YOU ARE CREATIVE!

By Mohd Azmir b Mohd Nizah

In 1965, George Land, a founder of Transformation Theory and his team developed a test for
NASA (National Aeronautics & Space Administration) to select their most creative and scientist for
its Space program. The result was tremendously unbelievable. In 1968, the same test was
expanded to a group of pre-school children aged five. The test was repeated until they reached
adulthood. And again the finding was truly amazing. They found that young children are extremely
creative. But, the creativity drops tremendously through times when they reached adulthood.

You might ask yourself, “With that finding, is that mean we will not be able to be creative again?”

The answer is “Don’t worry. What you need to do is unlearn, learn and relearn through creativity
activity. You need to re-born, and be creative like child!”

You might ask again, “Why bother? What was it “creative”? How can I become a creative
person?”

All of us are creative person, we only differ to each other in terms of to which extent we develop
our creativity potential. Creativity is essentials for three simple reason, but yet important as we
live through life.

1. Joy and Happiness.

The more creative we are, the more individual ( see Ruggerio, 52) we become. We must
continuing grow, feeling more alive, enthusiasm, and leading to more meaningful and
fulfilling life. We are most creative during our childhood, where it’s full of happy and
playing. Think about how many times we laugh as compare to our childhood? Studies
shown that average children laughs about 400 times, whereas average adult laughs only
15 times per day!

2. Survival and Progress

Have you ever watched the popular mini-series “McGyver”? Does he survive every time
he faced dangerous and almost impossible escape situation? He manipulated things
around him and uses them as an escape tools. Dr. Paul E. Torrance in early Korean War
was assigned to conduct a training program for US Air Force, and he was surprised that
only creativity proved to be a critical element in survival. As Robert B. McLaren mentioned
“civilizations grow and thrive by the power and strategies of human creativity.” While Tun
Dr, Mahathir Mohamad once said “The greatest asset of any nation is the creativity of its
people”.

3. Wealth Creation
Knowledge is accessible to everyone now, in the era of K-economy. Wealth creation is
about how we add value to our knowledge through our creativity. We are paying more and
more for the content (creativity and imagination) and paying less and less on materials.
Think about how much money you need to buy a Netbook nowadays, as compare to how
much money you need to buy licensed software? The materials cost is insignificant. We
pay more for the imagination in the software. And that is why, Bill Gates, the richest men in
the world (Forbes, 2009) got rich. He is selling his people or worker imagination.
 4. It is in Islam ( Ijtihad)
Eventough, most people see Ijtihad from Shariah perspective, which gives priority to the
dimension of creativity over its usufructual dimension.( Badi,2005) However, the
inspiration given by Ijtihad, should be consider closer if not compatible to creativity. In al-
Quran, it is full of important verses that signify the important of creativity. As Hassan
(1991) noted, that Islam and creativity is not separated, but only differ in term so its
applicability from time to times. That is why Al-Quran must be regard as guidance of
humankind. But it’s only the matter of not using it to the full.

What is Creativity tough?

In Webster dictionary (2006), creative is “the ability to bring something new existence”. However,
as a Muslim, it is impossible for a man to have the creator ability. Therefore, in Islamic
perspectives, creativity is more on innovation of ideas, materials and regulations for the better
living in worldly life. It’s about making connections where none existed before. Empirically,
creative is a result from mind activity that produces various conceptions of the problem or issue,
various ways of dealing with it, and possible solution to it. (Ruggerio,2010). This phase we called
as production phase. Whereas, there is another phase that our mind is working for, that is
Judgment phase, where our minds examine, evaluate, and make judgment to make refinement on
something, as technically known as critical.

Creative is habit. It must inculcate through activity, where activity needs instruction, and where
thinking is required. One’s cannot become a creative person, if he/she is not thinking! It is
frequently said, that creative thinker are born. Although, writer already explained as above
mentioned, still the ideas is essentially false. It is effectively mostly a matter of habit. Research
done by E. Paul Torrance noted that creative doesn’t have an influence on IQ. (Intelligent
Quotient), but rather high IQ score individual may fall into their own ‘intelligent trap”. Creativity is
not monopoly by those gifted geniuses. After all, it is again a matter of activity resulting from the
thought processes of ordinary individuals.

