8 Tips to Help you Create a Winning Career Growth Plan for 2016

Where were you in your career this time last year? Does your answer describe the exact same place, position and salary you were in last year? If so, it’s time for a career growth plan to transform your success and take control over your career.
There’s nothing wrong with taking your time to achieve a goal, or to even set a goal to maintain and thrive in your current position. But staying in "idle" for too long can derail your ambitions and leave you wondering where the rest of your colleagues went as they raced up the ladder to success. Here are eight steps to lay out a career growth plan that puts you in the driver’s seat:

1. Reflect on 2015.

Kickstart your career growth plan by reflecting on your failures, successes and near hits and misses from 2015. Take some time to consider what you learned and enjoyed from the last year and what you want to leave behind. Get some clarity by documenting your milestones on how you directly impacted your job and company with your skills and contributions.
As you’re going through this process, don’t write down just general thoughts. Get specific. If, for example, you did 20,000,000 in sales as a salesperson, knowing that number will allow you to set better growth milestones for 2016 (say, to improve your sales by 5 percent, to 21,000,000). If your biggest goal was to sell more, and all you wrote down was “Increase sales,” you wouldn’t know whether 15,000,000 or 25,000,000 represented an increase over your 2015 numbers.
The more you can chart out and visualize your strengths, weakness, likes and dislikes, the easier you'll find it to design a career growth plan that works.

2. Research job trends.

Before diving headfirst into a growth plan, stop to research current job and career trends. It may not be realistic to pivot and change careers right now, or it may be entirely possible to make some advancements, with careful planning and new certifications or degrees. Either way, you won’t know until you’ve done some solid research on where your field is heading.
Your career growth plan can also include researching thriving side business you could start in your spare time. Steve Chou, for example, launched a wedding linen business with his wife and earned $100,000 in their first year of business. He still holds down a day job while maintaining a popular blog and ecommerce course.

3. Identify your new career goals.

Once you’ve reflected on what went right and wrong in 2015 and researched job trends, start charting out your new career goals. But it’s not enough to sit around and daydream about all the fantasies associated with stepping into your new career. Brainstorm how to make each goal happen whether you're taking on new responsibilities at work or earning a new degree.
As an example, suppose your big aim for 2016 is to make a lateral move within your company to a department you believe offers better growth potential and more personal fulfilment. Answering the following questions will help you chart a course to achieve this goal:

• Do I need to pursue any additional education? If so, how long will it take to complete? Where will I get that education? Are there any prerequisites I need to fulfill ahead of time?
  
• Whom do I need on my side? How can I get my current boss on board? How can I connect with stakeholders and decision-makers in my new department?
  
• What kind of work can I do now to prepare myself for the transition? Is there anything I can do that goes above and beyond to prove my value to my new department? Can I begin helping out on any projects within the department?
  

The more information you have, the better prepared you’ll be to make your goals a reality in 2016.

4. Create your own career marketing plan,

It’s up to you to turn your career into a thriving venture and position yourself as a coveted asset. Create your own marketing plan to generate buzz and give your credibility a boost.
One way to do that is to sign-up with a site like HARO, where you’ll get alerts from journalists looking for input and expert quotes for their articles; and add press clips about yourself to your LinkedIn profile or online portfolio. Even one quote in a reputable publication can help advance your career goals.

5. Grow your network.

It’s never too early -- or too late -- to grow your network, whether through LinkedIn or attendance at local events in your area. Make curating your LinkedIn contacts a priority, and offer to lend a hand or some advice. Offer to connect others to members of your network that could help them, without expecting anything in return.
The more you organically grow your network by being generous and sincere, the greater your chances of being someone worth remembering.

6. Make a big commitment.

What kind of commitment are you willing to make for yourself and your career? If sitting around and wishing for a big change hasn’t gotten you anywhere in 2015, make a new resolution to take action. Invest in a career coach, training or classes to hone new skills and credentials for your resume. Look at spending money on yourself, whether through career counseling or a much-needed investment, like a laptop upgrade.

7. Write down your goals.

Writing out your goals may seem too simple to really work, but there’s a science behind that exercise. Jordan Peterson from the University of Toronto's psychology department experimented in goal setting and expressive writing. And the results were stunning. Students reported turning their lives around, beating addictions, changing their majors and realizing their goals.

