Have you also fallen to the pitfalls of limitation? If you are making some petty excuses why your innovation skill are not in its best shape,  then you might find it helpful to study the next six steps of creativity improvement.

The wrong notion that creativity comes at any random moment foils the true nature of creativity. Your creativity is under your own command and does not come according to its own wishes. Sometimes, it is used as a petty excuse as to why not to innovate.  How exactly to take command of creativity and how to call for it spontaneously whenever you need it? Let me show some six simple steps to make way for innovation and creativity to flourish.

1. Be objective to new ideas

You need to be objective every time a new idea is presented to you no matter how ridiculous it seems the first time. You need to give it a second look even if you already tried it because there might have been important factors that you overlooked the last time.  By being objective to every new idea being presented you allow yourself to grow in a profound way thus stimulating your innovation and techniques. Do not out rightly reject new ideas, rather allow it to be seen in an entirely new light, full of anticipation and excitement for whatever it behold. These ideas could literally come from people that matter to your business; it is definitely all the more worthwhile to give it your appropriate attention.

2. Trial and error process

You need to test every idea that you deem good. You have to let it pass through the process of testing where its strengths and weaknesses are revealed for evaluation and rectification. If it fails the first time, give it a look and evaluate the things you need to improve to achieve the desired results.

3. Take calculated risks

Success comes after you have taken a great leap. When you stay in your comfort zone, you limit your opportunity to discover great, new and relevant things. Never be held back by your fear of failure, keep your charts open for testing. Risks are part of the venture. It could help you strengthen your structure. By taking risks, you are waking up your creative and innovative faculties to get ready for a test run.

4. Enjoy

Never let your business becomes a burden to you; otherwise, you will burn your passion out. Enjoy every moment you are doing things. Make sure that you are having fun while you are thinking of staying up ahead creatively. Innovation gladdens the heart and creativity excites the soul. You should have more glow to your face than wrinkles

5. Be results-oriented

Creativity and innovation only makes sense if it gives off relevant results. While you are busy crafting all the creative and innovative ideas, you must never lose focus on the results that must come out from all of you efforts. Everything must have to have a fruit, otherwise it is a senseless pursuit.

6. Mix everything up

You might just mix everything up all the given simple steps given above. You may do it all in progressive steps or do it all at once. To stimulate your creative juices you might just need to solicit big and bold ideas and then let them go through the trial and error process of which all the while you are taking a calculated risks, and then you are extremely enjoying the whole thing especially that you know you will have your desired results.

You can make other people work for you and at the same time earn while doing it. The concept is simple; people pay you in exchange for work experience. Nothing could be greater than this right? Well it’s true, and many are taking advantage of it.

In a secluded town of New Zealand called Azaroa, there is someone who makes money while letting people do their work for him. He is a savvy entrepreneur who devised this simple yet profitable concept. I personally witnessed him when we just had our family vacation there recently. He heads the Eastern Bays Scenic Mail Run. He earns a hefty $45 for letting people do his work. His mail run treads on unfamiliar roads running along scenic spots and exciting places, and you get to accompany this postie while you shoulder his job responsibilities in exchange of an experience plus the payment. This is such a wonderful arrangement and any business could copy its format.

Are you doing the same? Are you good at something that you could use to earn while letting people work for you? Is your work interesting enough to command such an arrangement, which is not only gratifying but also grossly profitable as well? Do you have a unique and particular skill to entice people to pay while working for you?

• A photographer could conduct classes and demonstrations for his students, and then make an exhibit of the results
• A weaving master could teach people how to make intricate weaving designs and then sell the resulting products
• An article writer who is at the same time an English teacher could make his students write an essay for a certain topic and then post those to generate some revenues.

There are other things for which you can do to enjoy in what you do, at a far less effort, and a hefty payment from other people who wants to be a part of your work. However, you need to be careful in doing this. You need to draw a line of limitation so as not to divulge too much that you might lose your competitive edge.

Although I am an advocate of teaching people relevant skills for free. I have to admit that people also learn better when they have to shell out something from them, they think of it more of an investment than anything else.

I was basically amazed just how two talented artists, whom I just met recently, use discarded objects to come up with an entirely genuine and creative artwork. It made me think about the wonderful creativity it projects and under what category does it fall, is it innovation or renovation?

I know one designer who uses as her medium the second hand ordinary jackets and then literally transform them into a fashion creation covered with intricate silk designs. While I also happened to know one other artist who rather uses old watches and uses them to create beautiful accessories and jewellery. These two people really evoked something inside of me a feeling of amazement and inspiration that I have not felt for a long a time. I do not even care if they use existing discarded objects to create their masterpieces. In my own line of work, I often see creative pieces come out from junks. They have created an exemplification of true genius.   But will it make a huge difference if creativity sprouts from an idea that already exists? How about all the other things that come out beautifully from something ordinary that presently exist. Things like articles, marketing strategies and techniques that have its starting point from other people’s work. Not all people will agree that it is an example of creativity; they do not believe that it deserves recognition as a work of originality and arts. The idea of using the strategies and techniques of others and improve on it I believe is a creativity in itself.  I believe it is an example of how creative people are that they even make things greater that are already great. I guess this is a law of nature, evolution. What we see in front of us are basically a result of constant improvement. Nothing comes out from nothing; it must start from something that already exists. I am honestly amazed by the kind of transformation that it produces and the feeling it evokes that witness it.  Businesses are no different, strategies and techniques come out from something that already exists. I myself felt that I am constantly recycling the works of others. I used other people’s work to launch my new ideas and continually improve what others have already formed. Now I see that I have not actually made something out of nothing. Like all the others, I had been recycling.

