When last did you do something creative?

If you're like most people, it's been a while since you have. As adults we often stop doing creative pursuits because we overthink, fear judgement, doubt our abilities or simply tell ourselves we don't have the time.

Part of the problem is our perception of what creativity is. Most definitions include something about the generation of novel, useful products and ideas.

But creativity isn't only about the output it's much more about the process.

Trying new recipes, creating a vegetable garden, brewing your own beer or even nail art are all generative activities - they create something new. Not every creative activity needs to be novel.

The benefit of activities like these is that they help us understand and apply the creative process. The more practice we have following a creative process, the easier it is to apply creative thinking to other areas of our lives, including work-related challenges like developing differentiated strategies, compelling marketing campaigns, or innovative products.

Creativity isn't about perfection it's about exploration.

I'm learning to sketch by watching YouTube videos. Even if the results aren't there yet (as you can see from the picture), I'm getting better at the creative process and having some fun.