4 Habits of Highly Creative People

by Morgan Alverson | Aug 1, 2017

What helps you get in the creative mindset?

Have you ever sat down to work on something that requires creativity (like writing a blog post for example) and just aren’t sure where to start? It happens — even to the most creative people. So I set out to find what people are doing to get creative.

First, let’s dig into what creativity actually means. The dictionary defines creativity as the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work. So creativity is coming up with new ideas to solve problems. It’s creating something. It’s doing work.

Creativity (noun) : the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.

I work with a really talented team of creative people at Syrup. I reached out to just a few of them in very different roles to find out what they’re doing when it’s time to get creative.

Here’s what they said:

Solve Problems – The Developer

I solve problems. I split the problems into “been there, done that” and “this is new territory.” On the new territory, I think of the ideal situation/solution, then usually work that backwards to where I currently am with the problem. I don’t really ever think, “I need to get creative right now.” I just frame it as problem solving, which has a method.

Brainstorm Questions – The Account Lead

I brainstorm questions first, before thinking of solutions. I find the questions that will help lead me to the solution I’m looking for. Whether I’m getting creative solo or leading a brainstorm with the team, I operate in a similar way.

Find the Why – The Designer

I try and look into the roots of the company and pull out the truth behind why they are a business. The WHY for any company should be powerful and drive the creative decisions. I also think about how to make the company more humanistic through my designs.

Look for Inspiration – The Content Strategist (that’s me!)

I look anywhere and everywhere for inspiration from others — some of them make total sense (like the competition), but others are completely random (like a tv show I just watched). I also try to take quick 5 minute walks around our building often. It helps me get some fresh air, get away from the computer, and just THINK.

Four different people, four different job titles, and four different ways to get creative. And I can bet if I asked the rest of our team, you’d have all different answers. That’s the beauty of creativity: it means something different for everyone, and everyone approaches it in a very different way. We all work differently and create very different things.

So what does creativity require?

While we all take a different approach to getting creative, there are certainly personality traits that every creative person has. I credit our Founder and Creative Director, Benj Miller, for teaching us this one.

Creativity requires:

1. Purpose – What are you doing it for?
2. Learning – Never stop!
3. Energy – What helps drive you (food, exercise, meditation, etc.)?
4. Courage – Be prepared and willing to run into challenges.

No matter what position you are in today or what you’re working on, I challenge you to spend some time in a creative mindset. Take the time to learn something new and take a different approach to your work. Find the purpose and your “why,” and find the challenges rather than running from them. We all have the opportunity to be creative, and we all take different approaches to creativity. You just have to find yours.

What do you do to get in the creative mindset? I’d love to hear from you! Tweet me @AlversonATL or @SyrupMarketing.