You might say, OK. But how can I become a creative individual?

First, what you need to do is…..change your habit! You need to understand that some of our
habits hinder our thinking. According to Ruggerio( 2010), there are some habits that victimize
everyone to some extent.

1. It’s always me!

Have you ever watch the “Afi & Abah” mini series in ASTRO 611 channel? Afi always
mentioned to his friends that his father is better than others father? Claiming his toys is
better than his friend’s toys. This habit does not go away easily. And we tend to regard our
present ideas, values and groups as superior. Always me habit hinders thinking and
destroy our objectivity. To be a good thinker you must keep your ego at bay!

2. Ego
“It wasn’t my fault! He made me to do it!” Have you ever say that phrase? It is some sort of
ego, or as Ruggerio termed as Face Saving. It is differ from the previous habit in terms of
it occurs when we said or done something that threaten our self-image (Ruggerio, 2010).
In psychology they called it defense mechanism. It is simple, if the previous is all about
you, but why in certain circumstance, things happen was not yours? Good thinker knows
 when is his ego threaten, and must admit mistake he made, even though it was his fault!
As wise man says “Say the truth, even it is hard tough”

3. Change
How many times did you change your room layout per year? Or how many time you
moving to new hostel room? For sure, you might say, why do we have to move room? The
reason is simple, because you are lazy to pack and unpack your belonging. It is in fact,
you need to change your routine. Definitely, it will make you feel uncomfortable, and it is
good to feel uncomfortable sometimes. You will feel new environment every time you
make a change! You need to smell the CHEESE! (read Who Moves My Cheese). To resist
change is to set our minds against our own best and most worthwhile ideas.

4. Conformity
It is not about being different, it is about different! You will annoy those people around you
if you being different! Conformity is about to avoid the risk of be different! Once we begin
to conform, we will quickly find ourselves saying and doing not what we believe is best, but
what we believe others want or expect us to say and do. As Abraham Maslow (1968) once
said “they are pawns to be moved by others rather than self-determining individuals”.
Good thinkers are those who think for their selves, and do not worry how many people
share their view.

5. Stereotype
Everything is presorted, predetermined and prejudged! It is fixed, unbending
generalization, irrationally maintained our view. Our judgment is preceded the evidence.
Muslim today suffers of stereotyping of westerner. They prejudged that Muslim are
terrorist! This later creates Islamophobia in Europe. But as Muslim, we are supposed to
prove that we were not stereotype in that case. Good thinkers are able to avoid stereotype
as it will distort their view of reality.

6. Others Are Fault

Any resentment is clearly the other’s fault and not one’s own. Consider this. You have
failed certain subject due to lack commitment, unable to attend to your class regularly,
failing meeting up your lecturer at any consultation hours provided, and underperforms in
your end of semester examination, and yet you accuse your lecturer for unfit for teaching
or some other reason that not by your fault. This as termed by Ruggerio(2010) as face
deception. Good thinker is able to be honest with their own self.

USIM student must avoid thinking your opinion that pleases you, and then believe in it, (as
Henshaw Ward termed as thobbing). What USIM student should do is to examine your first
impressions of problems and issues, and weighing up with evidence and force yourself to be
objective. That is the first step for you to be creative. And that is where we partly fulfill our nature
as human being as Allah has creates us as the best creation!

1. Write freely.
Write uninhibited thoughts early in the morning when you first
wake up to jump-start your creativity. Brilliant ideas, solutions
and reminders will come early in the morning.

2. Keep an idea journal with you at all times.

Whether you love a pen and a pad or you use a notepad app,
when inspiration strikes, record it quickly right when the idea is
fresh.

3. Write on the walls.

Use extra large paper you can stick on the wall and write your
ideas. It’ll bring out the kid in you and help you to create freely.

4. Use sticky notes.

Record a single thought then later you can rearrange your ideas
into a flow that fits your project.

5. Meditate.
Clear your mind through meditation. Get in tune with your inner
spirit and allow yourself to hear divine ideas that are meant for
you.

6. Get monthly motivation in the mail.

Subscribe to magazines in your industry and other magazines
that inspire you as well. Every week, I visit the bookstore and
purchase all the weeklies. They are full of ideas, up-to-the-
minute information and the latest trends and styles.

