Creativity

Unlock Your Creative Secret Weapon By Ricky Brandon

It seems like this week a ton of people have been asking me how they can become more creative. I even had one client jokingly accuse me of being in cahoots with the Devil in trade for my creativity. "Where do you get all of your ideas?" he asked. Well, I have decided to share my secret with you in this issue.

In the following paragraphs you will learn my creativity secret weapon. I use it all the time. It will work for you just as it works for me. It has served me well and it is this technique that got me into the buyers meeting of a major drug store when I was just 15 years old. Yup! You read that right. At age 15 my creativity strategy got me an appointment with a major drug store buyer where I sold my "Idea's" to them. I didn't even have a clue what I was doing and I walked right past the suit and tie businessmen right into the office of the guy they were trying to get an appointment with. This happened simply because I was more creative. I know you will have fun with this weeks issue. Enjoy!

It's not rocket science! : Creativity doesn't have to be rocket science. We all have fountains of creative energy flowing within us. Our problem is that the world teaches us, in the interest of our own security, to use our heads far too much. In the process, we shift from the habit of spontaneous imaginary expression to intense self- censorship in service to our security conscious ego-minds. We become so concerned with the image we project that we lose touch with our inner "wizard behind the curtain."

I've learned that when I feel stuck, confused, and frustrated, and my intellect can't seem to find its way out of the cage, that it's this same mind that created the prison in the first place. Fortunately I've found a very simple way out. I've taken up the mantra during times such as these to simply "Just Make Stuff Up."

Experts became experts by studying other experts: Now our culture typically doesn't give a lot of credence to stuff that's just made up. Particularly if it's yours and you're a nobody (a non-expert with questionable credentials). But I think you'll find that in most cases, the experts became experts by studying other experts. And if you follow the line of experts to the very heart of their lineage, you'll most likely find that the originator of their expertise actually "just made stuff up" that hadn't been seen before and that happened to work, at least for the time being.

So the next time you or your group is stuck in a problem-solving or creative venture, please, encourage them to try "just making stuff up," and see what comes forward. There's something about this approach that frees us of our need to be right and invites our inner creative children out to play. Try it. You may be pleasantly surprised!

Example: I've been personally challenged with just about all of my major projects for the past few weeks. I've felt a change of course was not only needed, but the path I was taking with these projects seemed to be reaching an impasse. Now I'm a pretty creative guy, but I felt really stumped, to the point of giving up on some of them. But being open-minded and self-reflective, I realized that the frustration and confusion I was feeling was energy that I could use to evolve these projects to the next level. This process could be effortless if I simply surrendered to the timing of the project in lieu of my ego-mind.

I discovered that I could view these projects as living beings with intelligence and a natural impulse to unfold in a way they are "intended." Like seeds that know fully what they are to become if nurtured properly and patiently. I made all of that up and you can do the same thing. Make stuff up that makes your life easier, more free, happier, etc.

We make up everything: So I began to actually listen to what each project had to tell me. I also started "just making stuff up" around each project. I found that the openness and freedom brought by the attitude of "just making stuff up" combined with the act of doing something, got me moving again into creative new arenas, with a sense of childlike lightness, fun, and adventure.

My Coach Steve Davis was discussing this with his partner Anna Dargitz. She decided to consult the wisdom of her seven year old daughter on this subject. When asked what she thought about the nature of "making stuff up," she replied with something like this. "Well, I make stuff up when I want something real." It took me awhile to decipher this sage advice. But then it hit me that we make up everything, including what we call real, and that admitting that we make it up, is the closest thing to real we can get...she's now our new guru.

How to practice this... This week, try just making stuff up or if you find your group, friends, clients, or colleagues stuck or confused, give them permission to try just making stuff up to see what happens. I'd love to hear you're perspectives and experiences on this. Please email them to me.

Visit Ricky's website at: http://www.mymomentum.com