How about you, have you had this moment as well when you start doing things trying to improve on others’ work and ideas? Let me hear your part of the story. Share your experience with us.

Excellent entrepreneurs stay ahead of the game all the time. They tend to outthink their closest competitors with such class. They do this with ease and calm, and it is definitely worthy to learn their ways.

I knew a savvy entrepreneur, David, who was in the business of making bricks, who happened to found a fierce competitor in the person of Goliath, a big company. Goliath, with an intention of putting David out of business, deluged the local market with his bricks at a ridiculously low price. Imagine their surprise when David’s business flourished instead of being inevitably ruined. What they do not know is David has an entrepreneurial mindset. He has a spirit that does not easily give to a challenge no matter how great it is. Davis all the while has been purchasing the bricks of Goliath under the guise of his other business, and selling the bricks back to Melbourne at a hefty profit.

David exemplified an entrepreneurial mindset in the given scenario; a mindset that could easily craft various innovative ideas to get through a challenging phase. It is an imperative skill to develop so as to ensure the business’ future sustainability. Below are the basic ways that could help anyone develop this precious skill:

A. Conceptual thinking

This is something that cannot readily be counted. It is a fundamental need but one that do not take a tangible form. It means that you must possess certain qualities before you can develop an entrepreneurial mindset, and these are Faith, Self Esteem, Positive Thinking and Vision among other things.

B. Business knowledge

This is more like the tangible requirement of achieving entrepreneurial mindset.  This covers the sum of your collective learning about the business. I believe that the reliance of some of the major companies on business thinking constructs an avenue for the soloist with greater opportunities.

C. Creativity

In every great endeavour, creativity is one essential ingredient. Creativity encompasses all and is not limited to artists. It is inherent in every human being to possess this quality, to create great ideas and putting them into great use.

The comfort zone

Everyone is particularly blessed with any of the three qualities. You do not necessarily possess the three but may be comfortable under a single premise of any of the three. There might be instances when moving out to other zone is called for, and soloist I believe are better prepared for it than anyone else.

Zone for entrepreneurs

The best zone so far is when you achieve to have the overlapping qualities of the three, or at least near to it. This may be rare but neither is it improbable. It does not come naturally though; it is a sweet product of consistently racing after it, og continually giving your best shot in anything that you do or perform.  This is the zone indeed that is worth aiming for. This could keep you ahead of your competition. To be called the head of the pack. You become the leader, one who out smart and outthink anyone in your league. This is the entrepreneur zone, where only the elite of the elite are found.

If an entrepreneurial mindset helped you in any way, please let us hear your story that may we also hear f your success.

Do you live by the rules of an artist? One who views himself as free from the clutches of commercialization of creativity? You can stay being creative while you make your way to earning big.

Most people with creative inclinations do not subject themselves to the bounds of business intricacies. They refuse to make compromises, and would rather starve than make simple amendments.  They are masters of their own craft, unrelenting, and sometimes incredibly stupid. But when you already have mouths to feed, this carefree principle is not going to work for long. I have found out that you can earn as much as you want while maintaining the quality of your creativity. Here are a few steps that worked for me when I pursued to be creative and at the same succeed in earning:

1. Tone down your tendency for perfectionism

It is totally fine to strive for excellence in your work, however there are times that you need to tone down a bit. Creative people sometimes take longer to do one thing done because of the endless revisions. I remember when I first had a few of my assignments, I rewrite things a couple of times before getting satisfied. I have this tendency to make all things work perfectly, without glitch. However, later on I realized that this is taking me nowhere. I cannot keep on making perfect write-ups to please all that read it, because I cannot please everybody no matter how much effort I put into my writing to make it seemingly perfect. Do your works extremely well, but do it according to your own accord and not so much because you want people to perceive it as perfect. This way, you could have more freedom with your creativity less the pressure.

2. Get some fresh air outside, meet people

The downside of extremely creative people is they tend to be a loner, an artist living in an island kind of persona. They have no regards to show their works of art. Association is one of their least priorities. However, if you wish that you make money out of your creativity, you must put off this tendency. You have to meet people that could throw a favourable influence to make you gain some sales over your work. Make and build relevant relationships. Connect with an audience, and not very long from now, you will find it gratifying to be creative and at the same time being able to socialize at a certain level.

3. Be motivated

You have to identify your own motivating factor. You have to transcend your creative juices by utilizing it for a greater good. Keep your motivations on the run. Focus on something that has meaning as to why you do what you do.

