With a steady determination not to define but to suggest and surround important creative and entrepreneurial concepts, here are thoughts about why we should value the Creative Increment.
The Creative Increment is the next bit. The next step. It’s another wee portion.
One of my favorite ways to look upon the Creative Increment is that it’s found in “the inches and the minutes” that make up a daily life. So when I invest just an increment more creative thinking and entrepreneurial behavior to the inches and minutes of my regular activities, or my creative projects, or my organization, this incremental accretion of creative and entrepreneurial inputs, taken together over time can have a transformative impact.
Being Intentional is often about leveraging the Creative Increment.
When I declare to myself—and mean it—that I am going to be my most creatively entrepreneurial self then I see the world as a creative entrepreneurial person sees the world; the physicists and poets, philosophers and psychologists agree that we don’t see the world the way it is, we see it the way we are.
The change in your perspective(s) will most certainly be incremental initially but notice I didn’t say ‘just’ incremental for there can be great benefit from seeing an opportunity or challenge just a bit differently today than you did yesterday.
Being Intentional in the language you use is a great place to make incremental changes that can drive large benefits. On average we speak 16,000 words a day so imagine if you could nudge a dozen of those words into just a bit more creative expression, a touch more open-ended invitation, a little more generative generous appreciation.
A place I practice this discipline is I try hard not to say ‘Let’s take advantage of this opportunity’ and try hard to say ‘Let see how we can create advantage from this opportunity.’
The Creative Increment leads to Creative Confidence
When we face new projects we can build confidence by getting started and the best way to get started is by taking small steps.
You get smarter, sometimes much smarter, as you take those first steps and look for quick and easy—incremental—ways to get going.
Think about it as Doing what you can with what you have where you are. That’s low risk quick reward Creative Incrementalism at it’s finest.
An overlapping approach is Failing fast, failing often, failing cheap, introducing the importance of embracing that your first steps will likely be missteps but not mistakes when you learn from them.
One last thought: Ask yourself what can I do right now?
“Exploring Your Creative Genius” takes an expansive view on what it means to be creative and entrepreneurial in an ongoing conversation led by Carl Nordgren — entrepreneur, novelist, and lifelong student with decades of experience growing his own creative capacity and assisting others to do the same in exciting new ways!
You can also find more ways to explore your creative genius in this column’s companion radio program, broadcasting on 97.9 The Hill WCHL and posted here on Chapelboro!
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