According to the World Economic Forum, creative thinking is among the key workplace skills for 2030. But how do you apply it if you don’t have a creative background?
I believe everyone is creative. With a Master of Fine Arts and an MBA, I love bridging creativity and professional goals. Let me start with a personal story.
The spark
When I launched Pigment in 2005, I was buzzing with energy. As a graphic designer, I combined creativity with tight deadlines. Winning new projects felt great. After five years, though, my creativity dipped. Revenue was fine, but the flow of ideas slowed. How could I rekindle that original spark? And how could I balance the pressure of adult life with the playfulness creativity needs? (I was renovating a house and had a young daughter.)
Creativity requires releasing the grip of “it must be fast” and “it must be perfect.”
I noticed my creativity flourished when I eased off those demands and surrendered to the process: first let impressions in—purposelessly—then sit down to design.
Creativity Snacks
Before you throw out your calendar and goals: too much aimlessness leads to drifting—relaxing, but rarely productive.
Original ideas emerge when the brain allows chaos to dance with structure.
Balance is the key. My answer: Creativity Snacks—a simple method to weave creativity into busy days. With timeboxing, you schedule moments where you decide: now it’s time for creativity. Ten minutes a day already takes you far. In those 10 minutes, use four ingredients. Mix them all, or focus on one:
- Wanderlust – Stimulate your senses with something different, stay open to new inputs, and capture what you notice.
- Observation – Look around with a beginner’s neutral eye.
- Pigment – Add your own flavour and personality. Be authentic.
- Play – Take small risks, try something new, and enjoy it.
Get started
Ready to dive in? For thirty days, the four ingredients rotate through simple exercises drawn from my art training – no prior skills required. Just enthusiasm and a fixed daily moment of 10 minutes.
Register here to subscribe for the challenge. Complete the form and add ‘Creativity Challenge’ as a comment.
