Foster Creativity
In yourself, in the workplace and in the community
By Dana Turell, President of Turell Group
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Creativity didn’t used to be associated with business. It was reserved for artists or people who were considered a little woo-woo. If you weren’t an artist, creative endeavors were mainly pursued as a hobby and it didn’t typically crossover into the workplace. The latest business trends seem to flip that paradigm, but in some traditional circles it can still seem taboo.
Google defines creativity as the use of imagination or original ideas to produce something new. Who doesn’t want more of that infused in their business? Literally, the opposite of creation is death—if we’re not thinking of new ways to solve problems, our businesses will die. So, how do we get more creative? You need to consciously develop practices that build creativity in yourself, in your work teams and in the community. Take Time to Smell the RosesIn today’s world, we are constantly bombarded with emails, texts, instant messages, social media updates—need I say more? There’s little to no space in our day to be creative. To come up with new ideas, we must intentionally break free from all the distractions. Schedule time to observe the world without your phone. Let your mind wander. Don’t force it. Just move, explore, and let your mind go. Spending time in nature is a great way to get your creative juices flowing—and, that doesn’t mean having to get out of town. A walk in the park or a bike ride to work will do, too. Studies show that spending time in nature can inspire creativity, help eliminate creative blocks, reduce stress, boost memory and much more.
Have Fun with Your TeamAt our company, we have weekly team meetings. If it were up to me, we would spend our time reading books, team building and talking. But, some of us process visually, need to move or like to do things with our hands. So, we do a little bit of everything. We have a “creative committee” that comes up with quarterly activities for us to do. We’ve made greetings cards and painted rocks—it’s amazing how focusing on an activity with your hands can free your mind and help you think differently. We also have walking meetings, like to tour the 20x21EUG murals or check out what’s happening downtown. The point is that we are setting aside time from actual work to play together and foster creativity, which helps us be more creative in our work.
Support the CommunityIf we want to build more creativity in ourselves and our teams, it only stands to reason that we need to support it in our community. There are so many ways. Attend a performance or art exhibit at your child’s school or with one of our many fine arts organizations. Buy a piece of art from a local artist. Sign up for a Creative Academy workshop by the Arts & Business Alliance of Eugene, where they use artistic solutions to solve business problems. Visit and appreciate public art on display throughout our community. Celebrate innovation when you come across it. Without knowing it, you may just be feeding your own creativity.
If we intentionally take the time, we can build more creativity in ourselves, our teams and our community. Just imagine what the world would be like if we all tapped into our creative side from time to time. |
As president of Turell Group, a full-service marketing agency, Dana Turell works with numerous organizations in the private, public and nonprofit sectors and is at her best when she’s at the helm of a team focused on a brand. She has a degree in psychology, studied English and theater arts abroad and lived in New York for three years to pursue her love of theater. An avid arts patron, she’s the incoming president of Arts & Business Alliance of Eugene.
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