Creativity 1… 2… 3… Take a Chance

This is Part 3 in a 3 part series on how to become more creative.   If you missed Part 1 and 2 of my creativity exercise, you can read them first by following these links:

Creativity-123...

“Where there is fear, there is no creativity? – Christopher Lowell

Creativity Step 3: Take a Chance

When you want to do something creatively, you know that you have to take note of your ideas no matter how silly they may seem, keep them handy, and ask yourself  What If…

I think the 3rd step in my formula to becoming more creative is the hardest one to master.   It is conquering the fear of failure.  No one wants to fail at anything we do in life, but that fear stops us from reaching our full potential.

You can’t let the fear of failure stop you from proceeding to “work” an idea.   You must have faith in your convictions and decide to take a chance and listen to that “little voice” in your head that keeps whispering  to you to take action.   Knowing full well in the back of your mind that the idea might not turn out as planned, you do it anyway as you will never know if you don’t try.

I like to think of the “little voice” as creativity trying to tell me something – it is nothing more than instinct – our 6th sense.   Over the years I have found that “little voice” is pretty astute.  It is only when you listen to it and conquer the fear of failure that creative genius can strike. The hardest part of the process is moving past the fear, once you do and have success, moving forward with each new idea becomes much easier and  your creativity will be unleashed.

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes – it is an acceptable option. Design is knowing which ones to keep.

“Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.” – Oscar Wilde

Don’t let fear of failure stop you from developing your creative potential – take a chance and see where it will lead you.

Would you like to save this post?

Enter your email below and I’ll send it to you!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


7 Comments

  1. Helen E Moss says:

    Dear Diane,
    You are an “idea bunny”! I am, too, but not necessarily for decorating. Also, it never occurred to me to put the thoughts and ideas I have onto cards. That’s BRILLIANT! Usually I put them on a scrap of paper or in a notebook that I promptly lose (although bullet journal concepts have helped with that). Somehow, once I ponder a lot around an idea, it seems to come to fruition whether I do it myself or not. I wonder if you see that with your ideas, too.

    Thank you, as always, for your posts!
    Be well, and be safe,

  2. I have really enjoyed reading these 3 posts. I have no confidence whatsoever in my design or decorating skills, yet oddly I am really good at problem solving and finding unique ways to repurpose, reuse, recycle stuff that usually ends up in the trash. Don’t ask me to choose flooring, appliances, countertops or anything that costs money in a hurry. HGTV and its relatives have made me a quivering idiot in terms of questioning my own taste. A sad commentary.

    Anyways, you remind me in many ways of Diana Phipps. If you aren’t familiar with her, she wrote a book called “Affordable Splendor” back in 1981. I bought this book and it changed my life. It was all about doing very creative stuff with no money. Lord, I covered my walls with fabric, you name it. If you haven’t read the book, I would highly recommend it, as I think you would love it.

    Thank you for ‘replacing’ Diana for me!

    1. HI Jo-Ann

      Thanks for the nice note. I do remember that book by Diana Phipps and did read it. I haven’t thought about it in a long time. The next time I go to my local library where there are tons of old decorating books I will look for it. I enjoy looking at older publications and usually find inspiration.

  3. Thank you Diane for this series of posts! I have been struggling with my own design skills for a long time, and I had realized my fear of failure has set me back and kept me from achieving things to my full potential. Reading this has helped me put faith in the simple steps of creativity- to give my ideas a place and importance (no matter how silly) and seriously asking “what if”. Thinking it over and over until I have the confidence in my idea to take that chance.

    You’ve inspired me more than you know, this is exactly what I’ve needed to hear. Thank you so much!

  4. christine says:

    Oh Thank you for sharing your “recipe” !
    Got my 3×5 cards ready.

    1. Hi Christine-

      You go girl! – I hope you get lots and lots of inspiring ideas.