Killing Creativity

If you would like to read the actual post: http://www.creativesomething.net/post/25586178

I am a creative individual, I thrive off of ideas and innovation, and I love hearing a new idea! I have been reading a blog called Creative Something, which is a blog for creative inspiration, motivation and ideas; and I came across the Seven Creative Sins you NEED to Avoid, and I thought it would be a great follow up to my blog about The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

So here are the Seven Creative Sins:

Thinking that Creativity is Learned- Creativity is a gift, and it is a gift that we all have. Some people are more creative than others, but we are all capable of new, innovative, neat, and original ideas. Learning new methods of creativity is true, but learning Creativity is impossible.

Thinking there is a Right Way and a Wrong Way-Usually, there is more than one answer for any given situation. There is rarely and honest to goodness 'black and white' situation. When it comes to creativity there is always a black, white, green, yellow, or blue way. (you get what I mean) When you are faced with a problem, let your mind flow over the situation, think about a solution, and then challenge yourself to take a different approach and come up with another solution.

Not Taking Risks-Creativity is all about innovation, and pushing the envelope. If you never step out of your comfort zone, you will NEVER meet your full creativity capacity.

Focusing on Logistics-As humans it is instinctual to go by the book, plan an out come, and go the safe route, but if every creative person did just that, then we would have nothing original! The easiest way to steer clear of this 'sin' would be to break out of you shell, and open yourself up to possibilities, forget about guarantees.

Being Creative Half of the Time-I am super guilty of this, I am the type of person that like to follow the rules and go with the flow, I don't like rocking the boat, or stirring up trouble. However, creativity is about just that! Find new ways to stretch your creativity, and expand your knowledge. Ask questions. Find a new way to do something. Try being creative 100% of the time, even the simplest change can do just that.

Creating and Critiquing at the Same Time-This is another thing I am terribly guilty of. I am my biggest critic. As a Human Being you will find yourself mentally bringing your ideas down. Open your mind (yes, to even YOURSELF) let your mind wonder, come up with a crazy idea, and see it through! Challenge yourself!

Duplicating, not Creating-The BIGGEST Creative Sin there is! Never duplicate someone else's work, draw inspiration from and idea or article or product and create your own spin from it. If you find something you like enough then you will respect it to let it be, and challenge yourself to create something completely different.

I hope you find these helpful. What are some other 'Creative Sins' that you would add?