When is your creative time?

Transcript

1. newsclips
   MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE ONTARIO COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION
   February 2014
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   ‘When Is Your Creative Time?’
   by
   Chuck Nau
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   When’s your creative time? Do you have any creative time?
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   Yes! No! I do not know!
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   Well, let’s pause for a moment, and allow me to ask you to do this simple search. Take a look at
   last week’s calendar, or for that matter, look at the last two weeks or past month, and highlight
   those times you set aside for your creative time.
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   Surprised? You are at a loss inasmuch as you cannot find any such time ... exactly the point of this
   month’s column.
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   As a reporter, media rep, marketing executive or publisher, creativity is fuel for the ongoing
   nurturing and growth of your newspaper. It not only feeds your paper, it feeds your soul!
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   New ideas, new products or services, new questions in search of answers and new opportunities
   to target for your newspaper’s vitality, both in print and online - all need some time on your
   calendar to bubble up into that “aha!” moment.
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   According to my artist son and many of his fellow artists, creativity is play. That’s the easy part.
   Learning to allow ourselves to play is the hard part and the hard work, my son will tell you.
   Likewise, to live a creative life, one must lose the fear of being wrong.
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   Let’s pause again for a moment … some of this sounding familiar to you?
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   In today’s changing and challenging environment, finding your creative voice is one of the most
   critical skills you can invest in. As things change around us, we sometime forget that things need
   to change within us also. The heart of that change is inside us - the seeing, the observing, the
   awareness.
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2. Enhancing your creative voice to find new ideas, new answers and new solutions will keep you at
   the forefront, setting you apart from others and a step ahead of your competitors. To discover new
   things, you will find yourself stepping out of your comfort zone, conceiving and developing some
   new ideas while challenging and overcoming some accepted norms. You’ll observe along the way
   that as you ASK (Always Seeking Knowledge) questions and uncover new possibilities you will
   develop a hunger and a motivation for new learning and SUCCESS!
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   Let’s pause one more time ... and clarify this thing called creativity.
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   Creativity is simply being able to conceive, develop and utilize new ideas or strategies when
   working with existing resources. Your creative thinking will flourish best in an ASKing
   environment that allows increased questioning and thinking plus an acceptance of challenging
   the ordinary while utilizing your past experience and knowledge.
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   Much like a changing a habit or driving a different way to and from work... the change itself will
   cause you to notice things in a new way, to increase your awareness of what’s out there.
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   Creativity is your personal treasure! Enhancing it ever so slightly will help you develop new
   approaches and find new solutions for every day challenges.
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   Discipline yourself, a step at a time, to use the power of questions ... within yourself,
   brainstorming with yourself, to stimulate your creativity and assure both your continued learning
   and growth ... continual questioning will help stimulate the flow of creativity. Once you are
   comfortable (and confident) with yourself and your newfound creative freedom, considering
   bringing your staff and fellow employees into the loop. Again, the benefits to your newspaper,
   your work environment and your life will grow.
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   When’s your creative time? To find it .... schedule it! Start slowly ... reserve one hour a day, three
   days a week, for the first month. At the end of the first month, check how well you did and then
   challenge yourself to do more next month. The best time to schedule your creative time? Creative
   people will often tell you it is first thing in the morning, as soon as you wake up and begin your
   day. And yes, it’s ALWAYS best do it BEFORE you check your phone or email!
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   Last, but not least, something good is going to happen today ... make sure you are looking for it!
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   © Murray & Nau, Inc.
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   Chuck Nau of Murray & Nau, Inc. is a Seattle area based publishing
   consultant and sales and management trainer. He has been a speaker for and conducted
   advertising, marketing, management and sales training workshops with newspapers, niche
   publishers, publishing groups and press associations, throughout North America.
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   Comments and questions are welcome and may be directed to Chuck via email:
   murnau@nwlink.com. or at (425) 603 - 0984.
   
   

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