What the heck does it mean to be a creative genius? Being a creative genius is the best quality that you could have in every aspect of your life, especially at work. The new measure of success is a leader’s ability to spark creativity, shift thinking around old issues and define new prospects for forward action. A creative genius has an appetite for novelty, they’re innovative and most importantly, productive and yes, you can be one too!
Genius is not about scoring 1600 on the SATs, mastering fourteen languages at the impressive age of seven, finishing Mensa exercises in record time, having an extraordinarily high I.Q., or even about being smart. Being a creative genius is about having a visual mind, creating more than one solution to any given problem and they’re just…awesome. You want to be a creative genius, trust me. And honestly it’s not that hard.
We attended Color Comm’s Conference for women in the media in Miami over the summer and got a chance to attend a panel hosted by the lovely Dr. Raye Mitchell. She’s an award winning humanitarian who is passionate about supporting women and motivating us to be the next generation of global leaders. She knows a thing or two about being a creative genius and she so generously shared her tips with us.
Check out these quick tips–literally because you can do so in five minutes–from Dr. Mitchell and test them out. Let’s see if you can challenge yourself to be a creative genius!
1. Own It
A) Brand yourself as creative, an innovator, a disruptor and new thinker by taking action.
B) Build a brain trust to experiment.
C) Scale your vision. Start small to build big.
D) Go live. Go public.
E) Name your baby.
2. Stage Your Overthrow of the Status Quo
A) Be the constant challenge to the status quo – move the mark.
B) Infuse yourself with a healthy dose of curiosity –“What if?” is the question.
C) Park at the intersection of “What if?” and “Why not?”
D) Distort your own angle of view – put on new set of eyes.
E) Capture the power of a crisis, a disaster or a mishap.
3. Build a Sustaining Model of Creative Vision
A) “I see dead people.” Look for creativity everywhere, !anywhere.
B) Meet your new BFFs—risk and failure.
C) Create, look out for and grab a defining moment and make it work.
D) Give each new concept a limited lifespan. (Put an expiration date on every new idea, plan, venture and concept.)
E) Beat the best. Define the new benchmarks.
4. Develop a Plan of Active Engagement
A) Do a ‘Costco’ run. Stockpile your creative content with daily contributions.
B) Launch a live experiment regularly.
C) Do something odd regularly. “What if?”
D) Talk about it. The input, the output; what went right, what went wrong.
E) Fix it.
5. Recycle, Reuse, and Relaunch
A) Ctrl + alt + del is your best resource.
B) You don’t reinvent; you repurpose. Not a failure, just a new way to do something else.
C) “Oh, well.” Don’t take a setback personally, acknowledge and then move on.
D) Be on purpose, demonstrate tenacity and exhibit a good sense of humor.
E) Everything has value; you just have to find a time and place for it.
Be Nimble, Be Quick: The Only Tips You’ll Ever Need To Be A Creative Genius In 5 Minutes was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
