Four points to be creative

Yasuhisa Hasegawa, an information designer, one of my favorite blog author in Japan, he wrote an entry “クリエイティブになるための4つの視点” (Four points to be creative), and I was fascinated instantly.  And I was originally emailing this to my friend, but then I realized why don’t I translate the whole entry into English and I can make an entry!  So here it goes.

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Four points to be creative (original title: クリエイティブになるための4つの視点)

Author: Yasuhisa Hasegawa
Translation: Takashi Mizohata

The word “creative” may imply the power of creating unprecedented things or artistic part of people/things. However, “creative” doesn’t have to be in the area of art and design got involved specifically. We all have “creative” moments, everyday.

Everyday, we have tasks and challenges. Isn’t it creative to think of how to solve those problems? It even can be creative not to do anything. Of course it is creative to find out the way to make things happen which you never think you can, or with the certain period of time.

Sometimes I hear people saying “How can I be creative?” I think it is very easy to be creative but also very complex. Here’s my four tips to be creative.

1) be a little more careful

You may find a lot more things for everyday’s task if you can look at it objectively. It is also important that you see and think how other people react with your environment and society. Those discovery often lead you to a creative hint. The first step is that you don’t stop your brain running by only receiving the information.

2) have restrictions

Deadline, budget, convention and so on… There are always some restrictions. But sometimes those make you more creative. Two very different attitudes to work with it: to accept that very limited state, or to do as much as you can under the conditions. Or oppositely, without having any restrictions, it may make an idea without border. There are people who give their full throttle as they get close to the deadline (including me), which is the actual moment of their maximum creativity. For instance, if the deadline is very close from beginning, you need to consider it to finish it quicker than usual.

3) tweak what you have

The word creativity sometimes brings people to think of it as making things from nothing. But those “creation” is a very rare case. Even in the art area, where people often consider creative, is same, they follow something already happened, society, people or various things. They are not just copying them all, and they can be creative.

Existing things are not necessarily to be perfect. There are a lot of rooms for improvement. Make hard things easy. Add a hint on what you draw before in order to change its atmosphere. Customize your email software. These small tweaks may make a big impact. “To create” doesn’t have to start with creating like God. Tweaking is a good enough start of creation.

4) have more “drawers” of ideas

You don’t know what it will happen with articles you read or movies you watched today. It is a common case that the idea you need is coming from knowledge/information that you got from totally different context. When I think of new Web service ideas, I don’t start with comparing the similar sites, but try to arrange something very different from different areas. I always try refer my knowledge from any contexts for any circumstances. Pick up pieces of information from your “drawers” of ideas, and it can be creative to combine them all together.

It is difficult though it sounds easy. Some people may be good at it, but I believe everybody has chances to be creative.