Creativity

23 March 2020, 10:35 am
Speciality Bites by Paul Hargreaves

I am recording a series of video blogs on the characteristics of good leaders or actually the qualities of good people.

And very appropriately in these strange times, it does seem that more polarisation is more stark than ever before.  Amongst pictures of ridiculous greed in the supermarkets I have heard of many heart-warming stories this week that gives faith in human nature again.  Retailers looking out for the vulnerable in their society and putting boxes of groceries in their cars and taking them out to the local community.  Neighbours looking out for people in their street they have never talked to before.  And many, many more.

This is also a time when we can look after ourselves a little more too.  Many of us spend far too much time rushing around ‘doing’ and do not spend enough time ‘being’ as I have said before.  We should look upon this time of enforced ‘being’ when much of our ‘doing’ is curtailed as very valuable.  I believe that humans innately are very creative yet much of that creativity is stifled because we crowd it out with too much activity.  Did you know that in a period of self-isolation from the Black Death, Shakespeare penned his great work, Antony & Cleopatra?  Now we may not all be in that league, but all of us in whatever role we are in need to tap into our creativity more and get those creative juices flowing.

Rather than being frustrated, and I agree it is difficult not to be, use this time for some creative thinking, writing, drawing or drawing.  It is often easier to be creative when not in our normal work spaces.  For example I wrote most of my book, Forces for Good, whilst sitting in the garden during that amazing summer of 2018.  I couldn’t be creative in my office at work or home.  Likewise use this strange space we have now to reflect, meditate and create.  I believe some very good energy will come out of these strange times.  We will come out different to how we went in and our priorities in life, work and business could be transformed.  If we let them.

Stay safe, and get creative!

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