4. Make plans

Every endeavour needs a plan. A predetermined goal will keep you in check why you are doing what you do now. With your plans, craft some achievable yet challenging goal that could get bigger once broken and reached.

5. Have a discipline

A good measure of discipline could enhance and encourage creativity rather than foil it. Creativity needs to be developed with some touch of personal discipline so that things are in its right order. Artists wait for their “AHA” moment before they start their work but disciplined ones can start their job anytime which is a lot more productive.

6. Stimulate your creative juices

Discipline helps a creative to put things in its right order, but it may not necessarily stimulate his creative juices. To do this, one can indulge in an activity that can accelerate an artist to achieve creative stimulation. It may differ from one artist to another, but the goal is perfectly the same, keep the creativity coming and at an optimum level.

Share to us your experience of utilizing your creativity while at the same time making generous pay out.

We need to be loaded with fresh ideas every single day to keep our motivation at an optimum level. Most of the time these ideas do not readily come when summoned, sometimes it needs a special circumstance for it to visit our parameters. To foster fresh and creative ideas, an idea-conducive environment is basically required.

I have come to believe that to ensure our business survival, we need to never cease from generating relevant ideas. It fuels our inherent need for activity. For being useful and relevant in a society we belong to. Generating ideas keep us moving forward in a platform that ensures success and contentment. Ideas are dynamic product of thoughts that have primary practical uses for the conceiver. It directs the path upon which to tread. It is a life giving water that wets our weary existence, without it, things begin to die. You really need to identify exactly your stimulating factors in producing ideas, because ideas are the true answers to our dilemmas. You have to be able to tell which could stimulate your creative juices. A fresh idea is as important to our life as the water is to a plant. When I asked people around about the influences and environment where and when they feel creative, their   varied answers really astonished me. Here they are:

“When I’m Motorbiking”

“When I’m in the bathroom”

“When on vacation”
“When I’m interestingly reading”
“When I ride my bike”
“In the swimming pool”
“When I paint”
“In a relaxing environment”
“When I spend time with my family”
“In the Opera house”
“While showering”
“On the road walking”

None of the respondents ever said he felt being creative when they were in the office behind their desks. I have never anticipated this but somehow this is an eye-opening result of my mini-survey. This only means that we need to create an environment that allows us to tap our creativity. A revolutionary idea states that “when you have so much to do, all the more that you should spend more time getting yourself to relax”. I agree with that idea, and the explanation about that is not even nearly complicated. By getting to a place or circumstance where you can think clearly, you allow the creative faculties of your being to help you finish your work efficiently and effectively. You are tapping the powers of your own creativity.

Ensure then to spend greater amount of time with people, circumstance and place that could literally enhance your creativity. You have to make a balanced work-leisure equation. Enhance the one without compromising the other.

You may start gradually until everything else comes naturally to you. Generate better and fresher ideas by extending the time you allot to the particular stimulants. And the success you will taste is far sweeter than the usual course.

We face a great new challenge of coming up with new and innovative ideas and strategies for our business to stay in its best shape. Innovation is our best chance of bringing our business to higher level.

Globalisation brought all these challenges that call for really great and creative innovation. Labourers from other parts of the worlds are skilful and cheaper which could really tip the balance of local business’ situation. Here comes the need of coming up with innovative ideas, if we cannot compete on one thing, then we have to offer something entirely different. Innovation is a battle of ideas. The best idea wins. But the real question is where do we get those business innovation techniques?

If you are thinking the Government will be able to provide you the answer, then you thought wrong. Governments harbour status-quo and consensus principle which are in disagreement with innovation, it discourages the spirit of innovation. Big businesses do not even provide a good breeding ground for innovation. Big businesses are very profit- oriented organizations and are afraid to make audacious risks. It is the single proprietors that hold the key of the future of innovation. We the soloists are the daredevils of business innovation strategies. Sole proprietorship businesses are very easy to manoeuvre. They have the will to make revolutionary decisions. It can easily adapt to the needed changes as inherent by-product of innovative ideas. Because of the limited resources of solo businesses, we tend to cultivate on our creativity to make up for what we lack. Thus, we create an environment to craft risky yet very creative innovative techniques.

Innovation must be practised by any form of businesses to ensure sustainability. Below are some simple keys to remember about innovation:

1. Be the pioneer. If you can conceive a need, start acting on it without waiting for someone to make the first step. Take the initiative and believe you are doing the right thing.
2. Do not procrastinate. The ideas you have conceived are meant to be acted not tomorrow but now.
3. Associate with other people of the same mind. Learn anything you can from them. It helps to have someone around who shares your dreams and aspirations.
4. Study and learn. Enrol in some very useful courses that will help you come up with brilliant innovative ideas.
5. Do not take things too seriously. Innovations are meant to be enjoyed. It should excite you rather than worry you.
6. Look for investors who are sympathetic to your cause. Investors who endured and started the way you do now.
7. You need not duplicate other businesses’ ideas. Learn from them and then form your own ideas.
8. Do not go after prestigious yet irrelevant awards. It only fuels a principle that undermines innovation.

You are the master of your own business. You choose which way your business should head. Cultivate whatever spirit of innovation you have, and start building from there.