7. Make lists.
Lists are an easy way to get a lot of ideas out quickly, just start
writing... more things will come once you get started. (I used
this technique to write this list, actually)

8. Break routine.
We are all creatures of habit and doing the same things over and
over can dull your mind. Break up the monotony and do things a
little different.
9. Get moving.
Ride a bike, run on the treadmill, exercise and get your blood
pumping. The increased blood flow positively impacts your
creative juices.

10. Take a walk.

Fresh air and natural surroundings will inspire you.

11. Finish.
Un-clutter your mind of unfinished business so you can think
more clearly.

12. Browse the bookstore.

Peruse the aisles, check out the New York Times best-seller list,
thumb through selections that catch your idea. Go around the
entire store, not just your favorite spots. You’ll be surprised at
what you’ll find. I’ve found great ideas in cookbooks, decorating
books, calendars and more.

13. Get order in your office/home.

A clean space will conjure up your creativity. Everything speaks
to you... so clear the distractions of clutter so you can hear
what inspires you not what’s draining you.

14. Add color for creativity.

Colors have been known to enhance your mood and impact your
thinking. Go for the color green when you want to be more
creative and the color yellow when you want to enhance your
mood overall (which also helps your creativity).

15. Experiment.
It’s OK to experiment. Try something new with your project.
Listen to your gut and go for what hasn’t been done before...
your best work can spring up out of a hunch! Give it a whirl...
you can always adjust later.
 16. Surround yourself with creative people.
Creative energy of others can fuel the atmosphere and produce
a conducive environment for fantastic ideas to flow.

17. Check out the competition.

It’s good to see what your competition is up to. You’ll keep your
competitive edge and you might find something that sparks an
idea for your own projects.

18. Attend conferences.

Live events are a great place to learn new things, meet new
people and trade information as well. You may find a new
product for your business or meet a potential business partner.

19. Take a class.

Keep your skills sharp by staying abreast of the latest
information in your field. Thankfully the Internet makes this
process simple. You can take an online course or other courses
offered by experts.

20. Create vision boards.

Create a visual of your ideas that you can meditate on often.
Put it where you can see it, it will inspire you.

21. Ask “What if?”

Allow yourself to imagine and think freely about ideas that
come to you. Focus to remove the barriers and consider how
everything would turn out if...

1. Start with a morning freewrite.

2. Take a creative course.
3. Brainstorm while you exercise.
4. Travel to other places.
5. Channel your inner child.
6. Join a coworking space.
7. Incorporate breaks into every work day.
8. Connect with creative people.
9. Keep a doodle journal at your desk.
10. Unwind by watching funny content.
11. Listen to music while you work.
"Everything’s already been thought of."
"I don't even know where to start."

"I’m just not a creative person."