8. Celebrate your successes.

Taking the time to celebrate successes is just as important as charting out your path to success. Without acknowledging your accomplishments, without properly paying them respect, you’re likely to miss the fact that they ever really happened. setting both small and big goals and celebrating their successes as a means to enjoying the journey along the way. A little bragging and thinking about your life beyond your career can also help give your confidence a boost and help create more meaning.
What’s on your career growth plan for 2016, and how do you plan to get there?

Habits of Wealthy People That Cost Nothing

Have you ever wondered how certain people have gotten so successful? Sure you have. A great idea, persistence, and a little luck, but most successful people share certain habits that makes them really successful. Here are habits that have helped place them on the top:

1. They wake up early.

President Obama, Richard Branson, Jack Dorsey,Dr. David O. Oyedepo, Tim Cook and Xerox CEO Ursula Burns are known to be early risers. How has this attributed to their success? Because early risers are able to start their days ahead of everyone else by responding to others, exercising and finding some personal time, early risers also tend to be happier and are more proactive.

2. They network.

Successful people realize the importance of networking. In fact, research has found that networking can lead to people performing better at work and increases the chance of landing a job. Networking helps our successful people be more innovative. According to Dale Carnegie’s classic “How To Win Friends & influence People,” successful people rarely complain or criticize. They are sincere and try to be empathetic.

3. Keep themselves busy.

Successful people are rarely idle. Achievers like Aliko dangote and Robert Moses were known to work 60 to 75 of the hours per day. Dr. David Oyedepo works a whooping 100 to 120 hours per week and has said, “That's the type of work ethic an entrepreneur needs to have.”

4. They know when to say "no."

“The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” - Warren Buffet

Successful people realize that by saying "no" to negativity, extra work and activities that waste time, they can focus on increasing their productivity. If they say "yes" to everyone or everything, they’ll be too distracted and will not accomplish tasks that have to be done.

5. They don’t watch TV, they read.

According to Thomas Corley, author of "Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits Of Wealthy Individuals,” 67 percent of rich people only watch TV for one hour or less per day. Corley also found only 6 percent of the wealthy watch reality shows, while 78 percent of the poor do. Additionally, 86 percent of the wealthy love to read with an impressive 88 percent claiming that they read for self-improvement for 30 minutes or more per day.

6. They write to-do lists the night before.

Successful people are known for writing their to-do-lists the night before so that they are able to set priorities for the following day. They number their lists as well to identify which tasks are the most important.

7. They set goals and visualize.

Ninety-five percent of the successful achievers I know practice writing down their goals, plans, or visions for success on a regular basis.” Successful people do this the night before, or first thing in the morning so that they are prepared to tackle the challenges that await them.''

8. They manage their money.

Successful people have gotten where they are because they were able to manage their finances well. This means that they invest their money wisely, look for new opportunities and set aside emergency funds. They are more generous and willing to donate to those who need help. There is an old saying that luck and preparation always meet opportunity. The most successful people set themselves up for success by preparing all the time.

How to make your life more meaningful

“I would rather have it said ‘He lived usefully’ than  died rich.’” —Ben Franklin    

More than just words, it was how Ben Franklin lived his life. Instead of seeing success in terms of how much money he could make, Franklin saw it in terms of how many people he could help. To him, being useful was its own reward. And like Franklin, I don’t want my life to be measured by dollars and cents. No, I want to live out a different version of success, a more meaningful one, one where I consistently improve myself and always positively influence other people. I want to live a life that counts. And with each day that passes, I feel more and more urgency to make sure my time and energy are invested in doing just that.
But what is a life that counts? And how do you live it? In my experience, I believe a life that counts is determined by three things:

1. The Relationships You Form

Relationships help us define who we are and what we can become. I consider relationships to be my greatest treasures in life and an immense source of joy. Most people can trace their failures or successes to pivotal relationships. That’s because all relationships involve transference. When we interact with other people, we exchange energy, emotions, ideas and values. Some relationships reinforce our values and uplift us, while others undercut our convictions and drain us. We can’t choose every association in our lives, but we can choose who’s closest to us.
Make sure you know these relationship rules:
• Get along with yourself: The one relationship you will have until you die is yourself.
• Value people: You cannot make another person feel important if you secretly feel that they are a nobody.
• Make an effort to form relationships: The result of a person who has never served others? Loneliness.
• Understand the reciprocity rule: Over time people come to share mutual attitudes toward each other.
• Follow the Golden Rule: It’s a timeless principle. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

