There is a certain joie de vivre that occurs when we tap into our creativity and explore the artistic side of our personalities. I believe everyone has a creative spirit, after all, when we first attend school, art class is one of our favourite subjects. We bring home our unique treasures that usually hang somewhere in the kitchen, most often, prominently on the frig.
How many times have you seen your artwork on display?
I’m not sure what happens as we grow and mature but at some point in time we put down the paints, brushes and canvas in pursuit of other interests and we leave behind our creative energy.
When we tap into our creativity, we explore a few of the elements found in emotional intelligence; skills that build effective leaders. These are the soft skills that we nurture as entrepreneurs and enterprise leaders that contribute to our wealth and well-being.
The skills that immediately come into play are:
1) Flexibility
2) Optimism
3) Emotional Expression
Two of these skills are found as part of stress management which contributes to our overall well-being. It is no wonder that tapping into your creative energy creates a sense of optimism that encourages smiles and a sense of accomplishment.
For those who consider themselves hobbyists, there is what I call a satisfaction factor that is both calming and energizing at the same time. Fuelling our creativity encourages outside the box thinking which often leads to creative problem solving. A skill that is useful throughout life’s journey and contributes to our leadership style.
Hobbies are a great way to express our creativity.
Flexibility starts a whole new conversation when we are looking for new and innovative ways to connect with our friends, family and customers. Our personal sense of style, logo’s and marketing plans are based not only on our creativity but the flexibility to accept and adapt to change… another important skill as an effective leader.
Our emotional expression shares a little of the human side to our personalities. Taking a leap of faith to share our creativity encourages meaningful connections and establishes unique partnerships that begins with a little vulnerability and builds on trust.
Optimism, sets the foundation for inspiring others to move outside their comfort zone and explore their own creativity within the context of both their work and individuality. Seeing the glass half full builds on risk taking that supports failure as a learning tool for current and future success.
These skills are nurtured in our youth and as we mature contribute to our ability to become successful leaders. These foundational elements support business innovation, creating the building blocks for personal and professional development.
So, the next time we have the opportunity to bring out the paints, brushes and canvas we should encourage each other to:
Colour outside the lines…
It will not only tap into our creativity but connect us with our friends, colleagues and customers through the art of self-expression.
Trish Tonaj is a Master Coach Practitioner, EQ Certifed and a Certifed Personal Trainer, offering keynotes and workshops on how to amplify your business and shareyourstories.online …breaking barriers, starting meaningful conversations and creating a new definition for success.