How to Develop Radical Creativity — and Use it for Success in Business

Step 1: Start Seeing Yourself as an Artist

Are you “the creative type”? I think you are — you are creating every day.

Tweaking that recipe because you don’t find all the ingredients in your pantry? Creativity.

Writing a convincing email to your manager? Creativity.

Coming up with a more effective file management system? Creativity.

Radical creativity is using innovation in every aspect of your life.

For business owners, it’s also the key to success. From solving administrative problems in novel ways to coming up with groundbreaking product ideas, creativity is incredibly important for entrepreneurs.

The good news? Much like any other skill, you can get better at it. Here’s the exact roadmap to achieving radical creativity:

Step 1: You Are Already an Artist

We went over that. You apply creativity to every aspect of your life every day. You don’t have to be a painter/sculptor/photographer/writer to be an artist.

Life is your art medium.

This shift in perspective achieves three things:

1. It takes off the pressure. You don’t just need creativity when a severe business problem comes up. Since you use it every day, it’s no longer daunting or elusive. You’ve been training your creative muscle all along — there is nothing you should sweat!
2. It encourages responsibility. Once you see yourself as the artist of your life, you can shake off the victim mentality. Sure, there are things out of your control. But you have the creative freedom and ingenuity to design a life you love.
3. It gives you a chance to experiment. We all have our routines — a similar breakfast every morning, taking the same streets, watching the same TV show at the same hour every night. That’s how you get in a rut, and ruts are detrimental to creativity! Start seeing life as your creation — create consciously and playfully.

Bonus Tip: Help It Sink in With Affirmations

Some examples include:

• I am the artist of my own life.
• I have unlimited creative energy.
• Brilliant ideas come to me all the time.
• I let my imagination run wild.

Repeat them while you’re brushing your teeth, whipping up dinner, or shopping for groceries. I even have affirmations as my phone background.

Does it sound too esoteric? There is scientific proof that affirmations work!

Step 2: Embrace Play

Children are effortlessly creative. Why? Because nobody expects productivity from them — not their parents, not their peers.

You won’t hear second graders discussing how efficiently they did their homework!

As we grow up, responsibilities increase. At first, it’s in school. Your parents and teachers expect you to perform academically. Others start seeing your value in terms of your achievements. By the time you’re in high school, your childish creativity is nearly gone — even the extracurriculars you choose are carefully thought out to impress colleges.

Fast forward 10–20 years, and hustle culture has completely devoured you!

Pablo Picasso famously said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Sure enough, childlike creativity is extremely rare in adults. So unique that it’s a competitive advantage!

To regain your creativity, fully embrace play. By definition, playing isn’t about being productive. It’s complete artistic freedom — you can explore anything, without the pressure to perform. Here are some ways to be more playful as an adult:

• Pick up a hobby, not a side hustle. Do collages, salsa dancing, or bird photography for the sheer pleasure of it. Hobbies are valuable, even if they don’t bring an extra stream of income.
• Read on diverse topics. You’re an engineer that loves art history? A doctor with a passion for astronomy? Follow your instincts and immerse yourself in these topics. Who knows that extra “useless” knowledge might just spark a creative solution in your field!
• Spend time with children and playful dogs. Set your adult thinking aside and let your imagination run wild.

Play every day, even if it’s just for a bit. You’ll be surprised at the things you discover!

Step 3: Let Your Mind Wander

People have the strangest, most beautiful thoughts in the shower.

Just check out r/showerthoughts — some of my recent favorites include:

• Everyone on earth is closer to being a millionaire than Jeff Bezos is.
• In “Bee Movie,” when Barry’s dad was telling him places to sting someone, he’s encouraging his son’s suicide.
• Farming is technically enslaving nature.

Creativity is what brings all of these thoughts together. They are entirely new ways to look at things you know — whether that’s farming, bees, or Jeff Bezos.

Why do we have these ideas in the shower? Because we’re not trying to. Much like play, free and random thinking yields surprising insights. That’s why a daily “mind wanders” moment is key to developing creativity. It doesn’t have to be a shower; you could also:

• Meditate. Meditation has been proven to boost creativity!
• Take a walk without a route. Don’t think about the streets you’re taking; just let your feet guide you.
• Practice mindfulness. Make a cup of tea and enjoy it without distraction. Do a mental body scan and discover hidden tense spots. People watch from your window or your favorite café.

Step 4: Change Planes

You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created. ― Albert Einstein

Problem-solving is one of the most critical aspects of creativity in business. But problems can also block you. Anxiety, pressure, and fixating on the issue restrict lateral thinking.

How can you be creative when your project/job/business venture is at stake?

Your first move is to take a breather. Meditate, have a warm shower, or walk around your neighborhood. You’ll blow off some steam and let your mind wander.

Then, aim to change planes. Here are my two favorite exercises to do that:

The Bad, Horrible, Atrocious Idea

What is the most outlandish solution you can come up with? Have a 20-minute free writing session on this. Jot down as many terrible ideas that you can.

It’s fun and pressure-free — the perfect combination for playful creativity!

Then, take another breather. I like having a cup of tea, away from my phone and other devices.

Now, go back to your list of silly ideas. What are their best features? For instance, a useful aspect of “aliens could abduct me, and I wouldn’t have to deal with this” is external help.

List the useful features of your bad ideas and use them to get a fresh perspective!

The Six Thinking Hats

Visualize six hats in front of you. Put them on, one at a time. With each hat, you’re only considering one aspect of the problem:

• White hat — information only. What do you know about the problem? What don’t you know? How can you learn more?
• Red hat — emotions. What is your gut feeling about this? What does your intuition tell you?
• Green hat — creativity. What are your wildest, most imaginative ideas? Brainstorm freely and without judgment.
• Blue hat — control. What parts are you in control of? How can you take control of the situation?
• Black hat — negative outcomes. What is the worst-case scenario? How can you prepare for it?
• Yellow hat — positive thinking. What good can come out of the situation? What’s the best that could happen? How can you amplify that?

This exercise helps you see the problem from all angles, rather than just fixating on one!

Step 5: Be Creative Together

Andrew Ng is an artificial intelligence pioneer and the mastermind behind Google Brain. He’s also a firm believer that innovation is teachable.

Here’s what he had this to say about his creative genius:

In my own life, I found that whenever I wasn’t sure what to do next, I would go and learn a lot, read a lot, talk to experts. I don’t know how the human brain works but it’s almost magical: when you read enough or talk to enough experts, when you have enough inputs, new ideas start appearing.

Recruit others in your creative pursuits. Brainstorm with your team, read up on the subject, email a college professor that taught you the subject.

The people around you are an endless source of creativity. You don’t have to do this alone!

The Road to Radical Creativity: Recap

Wildly successful business ideas disrupt the status quo.

But innovation isn’t just for drastic, industry-shaking changes. Instead, radical creativity means stretching your creative muscles every day.

To hone into its power:

1. Recognize you are already creative.
2. Embrace playfulness to regain childlike creativity.
3. Let your mind wander to help it expand.
4. When faced with a problem, change planes.
5. Communicate and collaborate; be creative with others.

You are already an artist. It’s time to start acting like one!