We've all had those frustrating moments -- when when we're expected
to come up with a brilliant new idea, but no matter how much
we squint at our computer screens, we just can't seem to think
of anything good.
That's when we look over at our peers who are "creative types" and
wonder why we didn't inherit any of those creative genes ourselves.
But it may be that we're looking at it wrong. In fact, many
psychologists arguethat creativity isn't something people are born
with; it's actually a skill that can be learned. And, as with any other
skill, you can only get better at it with practice. The brain is like
muscle that needs to be developed -- in this case, using cognitive
exercises.
So: What can we do to exercise that creative muscle when we're
struggling to come up with new ideas? Everyone has their own
ways they like to "get in shape." To help you get started, here are
11 different ways to jog your creative thinking.
11 Ways to Jumpstart Your Creativity
1) Start with a morning freewrite.
We all have days when walk in to the office in the morning and all we
can think about is our jam-packed to-do list. But focusing solely
on how much we have to get done can stress us out, and it can even
cause us to lose perspective on our own thinking.
 On days like this, one way to refocus is by doing a morning
freewrite. According to a study from Harvard Business School
Professor Teresa Amabile, regular workplace journaling allows you to
rediscover your perspective and become more productive.
So instead of jumping right into your projects when you get into the
office, block off ten minutes for a digital detox and grab a notebook
and paper to just write. Unlike a blog or some other public-facing
piece of content, a physical journal is your own personal compilation
of thoughts that don’t need to make sense to anyone but you. Writing
in a more free-form style will allow your creative juices to flow, while
also forcing you to put your thoughts into written words.
Don't know where to start with freewriting? Check out Twords' prompt
library, or subscribe to Daily Page to get a writing prompt emailed to
you every morning. Here are some more prompt ideas from my
colleague Megan Conley:
 Recently, I’m struggling with ...
 If I had more time in the day, I’d use it to ...
 Today, I’ll relieve stress by ...
 I feel out of my comfort zone when ...
 My work is motivated by ...
 This week, I’m thankful for ...
 Today, I should avoid ...
 I feel fulfilled at work when ...
 From my team, I’m proud of ...
 I work best when ...
2) Take a creative course.
If you're the kind of person who prefers guided instruction, taking a
creative course could be the right way to direct your creativity.
Creative courses could be anything from creative writing to
photo and video to music, art, and design. Regardless which
course you take, you'll be exposed to different ways of thinking
and approaches to working that you can apply to your own work.
Plus, it may help you uncover some of your strengths and work
on your weaknesses.
It'll also surround you with other people who share the goal of
developing their creative skills. You can learn from your
peers and review each other’s work to get a fresh perspective on your
own ideas. And if you’re someone who is too nervous to ask for help
in the office, a classroom setting could give you the opportunity to
open up to others by way of workshop-style critiques. By sharing your
ideas with others, you’ll be forced to find ways to formulate your
thoughts into words and visuals, while learning to handle critique
from others.
A few free online courses to start with include Creative Live, MIT
OpenCourseWare, Creative Writing Now, and Stanford OpenEdEx.
Now, courses may not be for everyone -- especially if you feel like
structure is a hinder to your creative flow. But if you feel like you're
lacking direction in your thinking, it may be worth a try.
3) Brainstorm while you exercise.
If you feel like you’re working your brain hard and still coming out empty-
handed, try pushing yourself physically for thirty minutes or
so. Research shows that exercise can be linked to more creative
thinking. One study that focused on how moderate exercise
influences participants’ performance on different thinking tasks
found that exercising regularly may train your cognitive thinking and
creativity in a healthy way.
“Much more of the brain is devoted to movement than to language.
Language is only a little thing sitting on top of this huge ocean of
movement,” says Neurologist Oliver Sacks.
Take 30 minutes out of your day to go for a run, do an energizing
yoga flow, or practice some deskercises. It’ll benefit both your body
and mind.
4) Travel to other places.
Since your creativity is related to how your brain is wired, it’s
important to keep your mind stimulated by new sights, sounds,
tastes, smells, and experiences. Expose yourself to an entirely different
point of view through a new cultural experience. Keeping your sense
sharp allows the synapses in your brain to think in new ways.
“Foreign experiences increase both cognitive flexibility and depth and
integrativeness of thought, the ability to make deep connections
between disparate forms,” says Adam Galinsky, a professor at
Columbia Business School, whose research focuses on the cognitive
connection between international travel and creativity.
He emphasizes the importance of not just going to different places,
but also immersing yourself into their culture. By engaging with the
local art, cuisine, and people, you allow yourself to really learn new
ways of thinking that you can later apply to your own ideas.
5) Channel your inner child.
Children are considered "naturally creative" -- only because they
know no limits to their creativity. Since children are willing to go in
any direction with their creativity, they don’t hold back. Channel this
mentality, especially when it comes to taking a completely different
direction with your work. Instead of being concerned or self-
conscious that your work isn’t good enough, be willing to take
risks to push your creative limits.
Most importantly, have fun with your work. A child sees everything as
an adventure and makes the most of every moment. Instead of being
