CREATIVITY

My friend and partner in ministry - Mat Angulo (yes, it only has one "T") - shared this in our staff team devos today and it was so good, I asked him for permission to share it with you - jokes included.  Mat serves as our Associate Pastor of Student Ministries at KFA (www.kenoshafirst.com).  

Creativity is one of our eight core values at KFA.  Mat gave us ... 

SIX STEPS TO WINNING CREATIVITY:

1     Connect to the Creator
This is where you get Spirit-led innovation rather than mere imitation of what somebody else is already doing.

 2     Collect Inspiration
Mat sometimes goes around taking pics of things that motivate and inspire him to keep the juices flowing.  'Take inspiration captive whenever and wherever you can.'

3     Conceive Ideas
Resist getting snagged by 'Ugly Baby Syndrome' where you say, 'This idea won't have traction because it's terrible,' or 'It isn't fully developed,' or quite frankly, 'It's MY idea, which means it stinks.'  There are no ugly babies - everybody knows that.  Let the ideas flow.

4     Commit to the Process
Be willing to 'fight for your idea.'  Is it worth fighting for?  Is it a conviction for you?  But don't be so single-minded about that it you aren't willing to 'kill it' if you see it won't work.

5     Collaboration with Others
Ask another creative/innovative person: 'Can you help me take care of this baby (even though I think it's ugly)?'  Hand it to someone who can make it better than you.  Find people who can contribute to the maturity of the idea.

6     Contribute to Others
We have a mandate to give to the world what God has blessed us with.  

Great stuff.

And be blessed.