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"How to be more creative" gets searched 81,000 times per month on Google. That's a lot of searches, but creativity isn't actually very hard at all (+ it's quite fun). Let's talk about it.
Creatorfuel helps you master high-value skills of the digital era. Learn more.
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Originality is just undetected plagiarism.
Everything you see is either a remix or a combination. This can be especially true in the digital age, where technology makes it easier to borrow from others and incorporate their work into our own.
While it is true that technology has made it easier to share ideas and creative works, this does not mean that originality is lost or unattainable.
Rather, it means that the boundaries of creativity have been expanded and that we now have the ability to draw upon an ever-increasing source of inspiration from the works of those who came before us.
In this way, we can pay homage to those who have gone before us while producing something that is truly our own.
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This way of thinking challenges us to think more critically and deeply, both about the works that have come before us, and about our own creative pursuits.
By examining the art and ideas of the past, we are able to draw inspiration that can be used in order to craft something new. This, in turn, gives us the opportunity to find more inventive and innovative ways of expressing our own ideas and contribute to the ongoing conversation between the past and present.
Take this color application and visual language from TwoByEight on Dribbble.
Change up the layout and some of the visual language, and change the hue to blue.
Take this layout from Christopher Doyle & Co.
And this style of photography from Aimé Leon Dore
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I’ve learned that no amount of coaching, fancy apps, “creativity hacks & tips” etc, will make up for:
Get these right first.
They are the highest impact things you can do.
Ignoring these is like a student ignoring the fundamental concepts needed to ace an exam and instead focusing on color-coding their notes, using fancy study apps, and organizing their study space with intricate decorations.
Master the basics. Everything else falls into place.
Most nonfiction books should've been 1000-word articles.
I find myself abandoning a lot of books right around the 25-30% mark.
Not because they're bad, but because I fully get the gist by that point and it's right around when the repetition of examples and ideas begins.
I'm okay with abandoning a book midway now. Just a couple years ago, I would power through the whole thing in fear of missing out on some crucial ideas in the later chapters.
Now, I just have fun with it. If it piques my interest, great – I'll buy it, read the chapters that seem interesting, get what I came for and move onto the next one.
I think a lot of these authors are just trying to meet some sort of quota. I dunno.
There's elegance in brevity.
So many of these "gurus" telling us to take cold showers and cold plunges 😂 😂
If you’re tired all the time:
Stick to high-impact basics. These little micro-optimizations aren't going to change anything.
Enjoy your hot showers 🔥🚿
