Creative Bounce

It has been my observation that the highly creative mind tends to stay in a divergent thinking pattern until a hard deadline is imposed. Instead of honing in on one idea they do what I call the “creative bounce” and go from one great idea to the next in reckless abandon.

I heard Canadian songwriter Eddie Schwartz tell the story of how he was commissioned to write a song for Pat Benatar early in her career. He didn’t finalize the idea until he was on the way to the studio where she was to record. That song he carved out at the last minute was “Hit me With Your Best Shot”. Back when there were records to sell, it sold millions and made both of their careers.

In my first formal job review, the VP I reported to said I was the most creative person in the company and stubborn to the point of annoyance. I believe being creative necessitates being stubborn.  A truly creative thought will not be readily accepted and you have to stick to your guns to make it fly. The two hardest things for a creative mind to do are to stop the creative bounce process and let an idea they believe in die.

Understanding the creative mind is the first step towards benefiting from it. It is an essential ingredient in business innovation and problem solving. Creative bounce is exactly what your business needs to embrace “thinking outside the box” in the manner that it was intended.

Lee’s quote for the day

“There are no limits to what we can accomplish, only limits to what we believe we can accomplish.”