
The world we live in is changing so rapidly that we need new ways of thinking and processing information to keep up. Our inventive abilities are outstripping our social, political and business structures to a point where the very fabric of our societies is being challenged on many different levels. The ONLY way we can solve these problems is by thinking, as Einstein said, beyond the thought processes that created them initially.
You cannot stop ‘progress’, you can only adapt to change. However with foresight and the intelligent use of one's creative thinking capacity it is possible to find new solutions to old problems. The survival of the human race may well depend upon the following two factors alone.
One, our ability to think creatively about any given situation and two the follow through to implement the solutions arising from our creative thought processes.
As I said earlier, there needs to be a global paradigm shift away from those things that keep us thinking in separatist, ideological, self-interested channels, to one of personal responsibility on a global scale. This shift is from the hindsight, retroactive, putting out fires mode, to the foresighted creative-thinking initiative mode.
The problem with many businesses to date, although this is gradually changing, is that it has all been about money, often resulting in cost-cutting and poor implementation.
A really good example of this can be seen in the decision to build nuclear power plants in places prone to Tsunamis and earthquakes. Because the builders of these places might have thought such events unlikely or impossible to happen, doesn’t necessarily make it so. And further to that, we can see that there were not enough fail-safe procedures initiated because the makers didn’t ask the hard questions in the first place. If they had exercised more creative thinking and less financial bottom line thinking initially, we would not now still be facing the global radiation crisis brought about by the Fukushima disaster.

The world has seen the catastrophic consequences of such stunted thinking and lack of insight. What we need as a planet is a new paradigm in dealing with the way we as a global race deal with the already existing ‘inventions’ that have the capability of destroying the planet we live on.
How does this impact on creativity in Business you may ask? Why is it relevant?
It is relevant because we have been programmed by our upbringing and societies to think in quite rigid ways, which don't encourage us to step outside our comfort zone.
CHALLENGE: Can you think of 3 radical ways you might market your art that you haven't done before? Others may have done this with success but you have not tried them yet. Write them down and commit to starting one. Here are some ideas:
1. Sign up for an Art Fair.
2. Approach another biz that you might affiliate with, i.e. if you paint still life or country vineyards, team up with a winemaker. They might commission you to do labels for them.
3. Join an art co-op.
Begin with your thoughts, focus only on how you will achieve your goal and not the negatives as to what might go wrong.

NEXT WEEK: Using your creativity at work - in your art business.
Images by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
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