Pssst. Hey, you. Yeah, you. You're creative, you know.In order to be successful in the future, creativity will be is a hot commodity useful in distinguishing oneself from a sea of other smart, capable people. Anyone can be trained, but not everyone can think creatively and inventively. As librarians, we need to practice our creative thinking skills and apply them to our professional work in order to help keep libraries relevant, promote innovative change, and be worthwhile citizens.
Psychology Today has a quick, easy article listing some 12 characteristics of creative thinking that we often forget about. Skim over this and start practicing.
Michalko, M. (2011, Dec. 02). Twelve things you were not taught in school about creative thinking. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/creative-thinkering/201112/twelve-things-you-were-not-taught-in-school-about-creative-thinking
It occurs to me--how would you practice thinking creatively? Well, I usually ask myself questions, like "what could reference services be like in the future?" or "what other uses are there for my earbuds?" or "what if we had ears on our hands?" All require creativity, and in my little mind, the weirdest idea wins because it stretches my creative thinking the most. Doing this as a group is also fun. Try it at your next soul-sucking staff meeting.
What ideas do you have to help you practice thinking creatively?
