Overcoming the creativity block: how to leave your comfort zone
In everyday life, we tend to stick to familiar, tried-and-tested paths. This preference for the familiar, which gives us a sense of security, stops us from tapping into our creative side.
Olga SchickClient Strategy Partner · synaigy3 min read
In our everyday lives we often tend to stick to known and proven paths. This preference for the familiar, which gives us a sense of security, however prevents us from fully tapping into our creative streak – an essential skill when it comes to developing innovative solutions for our customers. These solutions should not only make their everyday work easier, but also faster and richer.
The explanation for our reluctance towards the new lies in how our brain works. Like a network of points and connections, our brain tends to strengthen the most frequently used neural pathways, making the flow of information more efficient along these routes. New, less-trodden paths, on the other hand, require more energy, which we instinctively try to avoid. It's as if in a forest we always chose the same familiar path, even though a detour off the path could lead us to new discoveries.
This behaviour is comparable to a walk in the forest. We take the path we know and see, left and right, what we always see. This gives us security and orientation. But what would we discover if we left the path and climbed that one mountain behind the bend? What breathtaking view would we discover? And why do we do exactly that as children and unlearn it as adults?
In (working) daily life, we too often stick to familiar, well-trodden paths. Leaving the usual paths takes energy and courage. And that's exactly where a tour guide can support us, giving us confidence through their experience when we leave the familiar paths, and showing us the beauty on either side of the way.
Of course we can't always book a guide and go into the forest to find creative solutions. But we can use creative methods like Walt Disney, World Café etc. to break out of everyday routine and leave familiar paths. To adopt entirely new perspectives, which essentially deal with the following questions
Which (innovative) services would you like to offer to improve the user experience?
Which new business models do you want to develop so the organisation stays competitive?
Which processes would you like to simplify or speed up through digitalisation?
Of course, as in the forest, we can't simply ignore the hurdles and pitfalls. That's why the moderator - your "tour guide" - does a reality check with every idea:
What's stopping you from implementing the idea?
Who do you need for that?
Where could the idea fail?
Etc.
Whether it's about optimising the customer experience on your e-commerce platform, developing ideas for innovative digital services, or defining a plan for data-driven action. By the end of the workshop, you'll have gained new perspectives, discovered hidden solutions and defined a new path for yourself.
So, when may we accompany you on unknown paths?
Get in touch with us
- Olga Schick
Client Strategy Partnersynaigy
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