Many people think that genius creative ideas is a matter of being in the right place at the right time. A moment of epiphany based on fate or luck. But those who are perpetually creative will tell you that creative genius is more of a discipline. Also, developing a system for triggering creativity plays a big role. In fact the more disciplined and systematic you are with creativity, the more you will have moments of creative genius.

A Creative Process

For me, my process for creativity is very simple, yet has proven successful. This process is based on the acrostic C.R.E.A.T.E.

1. CHECK IT OUT

This is the beginning step in the process of creative genius. It’s a time to research what is already out there. You know the old saying about reinventing the wheel, you don’t want to spend your time doing what has already been done. If there are already creative solutions to what you are trying to accomplish, you may be able to build on it, tweak it or take it further.

2. RAISE THE LEVEL

This is the step in the process when you nurture the idea. You allow the idea or thoughts to just soak a little. Get input from others. I love to ask other extremely creative discipline people what their thoughts are about the idea. Their input is usually very fresh and often they see how to develop my ideas with greater simplicity. I love simplicity for the sake of incorporating an idea. Especially for the sake of duplication. This is the step in the C.R.E.A.T.E. process that takes the most time. Don’t rush this step. It may take days, weeks, months or years to fully develop and raise the level of your creative idea. Genius does not happen in a moment, it is developed from a commitment to raise the level of your idea to it’s very best.

3. EVALUATE HOW THE PIECES FIT TOGETHER

By this time in the process there are usually many pieces to the puzzle. This is when I (or together with a team of experts) will take all the necessary pieces and connect the dots between them all. Ask this question: “How does the puzzle fit together in a comprehensive way?”

4. ASSESS THE POTENTIAL

After all of the hours of work you have put into developing a creative idea or solution to this point, you must pause and assess whether or not it is creative genius at its best or just good. This can be a painful process and is often the point when many will commit to pursuing a mediocre idea or solution simply because they feel they have too much invested to drop it or start over.  A great way to assess the potential of a developed idea or solution is to rate it on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 – when it’s so close to all that has been done before from step one “Check It Out” or 10 – this has never been done before and it is revolutionary. Take it back to the creative people in your life that you initially took it to in step 2, the “Raise The Level” step, and let them give it a rating.

5. TRAIN OTHERS IN THIS PROCESS

Get a few other faithful friends who support you in your creative process to begin putting it into action. Ask them to use your process to create a genius idea.

6. EXPAND IT

At this point you may feel that you have developed this idea or solution completely. Don’t think that way until you are at a place in creating or developing the idea. When you can  no longer make changes, when it has actually become tangible and is implemented.  Keep expanding. Keep looking at it with the idea that you can continue to develop it with creative genius. Keep searching for new possibilities that you can develop and expand in your idea or solution.

Each step in the C.R.E.A.T.E. process is important for the creative genius to fully develop. As you go through this process, do not allow yourself to get stuck on an idea or solution that won’t completely work to fulfill the need you started out with. Continually challenge yourself to stretch, develop and grow creatively. Make sure to stay the course when you can sense you are on the right track and making progress. And always give yourself permission to recognize when an idea or solution is not worth pursuing.

Feedback

I would love for you to help Raise The Level of this process by giving me your thoughts or comments about it below. You can get involved in step 4 and Assess The Potential by giving it a rating on the 1 to 10 scale.