I attended a talk recently about creativity. This was with direct reference to undertaking a dissertation or thesis in further academic study. The key aspect discussed was that of creating a new and useful outcome that contributes to the field in which you are in. 

In summary any thing new does not really have to mean the same idea I.e creating a not-been-created-before thing, instead it can merely represent an unpreviously done thing. I think this is key because I for one, usually regard ‘new’ as something like an invention, or theory or something that is ground breaking. It doesn’t have to be this extreme and indeed that is not the limiting definition or outcome of what ‘new’ is to be. 

A newer view, in my opinion of the term ‘new’ encapsulates a more diverse representation of n new, and that is ‘creativity’ and ‘originality’. Doing something in a new way, particularly in a way or in a situation that has not been seen or done before is worthy of being classed as ‘new’. Framing a new means of thinking about a problem, cross referencing it with something not every considered with it before is new. These kinds of creative approaches to research are important and do enrich what went before - because you’re providing a means that hasn’t been done before - its almost an invention in itself - a previously not considered and innovative approach to aspects of your research is something that hasn’t been done before!

In this way, looking at it this way shows that their is enormous scope for research and creativity helps in looking for those gaps that have not been done before.

Here are some examples:

• Asking questions that bring in a consideration that’s not yet been documented 
• A way in which you cross-reference your research or compare it to similar research
• The way you undergone the research process that predisposes you to insights that others would not have had
• Combination of different perspectives that illustrate interesting and new insights to your study

And as it happens, you can achieve this variety of endeavour, by being yourself and what I mean by that, is by being who you are and representing your characteristics on the research you are undertaking because you are unique and you’ll have interests and insights that should be integrated into how you undertake your research. That by default will do a few things:

1. Allow you to follow your interests in different and seemingly peripheral things and integrate those into your research and thus making it unique to you and thus a definition of ‘new and unique’ which is what you want.
2. By investigating those aspects that are close to your heart and characteristics will provide your with motivation as this process will be interesting
3. You’ll discover interesting things about your research because you are genuinely interested in doing so as it relates to your own relatable ideas.
4. It will be more fun

It’s really real - being yourself with all your weirdness and uniqueness already by default precludes you to applying those aspects to your study. So perusing this is so important and being original then is a function of being yourself, and that’s easy right?

If the person you are enjoys thinking about abstract concepts, enjoys sports and enjoys social gaming nights - there are wired and wonderful ways that you with your ways of thinking can frame and apply yourself to research just by being yourself and asking questions that you might be interested in.

This brings me to my next topic which is motivation, which I believe you have by default when its to do with the things you like and enjoy and the things that make you unique and who you are. What I’m saying is that its not difficult to be motivated if you apply your ideas and interests to your research. Also, I’ve been reading the notes and recommended reading from this talk and a lot of it its trying to be formal in applying ways to be creative and thus by definition perhaps ‘new’ and original when in fact this stuff comes for free and is more organic if you’re up for doing the research in a way that interests you and thus will simulate creativity by default.

In this way, you cannot force creativity and try to learn it so that you can ‘apply’ it to something. Also if you’re not motivated, you really cannot apply creativity to something. What you can do is put yourself in a state of mind that allows your to enjoy yourself and facilitate perhaps a creative atmosphere or environment where you can easily play with your own interesting ideas and thoughts. So these can be seen as trigger mechanisms for creativity, ways to explore ad reflect on your own uniqueness. 

Some examples are brainstorming your ideas, spreading them out on a mind map or just thinking about them in a place that allows you to think differently about them - perhaps think while your in a library, then think while your in a neighbours(new) garden or even while watching a scorcher match or going for a walk. In effect, what your doing is giving yourself room to enjoy your own ideas in different ways, places perhaps to stimulate those ideas with peripheral ideas that stem directly from your surrounds or that come from observations that you make and perhaps having new types of observations of new types of things that interest your can influence your existing interests.

Having said that, you can’t force that either - you just must do what you feel is what you want to do and in doing so, you’re living out your own motivations.

So being interested and motivated and being yourself is already unique and creativity is an extension of that and you don’t have to invent it, if can just be a function of who you are.

What you can do with formal views of creativity is introduce them to your already interested mind. These views are things like asking different questions, thinking laterally, ways for striking new perspectives on what you’re doing etc. For example using the 5W+1H and SCAMPER and ENTRE methods. They wont help you become interested or fascinated or motivate you; you need that by default. They work when you’re already there and need more support. 

So as audio salve once said, ‘Be yourself for that’s all that you can be’ and I think that pretty much means enjoy what you enjoy and if that sounds like you need someone else to give you permission to enjoy what who enjoy - then you’re wrong. You can always enjoy what you enjoy!