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It’s your business: New challenges require creative thinking

We live and work in a complex and rapidly changing world. In a business environment challenges are faced on a daily basis, the need for efficient and productive solutions is essential for success
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We live and work in a complex and rapidly changing world. In a business environment challenges are faced on a daily basis, the need for efficient and productive solutions is essential for success. 

One of the best ways to achieve this is to take a more creative approach to your marketing and communications.

Creativity is not something that is reserved for the gifted few and comes as a lightning bolt or a magical force. Nor like Plato and Socrates who thought it came from divine inspiration when Muses breathed into a person sending them into a temporary state of madness.

According to a Psychology Today article, Creativity encompasses the ability to discover new and original ideas, connections, and solutions to problems. It’s a part of our drive as humans—fostering resilience, sparking joy, and providing opportunities for self-actualization.

The best analogy I can come up with to start the process is to start thinking like an artist. Art is not some wild-eyed undisciplined endeavour. The serious artist, whether visual or performing, goes through an intense process of seeing, thinking, doing and redoing in order to come up with a finished product.

Along the way they think about the way colours, sounds or movements work with each other. They think about design, composition, techniques and the integration of ideas so that they will convey a story that will get a reaction.

In addition artists think about how their work will relate to their audience. This is based on knowing who their audience is, their target group, which is similar to how any business must know who their best customers are.

Artists also spend a lot of time observing and experimenting. There are two quotes from Picasso that touch on this creative process that bear keeping in mind. “I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else,” and “Inspiration exists but it has to find you working.”

What happens in business is not much different than the process a serious artist must undertake. You need to know who you are, do research that will point you in the right direction, know what you want to say, who you want to say it to, be willing to experiment and if necessary adapt to a changing environment.

Thinking and acting like an artist can offer some insight on how we can bring our passions and business to life. Artists in the simplest terms are good at finding what gives them satisfaction and joy and then work towards finding opportunities and techniques to build on their talents. Building a business is no different.

Joe Smith is a communications consultant and an accomplished fine artist. He can be reached via email at joesmith@shaw.ca.