The thing about life, it waits for no one! At times it can be a roller coaster; whereas, at others, that seems like a scene from the Matrix (bullet time anyone?). If we were to take a look at our lives, we could easily see a visible, discernable pattern to it.

One third of it is spent educating ourselves.

Almost half of it is spent working either as a self-employed individual or for a firm.

Now these are just generalisations but the ones that most agree on. If we are to work, then why not work in a way that is:

Work places don’t have to be boring old drab places. They can be more than that. They can encourage creativity and productivity both, provided that the right mind-set, the right environment and the right people exist who make ideas happen.

Image: Unplash/Jeff Sheldon

But wait a minute. In a creative culture, words like ‘right this or that’ have no place; there just isn’t a right way of doing things. If there was, then none of us would be able to bring out our inner Picasso to the fore.

And in order to do that, you need these things in your employees and organization:

• Be Curious. Be Very Curious.

In order to create something, you have to destroy something. And when we say destroy something, we mean to hack away at the mundane-ness of an everyday job like Jigsaw. Curiosity is the secret sauce. It allows us to create wonders. All the inventors and innovators of the world that came before us, they were curious. They say ‘necessity is the mother of invention.’ They might as well add ‘curiosity’ to that adage.

Image: Unplash/Joseph Rosales

Designers are a very curious lot. In fact, curiosity is their raison d’être for everything.

That’s not to say that no one can do some kind of designing and creative work. Just as long as the amateur designers can walk the fine line between inspiration vs. imitation; they are all-set to design to their hearts’ content. The logo-making tools prove invaluable for their imaginative work.

• Imagine things!

There is no right way to do things. We have electronic music because some people experimented and imagined something new and shared it with the world. The best recipes in the world wouldn’t be here if the caveman stuck to roasting that slab of meat atop a fire since the dawn of time. Make your corporate setting free of the constraints attributed to doing things a certain way. Sure takes the fun out of everything if you ask us. Let your imagination run riot. Like if you are a custom logo designing firm, why not offer your customers a fun (and dare I say addictive as heck) logo design tool to use.

• Soak in Knowledge:

Knowledge is power. The more you know about your trade and skill, the more you will be able to think out of the box. Sure, knowledge gives you a sandbox to play in, but because you know about a particular topic so well, you will be able to push the envelope on it.

Image: Unplash/Annie Spratt

• Have the Attitude for It!

If you want to be creative, you’ve got to work at it. They say inspiration is a fickle thing but let us fill you in a on a secret of human psychology – you can train your mind to be creative. You heard it right. Practice is key. Keep a notebook, listen to people, soak in the sights and sounds around you. Do this all with regularity and the cogs in your head will keep on moving.

Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself. People might say that some folks are inclined to be creative, shrugging off their shoulders as they do so. But you know what, that’s because they work at it. They maintain a motivated attitude that is predisposed to learning new things all the time and applying it in real life. That’s all there is to it.

So, there you have it folks! These are the things that will ensure that you make the next Back to the Future II or the next big thing after the smartphone. All it takes is an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink mind set to accomplish it.