2. The Decisions You Make

Good decisions sometimes reap benefits years into the future, while bad decisions have a way of haunting us. Mt mentor encourages me to “make every day a masterpiece.” Two ingredients are necessary to do this: decisions and discipline. I like to think of decisions as goal-setting and discipline as goal-getting.
The two cannot be separated because one is worthless without the other:
Good decisions - daily discipline = a plan without payoff
Daily discipline - good decisions = regimentation without reward
Good decisions + daily discipline = a masterpiece of success

3. The Experiences You Encounter

Our lives are also shaped by pivotal experiences—whether they’re triumphs or tragedies. Maybe we receive a long-awaited promotion, or we’re suddenly let go from a job. Perhaps a loved one passes away, or a newborn baby enters our lives. These experiences put us in emotions and challenge our convictions. They might even reveal our purpose in life.
Oftentimes we’re defined not so much in the moment of experience itself as in our response to it. Do we quit or rebound? Do we harbor bitterness or choose to forgive? Do we blame or improve? Whatever the case, the experiences in our lives profoundly touch us.
What we encounter can be broad and varied, but here are a few brief pointers on gaining the most from each experience:
• Evaluate it: Experience isn’t the best teacher—evaluated experience is. Learn from mistakes and victories alike. Draw upon experiences to grow and gain wisdom.
• Manage the emotional aspects of experience: Pivotal moments come with a flood of emotions—at times positive and other times negative. Teach yourself to counteract negative feelings and learn to harness the momentum of positive emotions.
• Share them through storytelling: Make a habit of sharing the lessons learned from the experiences that have shaped your life and your leadership.

Success Isn't Just a Goal, It's a Responsibility

What is success? Coming up with one definition can be tricky. Sure, money is a large indicator; few would call a millionaire a failure. However, there’s more to success than accumulating wealth: It is also about other people. Achieving success isn’t just a personal goal but a responsibility.

1. Other people are counting on you.

It should go without saying, but entrepreneurship isn’t a path meant to be travelled alone. Few successful person can truly say that they found success without any help, and you owe it to the people who generously provided you with their time, advice or money to work hard to get what you set out to achieve.
In addition, success allows you to pay the favor forward by offering mentorship to the next generation of aspiring entrepreneurs. Starting a business can be a lonely road, and as an experienced entrepreneur you’re in the unique position of being able to off not just advice and mentorship, but genuine empathy.

2. Your business is counting on you.

As an entrepreneur, developing a well-respected and established personal brand can directly boost the success of your business. What’s more, how successful you are at growing your company -- by hiring the right people, developing the right marketing strategy etc. -- has a wide impact. If your venture fails, many people will likely be out of work. It’s not enough to want success for yourself; you should also want it for your business and employees.

3. Passion is contagious.

It’s inspiring to hear about people going after what they love, and entrepreneurs who often reject traditional career paths in order to pursue their passions -- fit this bill. Remember that your success can inspire the next generation of up-and-comers. If you chase your dream and are rewarded for it, you will likely encourage others to follow in your footsteps.

4. Money makes a difference.

Of course, there is certainly a financial aspect to success. However, it’s about more than just making a lot of money; true success is about using that money to help other people. Handled properly, wealth can have an enormous positive impact: create jobs, provide opportunities for those in need and, ultimately, change lives for the better. To put it simply, money makes the world go ‘round, and being successful is the easiest way to create opportunities for other people.

Steps to Achieving Your Loftiest Goals in 2016

It is time to get proactive in developing an expansion plan for your life and business for 2016. There is much wisdom to be gleaned from 2015. Reflect back both where you thrived and where gaps in your systems undermined your growth. To grow your businesses in 2016, you must grow yourself. Think bigger, confident that you can always do better if you set active goals.

