock you buy that only costs you the time you put into creating it.
36. The more questions you ask, the more creative answers you find.
37. The clearer your creative intent is to you, the more likely you are to create something that lives up to it.
38. There’s nothing wrong with creating for yourself…as long as you don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t also resonate with others.
39. Your creations are a reflection of where you’ve been and where you want to go.
40. It doesn’t matter if these tips are the “best” I could have created or not — what matters is that I created them.
Want More?
If you found this helpful, here’s what to do next:
1. Join the 18,000 creative entrepreneurs who read my free newsletter.
2. Check out my Skill Session workshops.