7 Ways to Spark Creativity in the Workplace

Sparking Creativity

Creativity isn’t just for “creatives.” Rather, it’s a mental tool prized by employers across all fields. Many believe it’s the key to business success, even if the word itself has become overused and blasé.

If you’ve been feeling uninspired recently, never fear: Research shows that creativity can be learned, just like any other skill. Everyone has this potential, but not everyone takes the time and effort to transform it from a potential into strength.

You can’t force yourself to be creative on demand, but you can try your hardest to coax it out of yourself and your colleagues. Check out these tips to spark creativity in the workplace.

1. Have a hobby – any hobby

You shouldn’t expect to churn out good ideas if you’ve stopped growing the organ that comes up with them. Across all departments, exercise, art, music and other outside hobbies can vastly improve your creative abilities. You’ll also carry over that creative energy to your work, which impacts the way you approach problem solving and ideation.

Investing in creative after-work activities with your team is also a solid idea. Go out for a pick-up game, yoga, or wine and painting, for example.

Alternatively, have everyone stay in and create together. Work with whatever medium gives you the most clarity: On a whiteboard or wide swaths of blank paper, with clay or even Legos.

You could also turn these sessions into a weekly creative hour on a lax day of the week, where your team can problem-solve using these mediums. And rather than tackling work-related issues, try some crazy prompts to blow off steam – the creative way.

2. Set aside time to find inspiration and be creative

It’s frighteningly easy to get caught up in the same daily routine. Expose yourself to plentiful of outside experiences for inspiration is critical for forming new ideas – and avoiding the same old ones. Browse thought leaders’ online works, read a novel, free draw, talk to a friend or step outside.

Do this at the start or end of your day, preferably in distraction-free solitude, when you have the time and energy to digest all these components and turn them into connections.

3. Be OK with failure in a fail-happy environment

Whether you’re in a position of power or not, cultivate an office culture that rewards creative risk-taking. Human nature regularly balks at the most innovative ideas proposed. But it’s critical that brainstorms and discussions take place in a feeling of confidence, not fear of ridicule or rejection.

4. Have something to write on

Writing down an idea can help grow it into something substantial, whether that idea takes the form of a quick drawing, a color or the perfect adjective. This can be vital to the creative process, especially for visual work. If an idea comes to you, physically sketching it out can feel more substantial than simply pulling out your phone and putting it into Evernote.

5. Keep a running idea file

As you find interesting ideas, throw them into a text file. You can review this every couple of weeks and see if anything catches your eye. Using Google Docs, iCloud, or even index cards or Post-Its you can search through and cross-index.

6. Brainstorm the smart way

Firstly, team meetings don’t have to take place in an office environment. Go to a nearby park, art installation or café. You’ll bond with your team and feel more comfortable spurting off-the-wall ideas. Secondly, instead of getting bogged down with trivial details, just get the big ideas out there first, even if you can’t fully expound on them. Forget the self-consciousness, since you never know what direction the conversation will take from there. Even offhand ideas can become great ones – as long as you don’t discard them prematurely.

Finally, it’s enticing to research old methods before a meeting to avoid repeating used or unsuccessful ones, but it can be extremely powerful to start a new concept with a clean slate. Reference past examples after, not before, a brainstorm.

7. Foster interdepartmental interaction

With some restraint, putting apples and oranges together can be extremely beneficial when trying to conjure new ideas and opening up the confines of a job description helps both sides. Who’s to say the product team can’t contribute to editorial?

Particularly for start-ups, giving everyone the chance to consider and respond to questions and prompts will generate more ideas overall. Set up an online whiteboard or internal site for both your team and the entire staff, giving all parties a better sense of the company culture and building intra-company strength.

A healthy sense of competition, work-related or not, can also elevate office creativity to the next level, since challenging situations often elicit the most novel ideas. Winning is also a powerful incentive.

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