Think creativity doesn’t matter? Think again
Whether we’re conscious of it or not, what we choose to do in our “free” time indirectly affects how we show up in our biz. The way we approach problems, the depth in which we identify new opportunities, the way we communicate our ideas and talk to (and with) our audience…
So at the end of the day or on the weekend when it’s time to relax, what would happen if you made a conscious effort to do something that could have positive effects on your biz… and also be enjoyable, relaxing, and calming?
Is there even such a thing? (Yes!)
You could veg in front of the TV or doom scroll IG…
BUT
Making time for creativity not only helps you feel better in the moment, it also changes how your brain works.
And yup, you guessed it, that affects how you run your biz (and all signs point to these being good changes 😉)
Extra time? Do more work! …right?
Not too long ago, I was talking to a fellow entrepreneur friend about how I often end up staying on my computer too late doing alllll the things I have to do. Including writing these posts sometimes. (Guilty!)
She suggested I shift how I go about my daily schedule and try working on some of the things for my own biz in the morning, before I start doing client work. This helped me change how I view the importance of my own work (perhaps a future blog post topic?), but also… It created more time.
Time I never realized I actually had! YAY!
So now that I’m finishing tasks more quickly and getting ahead of schedule, I was like, “sweet, now I can just work ahead!”
PAUSE.
No. No I shouldn’t.
It’s been a season of hustle as I work with clients while also building up my own biz. Weekly blog posts, emails, working on exciting things for the future behind the scenes…
And because of all of this, I’ve been missing out on something I highly value. Setting time aside to be creative.
The work will always be there. There will always be things to do - whether I work ahead or not. So instead of risking burn out and taking ALL the fun out of my life…
I knew I had to get back into creativity.
The benefits of being creative
Art has always been a part of my life. Drawing on the walls in the coat closet as a kid, filling up notebooks with drawings, doodling while “taking notes” in high school…
Getting an art education degree (and then spending 9 years teaching little brains to be creative too), documenting and drawing native wildflowers, painting birds… it’s just what I do.
Expressing thoughts and ideas, artistically capturing interpretations of what I saw… It made me feel good.
And looking into it, I can see there’s a reason why.
Taking time to be creative has impressive benefits to your health and wellbeing…
Whether you consider yourself an “artist” or not
-Helps lower stress and anxiety, and improves mental health
-Allows you to be fully present and in the moment, improving your ability to focus
-Encourages problem solving and imagining possibilities
-Increases happiness (it activates the mesolimbic dopamine pathway, the reward center/pathway, of the brain… which is what makes you feel good)
I don’t know about you, but I think we could all use a little more of 👆🏻 in our lives.
And the best part is, you don’t even need to know what the hell you’re doing!!! As long as you approach a creative session with an open mind and allow whatever happens to happen, you’ll gain those benefits.
Okay, enough of the What. Here’s the How.
While making art is my personal favorite, there are TONS of ways to tap into creativity.
But real quick. What does it mean to be creative? No, it’s not always drawing and painting and making music, like we commonly think of.
Being creative is the ability to think, explore, and experiment. It’s making something that didn’t exist by ideating and identifying new options. It’s bringing to life a thought or a concept based on experience and what you know is possible. And it helps us in solving problems, communication, and expressing our deepest thoughts and innovations.
So while drawing and painting are my personal faves, here are some other obvious (and maybe surprising) ways you can tap into creativity:
-exercise, dance, walk
-be in nature (I actually wrote about this in this blog post! )
-make a piece of art
-meditate
-connect with different kinds of people
-make music
-create (no expectations, just DO)
-play
-fill in a coloring book
-explore and try something new
-write stories or journal entries
There’s a bunch more, I’m sure, but that’s a great list to get you started!
Left brain or right brain?
Okay so I nerded out and watched some videos on creativity while taking a break from writing this post to eat dinner.
Big mistake. I ended up having to grab my laptop to take notes while eating because I was all 🤯 And that’s how this section was born.
I can’t help it, I love learning! And when I learn something new, you better believe I want to share it with you all!
Turns out, creativity uses BOTH sides of your brain. And here I was, thinking it was just affecting the right side. According to this super cool dude Scott Barry Kaufman, the Humanistic Psychologist featured in this video, creativity actually involves many “brain networks” throughout both sides of your brain. It’s when different parts of the brain communicate with each other to complete a specific task.
And Kaufman says three of these networks are actually essential to creativity:
Executive Attention Network
-Holds info in your working memory
-Maintains strategies
-Inhibits obvious responses
Imagination Network (or the default mode network)
-Focuses on daydreaming
-Let us picture future goals
-Allows for alternative perspectives, leading to compassion
Salience Network
-Tags things as interesting or not interesting
-Feeds tagged info to other networks
So when you make the time to take part in something creative, there’s a WHOLE lot more going on than just doing something that makes you feel good.
And if I can do something that’ll make me a better thinker (and something that doesn’t feel like homework), I’m ALL over that!
Bringing creativity into your biz
The coolest part about making a conscious effort to be creative is that the effects don’t just end when your session is over. You actually start to wire your brain to become more creative in other areas of your life as well. And when it comes to your journey as an entrepreneur, that could be game-changing!
Here’s a quick list of what this could look like in your biz:
Increase in productivity - since creativity helps you engage your brain and improve your focus
Better stress management - because we all know the biz can be stressful sometimes
More innovative ideas - outside-the-box thinking can help differentiate your biz and identify opportunities for growth
Improved problem-solving skills - since creativity invites imagination and communication, you’re able to envision different paths to a solution
Adaptability and flexibility - you can’t stay stuck in your ways! …And these are strengthened through creativity
Genuine connection - yes! My THING! Effective communication, engaging and valuable content, and creative marketing give you THIS
REAL self care - No to bubble baths, yes to a meaningful work-life balance! And finding fulfillment in your personal AND work life
These perks sound great but… what if you’re feeling stuck? What if that creativity doesn’t seem to be flowing in your biz when you need it to flow most?
Get the biz juices flowing
Being creative on-demand can feel tough! But it’s not impossible. Allow yourself to take breaks when you need it. You might even consider making some of these breaks mini creative sessions and do one of the suggestions I listed above.
To spark creativity in how you approach the different parts of your business, you can try asking yourself some deep questions too.
You know, those kinds of questions that make you think and reflect and sometimes feel uncomfortable.
Don’t be afraid of that discomfort. Try something new!
Here are some questions you can think about:
-What can I learn from innovators or creative thinkers in other industries and how can I bring that into my own biz?
-What are my biggest opportunities for growth or current challenges and how can I approach them creatively?
-What are the underlying values in my biz and how can I use creativity to expand on them?
-What limiting assumptions am I making about my biz and how can I challenge those assumptions?
-How can I encourage risk-taking and experimentation in different parts of my biz?
-What would it look like if I allowed myself to play and try something new, even if I don’t reach the expected outcome?
Being creative can feel off putting or unattainable at times, I get it. But we’re all wired for creativity. It’s part of our human nature! As we grow older and get into more “serious” seasons of our life, we just sometimes become a little disconnected from that.
This is your invitation to let some creativity back into your life.
And if you think you only have time for things that will directly affect your biz… DO THIS! You’ll learn to have some fun too 😉
Of course, there’s creativity in storytelling too (among many other perks!). That’s why I’ve made it my focus. It’s fun, it’s creative, and when it comes to creating genuine connections and growing your biz, it WORKS.
Grab my free guide on how to use story-driven emails, dig into your voice, and create an engaged community who loves and trusts you.
AND before you go… I want to know how YOU are making time for creativity! Or… what you want to start doing 😊
