There is a lot of chatter about innovation these days, especially in business. But is innovation only about business? Consider an employee of a company; should that employee embrace innovation? Or should that individual attempt it only when requested by a senior?
The answer to the former is yes, and the latter, of course, is no. Innovation is key in enhancing our lives holistically.
There is a myth surrounding creativity: it cannot be learnt. And if creativity cannot be learnt, then innovation is lost forever. This is a fallacy; every individual has the God-given ability to advance and recreate.
Our brains are made up of two hemispheres; known as our left and right brain. Our left brain is our logical brain; it’s active when we consider facts and add things up. Perhaps our education has been too focused on left brain activities like reason, logic and arithmetic; it appears too little emphasis has been placed on right brain activities – creativity and artistic pursuits.
As children it is out of our right brains that we develop; we begin by creating: Children draw and paint; build and destroy. Children begin thinking by imagining.
Effective innovation utilises both sides of our brains.
If we want to be creative again we need to get our right brains working. For a few moments, forget logic and reason. Be creative – read and write, laugh and play – because when we do the right brain becomes active. As time goes by we shall see a change – the world will look different, more colourful and more alive.
With imagination comes creativity, and with creativity comes innovation.
Jonathan Meintjes is the owner of Innovation Alliance, a company dedicated to encouraging innovation in industry.
