A litmus test for knowing whether or not you are creative: Walk into a crowded "room" where no-one knows your name, your follower count or your physical appearance...I recommend being an anonymous user on Reddit...
Give something away for free but make sure it takes time for someone to consume.
If more than 100 people give it a read, a watch or a listen, and you can do this consistently in different communities... you are more than likely creative.
Why this works:
Nobody knows who you are in this group. They only know the idea you have presented. They are not influenced by your follower count nor how you look. They have no access to your "resume" or your prior work. They are not judging your past competence nor how attractive you are. They are simply judging the utility of the idea presented in front of them.
Walk into the room and offer a 20 page guide, a 10 minute video or a 20 minute podcast. See if people give it a chance.
There's that saying that time is money. Let's say someone is a lawyer and makes $300 per hour. If time = money and a lawyer gives you 30 minutes of their time, they valued this guide at $150. They didn't have to pay you to prove to you your value. Their sacrifice of time said it all.
A Time I Did This Exact Exercise:
I am an avid music producer and consumer and although I am still a beginner-intermediate level music producer, I am an advanced level personality coach and am well versed in psychology. I went into the music production forum and offered a guide for teaching people the psychology behind learning music production.
I did not offer my expertise in music production but in psychology with music production in mind. It worked. My offer to provide this guide generated hundreds of likes and some responses. IT also got me suspended from the forum because it wasn't a "technical" question. Ha.
To be truly creative, you have to be able to be creative in multiple industries in multiple ways. I think the most talented music producer today is Marshmello. The man is "doing his thing" and dropping hits in pop, edm, hip hop, country...you name the genre, he's done it. Marshmello has a creative gift.
What Long Haul Creative People Do:
Creative people constantly expose themselves to creativity. They watch creative cinema, they listen to creative music, they taste creative dishes, they look at creative photography. They expose themselves to creative ideas and it rubs off.
They adapt to the times and innovate. Creative people are constantly learning new trends and are keeping up with new technologies. They use every resource available to them and seek out new opportunities that will aid in their creative pursuits.
They sleep 7-9 hours every night, limit their alcohol and drug use, and maintain a healthy social life full of inspirational people. Creative people recognize the need for a healthy mind and body and new ideas flow when their mind is primed to form them. Creative people bounce ideas off other creative people.
Creative people easily get "in the zone" or into "flow" through passion. Creative people are insanely curious and follow their passions rather than convention.
Creative people create, even when they suck. Creative people are constantly creating and sharing their creations. They seek out feedback and put their ideas out into the world without fear of pushback.
Creative people believe anything is possible. Anything that is truly creative is innovative and new. To see something before it is a reality (even if it seems impossible) is 100% a prerequisite for creativity.
Creative people are self aware. Creative people are not delusional, they are grounded in reality and they know their strengths. They know that hard work is needed and they know that things take time to develop.
Comments