concern about all your responsibilities at once, focus all your energy
into one project at a time so you can put your best foot forward.
6) Join a coworking space.
A study at University of Michigan found two key ways coworking
spaces create unique opportunities for creativity: flexibility and
autonomy. A lot of it has to do with the physical setup of the space.
The flexibility to control your space to suit your personal preference
encourages creativity. Some studies have shown that have the ability
to customize your workspace leads to higher levels of
productivity. Your creative funk may be caused by working in an
environmentthat is simply not conducive to your personal style of
work.
Plus, the proximity to others means ample opportunity for
collaboration. Collaboration can be a catalyst for innovation, and
coworking spaces are great ways to throw yourself into a new
environment with like-minded, innovative people.
Not sure where to find coworking space near you? Start by entering
your city into DeskSurfing.net to do a local search.
7) Incorporate breaks into every work day.
Ever noticed that some of your best ideas come to you at the most
random times, like the car or the shower? There's a reason for
that: These breaks allow your mind to continue to work on these ideas
without getting stuck in a funk where you can’t organize your
thoughts.
As Adrian Furnman, Ph.D describes in a Psychology Today article, it’s
important to give your thinking "incubation time" once you’ve
been actively working on an idea for some time.
Brian Halligan, HubSpot's own CEO and co-founder, is a big advocate
for naps at the workplace. He actually finds his best ideas come to
him when he just falling asleep or just waking up. In an interview
with the New York Times, he said he pushes to make the office into an
environment where employees can "work less and think more" by
providing nap rooms to encourage folks to take a break. This, he says,
will help spark creativity.
Make sure to allow yourself to block off designated break sessions in
your calendar so you don’t lose that time after being scheduled for
endless, back-to-back meetings.
8) Connect with creative people.
When you’ve hit a wall with your own ideas, it may be time to tap into
the creativity of others. Surrounding yourself with people with whom
you can share and get feedback on your ideas and opinions is not only
good for your creativity, it's good for your career. These different
points of view can act as fresh perspective on a project you’ve been
staring at for too long.
Not only can creative people give you feedback on your projects, their
own drive will keep you motivated to do your best work. A healthy
dose of competition could be just what the doctor ordered when you
need to force yourself to really channel your inner creative spirit.
This rings especially true when these connection challenge your way
of thinking. If you surround yourself with like-minded people, you
could fall into the trap of confirmation bias where you never see the
faults in your own work because everyone already agrees with you.
Although it could be hard to take this critique, it’ll force you to think in
ways you never thought of before.
To start networking with other creative minds, you can explore
people’s work in platforms like Behance or Instagram. If you’re
looking to connect with people in person, attend conferences and
networking events related to both your industry and your interests.
9) Keep a doodle journal at your desk.
Are you a visual thinker? If so, you might find it hard to find a
direction with your ideas when you’re limited to the four corners of
your screen. Change your routine and grab a pencil and paper to let
your ideas free form in a more physical outlet. A blank sheet of paper
or whiteboard may just be the best outlet to allow you to organize
your thought process into one space.
According to Sunni Brown, author of The Doodle Revolution, “Even if
you’re just scribbling in the margins, you’re lighting up different
networks in your brain and when you do that, you’re engaging
different information."
Creating visual maps of all your different thoughts allows you to see
the relationship between your ideas. Physically writing it down takes
your ideas a step further and forces you to put them into words and
physical shapes. If you can see your thought process, it will be easier
to understand the direction you’ll want to go in.
10) Unwind by watching funny content.
Have you hit the point in your creativity block where you’re spending
hours watching cat videos? Turns out those cat videos may actually
be helpful. Research shows there's a strong correlation between humor
and creativity. A laugh can actually bring you closer to those
moments of inspiration. Humor also puts you in a better mood,
allowing you to think more freely and better solve creative problems.
If you look at your project from a more lighthearted perspective,
you’ll allow yourself to have a fresh perspective on the problem at
hand. Start with this list of funny tweets and social media posts that
real brands have posted forinspiration.
11) Listen to music while you work.
Need a way to hone in on your work without zoning out? Although there's
been a lot of debate over whether listening to music will actually
increase your intelligence over time (a theory often called the Mozart
Effect), there are still productivity benefits to tuning in. Listening to
music can help you focus on whatever task you're currently doing. It
can also put you in a better mood, and even calm your nerves if
you're feeling anxious.
Certain forms of music can help channel your creativity better than
others and tune out the noises of the office. While music with
extreme changes of pace or lyrics can be distracting, ambient music
can help increase processing levels and and promote creative
thinking.
Everyone has their own taste in music, but some of the most work
conducive genres include classical, electronic, and even video game
soundtracks. Be sure to check out HubSpot's own list list of
recommended productive playlists.
One new practice can work for you differently over time if you start to
get bored of it. If you ever start to feel a practice has become too
routine for you, revisit this post to try out another idea.