Create something.
Go ahead, I’ll wait. . .
Having trouble coming up with something? Why? I just said, “create something.” I didn’t give you any crazy rules, or tell you what you had to create, just go and make something. That should have been easy.
But it’s not.
One of the funny things about creativity is that it functions best when it is all bound up, when it has walls to bang up against, when it has a space that needs to be filled, constraints to keep it in check.
Scientists are so creative because they follow very strict rules
All of the greatest works of creativity in the history of the human race share the same thing– they were brought about under tight constraints. When NASA was able to rescue the astronauts of Apollo 13, they exhibited unsurpassed creativity in devising a solution that not only kept the astronauts alive, but also returned them safely to Earth. That type of creativity was made necessary by the VERY strict constraints of not only the limited materials available on a spacecraft, but also the immutable laws of physics. That’s hefty stuff that forced the NASA scientists to stretch their collective creativity to its very limits. The goal and the constraints were clearly defined, both forcing and allowing for maximum creativity.
And so it is with blogging
Every blogger comes to a point where they are not feeling most creative. Sometimes, you don’t think you can come up with an idea, sometimes, you might not feel like creating anything. Maybe what you need is the challenge of some self-imposed constraints.
If you want your creativity to shine, put it to the test. Put some constraints on it. Try these:
1) Write 1 post per week about outlining one important aspect of the buying or selling process
2) Write 1 post per week that highlights a nearby cultural event.
3) Write 1 post per week that answers a common real estate question.
Hey, look at that, now you’ve got 3 posts a week. And, on top of that, you’ve got some criteria that will give you something to look for when you need new ideas.
And if your initial response to #2 is, “but, I don’t have that many nearby cultural events,” then I say- BS. Yes you do, you just haven’t been creative enough to seek them out. You haven’t been creative enough to highlight them.
Despite the way you may feel, you are never in want of new blog post topics or ideas. It’s just that you haven’t given yourself the structure and constraints necessary to discover those ideas.
Give yourself some boundaries, you may be surprised how creative it makes you.
