The word ‘creative’ elicits different emotions based on who’s reading or listening. To some, it makes them happy making them bask in the aura of being called “the creatives”. These ones are the gifted and talented saddled with the divine assignment of conveying art to our ever-blinking eyes and doting ears.

For some others, however, this word promotes the idea of limits and inability due to an unfair distribution of genes. Being creative conveys an impression that artistic stuff or poetic fantasies are reserved for the common few.
Inasmuch as such a train of thought for creativity may be correct, it is not the whole truth. Creativity is actually for everyone. Each and every person has found many reasons to be creative and just don’t realise that they have been creative. On the days when schedules did not work out, and somehow a plan B or C emerged, creativity was in play.

Creativity is not just bringing in new things or inventing things, it is what makes everyday living an exciting experience. Creativity promotes variety and forward thinking. It is what introduces innovation and desired change – the precursor to better lives for all.

Being creative involves deciding to break created that no longer serve their purpose. As the world is not all sane, it is salient to point out here that creativity does not equal destruction, backwardness and outright rebellion.
With this in mind, I would be projecting a roadmap to the mystical plains of creativity. Creativity in its global sense involves:

Valuing ideas

Ideas rule the world. In exploring the terrain of the creative canvas, ideas are all you need. The truth about these ideas, however is that they differ on the value placed on them. If you despise your seemingly outrageous ideas and don’t bother taking note of them, they would just be that and in the next few years, someone else would have become a billionaire with what you thought of. The primary precedent in learning to be creative is that you must never despise your ideas, especially when these ideas came while you were thinking about a particular problem.

When you value your ideas, it makes it easier for you to actually do something with those ideas.
Earl Nightingale once said, “Everything begins with an idea.” So, if you want to be creative, don’t despise your ideas.

Embracing different.

One word that blends with creativity is ‘different’. In the roadmap to creativity, paving new roads is not a crime. Being creative involves questioning the norm and finding better ways to do things. Creativity requires that you do things differently and seek to improve the state of things by blazing a new trail, and creating a path that didn’t exist before.

This will usually be a bumpy ride, but being willing to go off in such a way is what changes the trajectory resulting in development and fulfilment. Dare to be different.

Connecting the unconnected.

Creativity thrives with teamwork, and oftentimes, ideas differ. Yet, harnessing creativity in such an environment happens by connecting seemingly unrelated ideas together and creating such a masterpiece of ideation to produce something unique.

In this roadmap, you must have observed that nothing particular has been said about being naturally gifted or talented. We all have what it takes, everyone can choose to be creative.
All you have to do is value your weird ideas, dare to go another route and connect the unconnected.

Yours in gentle wit,
Elushade Oluwatumininu.
tumsielushade@gmail.com