Discovering Creativity in Crisis

When I think of Creativity in Crisis, the first thing that comes to mind is resilience. The ability to bounce back, a productive way of dealing with crisis. Given how the situation has been worldwide this year, I have seen people re-imagine processes and procedures they have had in place for a long time. I have seen most of us being pushed out of our comfort zones to think outside the box. So how do we remain motivated, and relevant in a time that limits us from doing what we have been doing?

According to an article on psychology today, written by Alice Boyes Ph.D, the problems we are facing now are not problems we have had to deal with before, and hence innovation is inspired. She explains how empathy spurs creativity and how creativity comes alive when our ingrained habits and ways of thinking or doing have been disrupted. Research and current life experiences have shown us that we can be creative by switching up routine, which has become our new normal. So what are some key factors to consider during our creative process?

Identify the new problems that need to be solved. Entrepreneurs see this as the key to having a successful business. Being able to identify what is needed and what is not working anymore is one of the basic principles in being innovative.
Establish the recipients of this re-imagination. Who is your audience and what are their needs? Do research and make sure their voice is included.
Take inventory of what resources you have readily available. This could be staff members to help, organizing troubleshooting sessions with trusted ones or team members. Identify which voice is missing from the table and invite them – work together and encourage diversified perspectives.
Cost vs. rewards – Evaluate whether actionable items can be achieved in a reasonable manner.
Start somewhere – I know it can be intimidating to try something that has never been done before, so courage is pivotal when it comes to launching new ideas. Don’t be afraid to fail if there is a failure to launch. Reassess and make adjustments as you go. This reminds me of a saying “it is impossible to steer a car that is not moving.”