Creativity is not some cosmic etherial force floating in space. Rather it is intentional effort that is grounded in reality. The creative energy it takes to build masterpieces is not wrapped up in some mystical concept. It is forged in the daily grind of discipline. Those who want to unleash their creative potential will not stumble into it one day, but rather they will work their craft to gain greater innovation.

Here are 5 practical disciplines of creativity…

1) Problem Solving

Creativity is simply the art of solving problems. It is the ability to communicate a solution from a unique vantage point. When someone expresses the solution through a medium that inspires others we call them artistic. Everyone solves problems at one level or another. Artist figure out new ways to solve old problems. They are always seeking ways to make things more efficient and productive.

2) Organizing

Creativity is about organizing immense amount of information into one cohesive piece. It boils down every ingredient needed into a beautiful dish of artwork. Artwork isn’t so much about adding as much as it is about subtracting. It is cutting away the unnecessary elements and simply leaving what is necessary to communicate. Michelangelo was known for describing sculpting as the art of releasing the angels that were stuck in the stone. He simply visualized cutting away the negative space to reveal what was already there.

3) Learning

Artist are curious. They are always leaning into more understanding so they can get better. They are more of a student than a critic. This means they study how everything works so that they can utilize the knowledge to create more. DaVinci was known for disecting the anatomy of every living creature to know how to better paint it. He was known for disassembling structures to learn how to better engineer them. He was a student of everything and thus became a world-renown innovator as a result.

4) Testing

All artist test their work over and over making it better and better. Very few artist create masterpieces on their first try. And if they do, you didn’t see the years of practice it took to get it on their “first try.” Artist are willing to fail over and over. It is how they become amazing artist. The author who writes amazing stories wasn’t just born that way. What you don’t see is the stacks and stacks of unfinished books, articles, test runs, and rough drafts that were tested again and again.

5)  Collaborating

Contrary to popular beliefs artist are not loners. They immerse themselves with like-minded mentors and artist. They may not always be the most social, but they are the most willing to learn from the masters.