Creativity "Capital isn't so important in business. Experience isn't so important. You can get both these things. What is important is ideas. If you have ideas, you have the main asset you need, and there isn't any limit to what you can do with your business and your life." — Harvey Firestone

“Creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing. Innovation is the production or implementation of an idea. If you have ideas, but don’t act on them, you are imaginative but not creative.” — Linda Naiman Creative Is... Naiman, L. (2010). What is creativity? Retrieved April 12, 2011, from

“Creativity is the process of bringing something new into being…creativity requires passion and commitment. Out of the creative act is born symbols and myths. It brings to our awareness what was previously hidden and points to new life. The experience is one of heightened consciousness- ecstasy.” —Rollo May, The Courage to Create … Naiman, L. (2010). What is creativity? Retrieved April 12, 2011, from

“A product is creative when it is (a) novel and (b) appropriate. A novel product is original not predictable. The bigger the concept, and the more the product stimulates further work and ideas, the more the product is creative.” —Sternberg & Lubart, Defying the Crowd … Naiman, L. (2010). What is creativity? Retrieved April 12, 2011, from

What is creativity? the process of producing something that is both original and worthwhile Looking at things in new ways Finding ways to solve problems.

What can creativity do? How has creativity affected our lives?

Curiosity Seeing Problems as Interesting and Acceptable Confronting Challenge Constructive Discontent Optimism Suspending Judgment Seeing Hurdles as leading to improvements and solutions Perseverance Flexible Imagination Creativity Traits Rowse, D. (2007, May 9). 9 Attitudes of highly creative people. Retrieved April 12, 2011, from

How do you demonstrate creativity? Challenge the usual: Ask, “What if…”, “Why…?” Think backwards: Determine the goal you want to achieve Work backwards to determine the steps needed to get there. Be flexible—problems are opportunities waiting for a solution: Post-It Notes Brainstorm now; judge later.

Believe in yourself. Positive self-encouragement works. Use nonlogical thinking. Not everything has to make sense right away. Free your mind! Don’t think of everything in practical form. View problems as challenges that offer the opportunity to innovate. Entertain all ideas. There is no such thing as a frivolous idea. Demonstrating Creativity Allen, K.R. & Meyer, E.C. (2006). Entrepreneurship and small business management (p. 51). Woodland Hills, CA: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill.

Relax! Relaxation is a key part of the creative process. Have a playful attitude. Don’t worry about looking foolish. Look at failure as a learning experience that will lead to success. Model creative behavior. Anyone can learn to think creatively. Develop listening skills. You can learn a lot by listening to other people talk about their wants and needs. … Allen, K.R. & Meyer, E.C. (2006). Entrepreneurship and small business management (p. 51). Woodland Hills, CA: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill.

1. Commit Yourself to Developing Your Creativity 2. Become an Expert 3. Reward Your Curiosity 4. Realize that Creativity is Sometimes Its Own Reward Developing/Enhancing Creativity Cherry, K. (n.d.). How to boost your creativity. Retrieved April 12, 2011, from boost-creativity.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/tp/how-to- boost-creativity.htm

5. Be Willing to Take Risks 6. Build Your Confidence 7. Make Time for Creativity 8. Overcome Negative Attitudes that Block Creativity … Cherry, K. (n.d.). How to boost your creativity. Retrieved April 12, 2011, from boost-creativity.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/tp/how-to- boost-creativity.htm

9. Fight Your Fear of Failure 10. Brainstorm to Inspire New Ideas 11. Realize That Most Problems Have Multiple Solutions 12. Keep a Creativity Journal … Cherry, K. (n.d.). How to boost your creativity. Retrieved April 12, 2011, from boost-creativity.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/tp/how-to- boost-creativity.htm

14. Challenge Yourself 15. Try the "Six Hats" Technique 16. Look for Sources of Inspiration 17. Create Opportunities for Creativity … Cherry, K. (n.d.). How to boost your creativity. Retrieved April 12, 2011, from boost-creativity.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/tp/how-to- boost-creativity.htm

18. Consider Alternative Scenarios 19. Create a Flow Chart 20. Try the Snowball Technique … Cherry, K. (n.d.). How to boost your creativity. Retrieved April 12, 2011, from boost-creativity.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/tp/how-to- boost-creativity.htm

Using Creativity to Solve Problems Problems are really opportunities! Routine problem solving means doing the same thing over and over to come up with the same old solutions. Creative problem solving includes coming up with new, innovative ways to handle situations.

Look at problems in different ways. Make novel combinations. Force relationships. Make their thoughts visible. Think in opposites. Think metaphorically. Prepare. Set a Goal. … Eikenberry, K. (2008, February 21). Eight ways to generate more ideas in a group. Retrieved April 12, 2011, from

Practice brainstorming. When you brainstorm, you think freely to generate ideas. During brainstorming, ideas are not judged as good or bad. Even those that seem silly should be given a fair hearing initially. Applying Creativity Allen, K.R. & Meyer, E.C. (2006). Entrepreneurship and small business management (p. 51). Woodland Hills, CA: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill.

… Look at ordinary items in new ways. Find a simple item and figure out how many new products or uses you can find for it. With practice, you’ll get better at seeing things in a different light. Allen, K.R. & Meyer, E.C. (2006). Entrepreneurship and small business management (p. 51). Woodland Hills, CA: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill.

Find creative solutions to common problems. When you find yourself perplexed by a problem, think about how to find a solution. Have you ever used a flat- head screwdriver to pry something open? That’s finding a creative solution to a problem. … Allen, K.R. & Meyer, E.C. (2006). Entrepreneurship and small business management (p. 51). Woodland Hills, CA: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill.

Connect unrelated items. Ask a friend to put together a tray of different items when Then try to come up with a new product from the items. This forces you to look at things in new ways. … Allen, K.R. & Meyer, E.C. (2006). Entrepreneurship and small business management (p. 51). Woodland Hills, CA: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill.

Examples of Creativity in Business Did you ever think, “WOW!! Why didn’t I think of that?” Red Box started by McDonald’s to get more people into the restaurant Amazon.com started as an on-line book store. Jeff Bezons wanted the name to start with an “A” so it would be listed early in alphabetical order