Do you know what your creative strengths are? Well, now is as good a time as any to get to know yourself better. Knowing your creative strengths can help you better define your key skills and get you on the road to success.

Creative strengths are character traits and cognitive capabilities that help provide unique insight and solve problems better. Being aware of your creative strengths as well as the creative strengths of others can help you mold a strong team that emphasizes unique talents.

With that being said, let’s learn more about creative strengths and how they can benefit you in a work environment.

Examples of Creative Strengths

The following list can direct you to what you should be looking for in terms of creative strengths. Some examples of character traits that are considered to be creative strengths:

• Intuitive
• Humorous
• Original thinker
• Creative writer
• Curiosity
• Deals with ambiguity with ease
• Divergent thinker
• Good sense of design
• Imaginative
• Open-minded
• Insightful
• Passionate
• Perceptive
• Visionary
• Risk-taker
• Objective
• Good instincts

How to Identify Your Creative Strengths

Everyone has a creative side. Leslie Morris, a writer at TrustMyPaper, explains that “Sometimes you need to take a closer look (like magnifying glass close) to notice a creative strength. But it’s there. So, even if you thought that you aren’t “the creative type,” think again.”

So, are you ready to find out what your creative strengths are? Then, here are a few tips to help you spot them:

• Strip away from humility – Stop being modest and admit what you are good at. Many times, people find it hardest to build up their own qualities.
• Take a mental trip to your childhood – What you loved doing as a child can help you discover creative activities that come naturally to you.
• Define your best work moments – Make a list of your most successful work moments and look for a creative strength that appears in most or all of them.
• Don’t expect fireworks – Some people think that creative strength should be bursting out of them. You don’t need to be exceptional at something to consider it at strength. For starters, look for what you are good at.
• Rethink your frustration with colleagues – Have you ever thought, “How can he not get this?” Maybe your colleague isn’t slow. Maybe you just have strong capabilities in that area.
• What’s your superpower? – Ask yourself this question and see what’s the first thing that pops into your mind.
• Ask an expert – Talk to a trusted coach or find a coach that helps you delve into your creative side – you’ll be amazed at how it can open your mind and thus opportunities.

How to Use Creative Strengths at Work

Creative strengths and opportunities at work go hand in hand. Putting your strengths to work can open many doors.

That dream about the perfect job doesn’t need to be just a dream. It’s all about monetizing your strengths in the world of business.

If you want to make your creative strengths useful at work, here are some tips to do so:

Present your strength as an asset

Are you original? Do you think outside the box? Is your strength creative writing? Whatever your strengths are, put them in focus. If there is a chance for you to jump in on a new project, pitch yourself as the right choice by pointing out your creative strengths.

This can help you build your personal brand, move up in a current role, or prep for a career move.

Know when to put creative strength to use

You might be great at coming up with inventive ideas, but presenting those ideas daily can be overwhelming for others. Be mindful of your strengths and balance them out. Know when it’s the right time to activate them and when you should just hold onto those ideas for future use.

Look for creative strengths in others

A team of unique people does the best work. Therefore, look for creative strengths in your colleagues, employees, or team members. Sharpening your creative-strength-spotting ability can help you put together a strong team of people with unique talents. And if you’re leading a team, understanding how people work best and their strengths can help you lead them more effectively.

Find the way to make use out of every creative strength

Sometimes creative strengths can be seen as a bad personality trait. For example, a person who is always making jokes can be perceived as over the top. Instead, think of a way to use that strength. A humorous person can be great at writing slogans or winning over clients, for example.

Bottom Line

Creativity is something that can’t be replaced with a machine. If you manage to identify your creative strengths and use them at work, you’ll make yourself irreplaceable. Therefore, find yours and work on improving them. That’s how you’ll turn yourself into a valuable member of your company and likely enjoy what you do a bit more as well.

About the Author

Erica Sunarjo

Erica is a professional writer and editor with a Master’s degree in Marketing and Social Media. She writes thought-provoking articles for publications in a variety of media and is always dedicated to learning new things, sharing insights on various sites including LinkedIn.