There is no business without a lightbulb moment. An idea is to the business what a spark is to the engine. Without it, you can’t move forward. According to Plato, in his theory of forms, the world of ideas represents the ultimate, timeless reality. As such, the spark becomes far more significant than the rest of the engine. However, 21th century businesses have long forgotten Plato’s theory of forms. While we still recognize ideas as a valuable skill, we tend to let the physical plane interact with our creativity. As a result, creativity has become a painstaking process that is too easily disrupted and affected by our everyday business processes. You can’t afford to make creativity an afterthought. It’s time to address the issues that are putting your ideas at risks. 

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You can’t trust your equipment

Most modern thinkers don’t use a pen and paper anymore, but instead, they sit at a laptop. Nobody is going to blame you for injecting some digital tech into your creative process. After all, the chances are your clients and partners are active online too. It would be foolish to ignore the digital potential. However, relying on modern tools and devices doesn’t come without security risk. Have you ever considered your wireless network security? Indeed, your device could be vulnerable to online threats, which can not only slow down the creative process but also compromise ideas that are already stored within your network. You need to work with an IT security expert to protect your system and ideas.  

You embrace each issue as a creative challenge

Every business should think out-of-the-box for differentiation purposes. While it’s true that you can’t afford to copy your competitors, it doesn’t mean that you should apply extreme creative solutions at every step of the way. Indeed, everyday business challenges don’t require an imaginative response that is going to be time-demanding. Misusing your creative skills can severely slow down your business growth. 

You focus on the same skills

You know your industry sector by heart. You’re an expert in your field, and your team respects the fact. However, your knowledge can be a handicap when it comes to offering a creative solution. Indeed, you need to learn new skills to spark creativity and come up with a new way of looking at a problem. You can boost up your knowledge by taking a course online. If you’re a copywriter, for instance, why not try to learn about digital storytelling to discover new approaches and ideas? The key is always to learn as it helps your brain to make new connections. 

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You don’t give yourself enough time

Time? Who’s got time in today’s business world? Unfortunately, our hectic work environment affects your creativity. Every creative mind needs time to process and access an idea. If you take away the time factor, you force yourself to come up to finished creations in a matter of minutes, which isn’t possible – even for an idea lover such as Plato. An idea has to grow and evolve before you can use it. Free up time to create. 

In the modern business world, creativity is an essential skill that we too often fail to embrace. We put obstacles on our way to the world of ideas, through tech risks, misunderstanding, lack of knowledge, and lack of time. Take a step back to fix your creative issues and open the door to new opportunities.