Use the secrets of improv to get your creative swagger back\u2026<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
Improvisation is based on the premise that everyone is born creative. We all possess a vivid imagination but often we block our access to it with various unhelpful habits of thought. These habits of thought – sometimes known as our inner critic – mediate the gap between our imagination and our spontaneity. Fix these habits, and you\u2019ll rediscover your innate creativity.<\/p>\n
Here are 2 ways to reframe your inner critic, and 3 playful exercises to unlock your creativity and build your creative confidence.<\/b><\/p>\n
Short on time?<\/b> Head straight to our <\/b>Key Takeaways <\/b>at the bottom of the page.<\/b><\/p>\n
Managing Your Inner Critic<\/b><\/p>\n
We all have an inner critic. An internal censor in our heads that judges our ideas and our work as we create it. Although our inner critic may sound like us, in reality it\u2019s the internalised voices of other people. Or, more accurately, it\u2019s the internalised voice of what we imagine <\/i>other people think. And it can be harsh. While our inner critic is useful at times – it stops us sending off any old crap, for example – it\u2019s not conducive to creative confidence.<\/p>\n
In that light, here are two classic recurring thoughts of the inner critic and some useful, improv inspired reframes, to manage it.<\/b><\/p>\n
Inner Critic Thought 1:<\/b> \u201cGreat ideas are good right away\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n
This is the classic myth of the inner critic. You beaver away, thinking of ideas as your inner critic sits on its high horse, petulantly smoking a cigarette and saying, \u2018Is that all you\u2019ve got?\u2019. To get past this, you need to suspend judgement of yourself<\/b> – at least for a while. This is easier said than done, of course.<\/p>\n
In improv, our goal is to \u2018create from abundance<\/b>\u2019<\/b>. Rather than coming up with one idea that we pore over and try to perfect, instead we aim to produce lots and lots of options<\/b><\/a>, knowing that we\u2019ll cherry pick the best ones later. This takes the pressure off. Because when volume is the goal<\/b>, rather than quality, it gives you permission to explore more creatively<\/b>.<\/p>\n Inner Critic Thought 2:<\/b> \u201cI must be original\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n We get blocked creatively when we try too hard to be interesting and clever. To get around this, improvisers focus instead on the mantra \u2018be obvious<\/b>\u2019. This might seem like a meek surrender – who wants to produce obvious work? But remember the goal here: we are trying to unblock ourselves. To paraphrase improv pioneer Keith Johnstone, imagination becomes as effortless as perception when we let ourselves be obvious<\/b>. Will your obvious idea need development? Of course. But at least you\u2019ll have something to work with.<\/p>\n More often than not you\u2019ll find that, when you let yourself be obvious, you\u2019ll become original<\/b>. Because what is obvious to you will likely be surprising to someone else. Most of all, your \u2018obvious,\u2019 intuitive reaction to a brief is often where your talent lies. Where your unique hinterland of experience, personality and expertise finds its purest, unfiltered expression. Why make things harder than they need to be?<\/p>\n Let Yourself Play<\/b><\/p>\n Adults get a bit snooty about games. It\u2019s as if they\u2019re above all that now they\u2019ve got responsibilities, a pension and all the other accoutrements of age. Yet, rediscovering a sense of play is the secret to creative confidence. After all, a child has never said, \u2018Do you know what? I\u2019m just not feeling it today.\u2019<\/p>\n As well as reframing the tedious voice of our inner critic, we can trick it too. If you can tune into the simple fun of creativity again, the self-doubt will lift, and the ideas will flow. This is why we teach our students improvisation through so many games. By giving our students some rules to focus on, games can distract their inner critic long enough for them to express their innate creativity.<\/p>\n We can employ the logic of games off-stage too.<\/b> Here are three practical games you can play alone, and apply to any creative brief\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n Exercise 1:<\/b> 50 Ideas in 5 Minutes<\/b><\/p>\n This turbo-charged version of the Pomodoro productivity technique is exactly what it sounds like! Set your timer for five minutes and see if you can come up with 50 ideas before time\u2019s up. The false deadline keeps your inner critic in its box, and the ambitious target forces you to think laterally. If great ideas are like panning for gold, you are unlikely to find them if you don\u2019t let yourself pan.<\/p>\n Exercise 2:<\/b> What\u2019s the wrong answer?<\/b><\/p>\n Answering this question puts you in a fun, playful space as the need to be \u2018good\u2019 is totally lifted. Also, when we define what we don\u2019t want, what we do want becomes a lot clearer.<\/p>\n Exercise 3:<\/b> Identity Theft<\/b><\/p>\n This is a quirky way to look at a problem in a fresh way. First, write a list of your favourite creatives – this can be anybody: Lady Gaga, Jamie Oliver, even Dominic Cummings! Then ask yourself, \u2018How would they solve this problem?\u2019. By borrowing their perspective, you not only unearth new angles on the challenge at hand, but your inner critic has no rational reason to object. After all, it\u2019s not you!<\/p>\n Building creative confidence is about silencing your inner critic and embracing a playful, abundant approach to creativity. By rethinking how you judge your ideas and adopting a mindset of curiosity and exploration, you can rediscover the innate creativity we all possess. Playful exercises, inspired by improv techniques, can help to unlock this potential, allowing you to generate and refine ideas more freely and effectively.<\/p>\n Want more tips like these? Check out Company Director and Co-Founder of <\/b>Hoopla Business<\/b><\/a>, Max Dickins\u2019, book, \u2018<\/b>Improvise! Use the Secrets of Improv to Achieve Extraordinary Results at Work<\/i><\/b><\/a>\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\nConclusion<\/b><\/h3>\n
Key Takeaways<\/b><\/h3>\n
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