Are you good at seeing the creative crossover between your ideas? Or do you always start from scratch, brainstorming something completely new and innovative while scraps of paper ripe with potential are scattered on your desk, stuffed into a drawer or left in an “ideas file”?
If you are looking for a good way to forget your creative inspirations exist and bury their potential, keep on collecting them like museum pieces. This is one of the most common ways great ideas lose steam. The act of capturing the idea makes you feel like you’ve taken a step forward to complete it, when in fact, you are simply acknowledging it as a seed of potential self expression. It still needs your love and attention to grow into something real.
When you reach the point where you have a pile of ideas and no progress on any of them, you’ve stumbled onto an awesome opportunity to play with the potential creative crossover can offer. Creative crossover is the act of pairing your individual ideas sparks and inspirations into something more amazing, rich or expanded – together.
Why it’s Easy to Miss Ways to Practice Creative Crossover
There’s a rhythm that evolves as you create. Your self expression has a different groove for each type activity; artwork, writing, self-care, work or business, hobbies etc. and builds momentum in a unique way. When you are used to flowing in this way your creative energy can be a bit compartmentalized and linear, flowing in only one channel at a time, so-to-speak.
It’s like traveling through life in a regular car vs a convertible. If you take the top off you can see and access all aspects of your talents, experience and goals at the same time. This is the most powerful way you can play with the full potential of ideas. When you take time to review your inspirations, it gives you the space and time to see how the dots connect naturally.
People also like the idea of beginnings. The spark of an idea is exciting and intoxicating. It’s fun to imagine the possibility, which is why there are so many quotes from successful folks that remind us how real success comes to those who take consistent, active steps to bring an idea to life because they believe in it.
The “hard work” in any creative adventure is about the strategic steps you take as well the faith you need to have in yourself to make it happen, but more importantly, it’s about your ability to practice true creative crossover to take an idea to another level. Can you see how your offering addresses a need, supports a desire or fulfills a purpose for yourself or others? What is the “why” that drives your efforts and creative joy?
Simple Steps to See the Bigger Potential Reach of your Ideas
When you have a clear, solid review process that takes into consideration all your “potentials”, simultaneously, it’s easier to see how you can blend them through creative crossover. It’s one of the best ways to take “so-so” ideas and combine them into something much more powerful. You might also become inspired to collaborate with other people who can bring expertise to the table that you don’t have, and use creative crossover to support each other. I’m currently doing this with a friend of mine and it’s been a great personal experience and adventure for both of us.
If you want a little help getting started on how to vet some of your ideas for their creative crossover potential, here’s some tips:
- Pick a time once a month to pool all your ideas in one spot for review
- Find quiet time alone to get grounded, clear and ready to focus
- As you look over each idea, create a purpose for it or let it go
- Determine if an idea is in alignment with your goals as well as your heart and purpose
- See if there are similar ideas and if so, play with how they can be combined into one idea that’s stronger
- Reach out to other people who can help bring an idea to life with you
- Get clear on the parameters for success with each idea – is it a feeling, creative expansion, enhanced self-expression, financial goal, connecting with like-minded people?
When you root through your own idea garden and pull out what speaks to you most, then give it love, attention and focus, you spark a whole new level of creative flow and opportunities through creative crossover. This practice will also give you deeper insight into your passions and what you truly want to express in all you do.
You are so much more creative than you think you are! Not feeling that way lately? Check out my Mini Guide to Connect with your Inner Guidance and Creative Fire for simple ways to reconnect with your inner muse and spark new ideas. Want a little more guidance on making space for more creativity in your life, check out my blog post Clearing out the Weeds in your Creative Garden.
Photo Credit: clarkmaxwell, worldoflard, Bart