1. Set an intention to grow.

Never assume you or your business will automatically grow. Just because time goes by, it doesn’t mean you are getting better in time. You do not grow through the simple act living and doing your job. To expand yourself and the success of your career be purposeful and deliberate about growing. Seek a career or personal development coach and get advised on how to take your life and business to the next level. Be willing to stretch yourself and think about who it is you want to be and examine the ways to expand your success.
When you are intentional in your actions you stop waiting to become the person want to become and you start being the person you have always wanted to be. No person or business will expand by luck or accident. In any given moment in life you have two options: To step forward into growth or step back into safety. True success doesn’t happen by waiting or staying safe.

2. Create an expansion plan.

Whenever you start something new, you never really know how you are going to accomplish what you want to accomplish. This is when confusion and doubt step in. Creating an expansion plan helps to ward off these two emotional predators. When you are clear in what you want, the world responds back to you with clarity and opportunity. Directions fall into place when you make your plan clear.
Plan your growth deliberately. It is up to you to decide where you need or want to grow. Choose what you want to learn and how you want to expand. Set your achievement pace and follow through at all cost. In 2016 become someone capable of accomplishing the big life and business goals you set. Write your goals down, make them real, repeat them out loud morning and night, stay on pace and go forward with an unwavering determination to take your business to the next level.

3. Now is the time.

In 2016 push fearful thoughts such as “It’s not the right time” to the side. When fear cows you into complacency and begin to talk you out of a great idea, step forward by doing what you intend to do, do it now and every single day. For authentic and measureable expansion to take place you must work for it with relentless fervor. Stay in front of the eight-ball. Act as quickly on things as you should. Do not allow your intentions or passions diminish with the passage of time. The longer you wait to do something what should be done now, the greater the odds are you will not do it.
Do it now, do not wait until you think you are “ready.” Ready never comes and you lose opportunities waiting to act.

4. Expect mistakes.

Every expansion plan has flaws. Expect to make mistakes along the way. Do not let your fear of making mistakes stop your desires for growth. To get the kind of expansion you are reaching for it will require discovering the flaws in your expansion plan. These flaws help you to know exactly what in your plan or in yourself needs fine tuning. These mishaps are your greatest gifts.
Push through any fears you have of messing up. Expect mistakes to be made every day. Get used to making them. Allow them to guide you in a more successful direction. Mistakes are a welcome sign that you are moving in the right direction. Learn to fail forward.

5. Enjoy the mystery.

Plans for expansion bring up insecurity. Any time you venture into the unfamiliar you may feel you need to have to have the perfect plan to start. This is a false belief that will hold you back from starting. Part of expanding is dealing with the unknown. Expansion doesn’t happen because you’ve developed the perfect plan.
You cannot perfectly plan the unknown. The best way to find your way is to start expanding and see where the journey takes you. It is like driving on an unfamiliar road in the dark. As you continue driving a little more of the road is revealed a bit at a time giving you the direction you need. To see more of the road you have to keep driving.

6. Stay motivated.

As you plan for personal and professional expansion it may feel overwhelming, not worth it or not possible. Do not allow feelings of overwhelm to decrease motivation. Procrastination is a poor coping skill. Goals cannot be reached if you allow your plans to be stifled. Just start.
Motivation is not something you have it is something you do. When you are actively engaged in expanding the potential of your business, motivation naturally builds upon itself in each successful step forward. You have to stick with things to see their benefit. Stick with your plan for one year. It is a process of gestation to birth. You will fall in love with the process as you see the gains you have made when you look back

7. Focus on your growth.

Make the decision to expand your business and do not let fear of failure or comparison dissuade you from implementing your plan. There are undoubtedly “better” and more successful businesses out there. There are stronger, more successful people. Instead of fearing comparison with these people, do all you can to spend time around them. Take inventory on what they did to succeed at the higher levels. True leaders are willing to share their experiences and ideas. Learn from the best how to create your best.
Getting out of your comfort zone is always a challenging and difficult transition, but always well worth it.

8. Expect challenge.

Expansion is just that. It is stretching, bursting, hurting, growing and accelerating. Never get into the idea your expansion plans should be easier than they are. Expect them to be arduous. Success doesn’t come easily or quickly. Climbing to the top has to be intentional. It doesn’t just happen. You have to create your own luck and opportunities.
Preparation, a great attitude and action are essential to fulfilling any expansion plan. Preparation takes time but leads to success. Growth builds upon itself and accelerates when you remain intentional. Find your direction, ask thoughtful questions, start now, face your fears and have the faith that you can do it. Decide which emotion will lead you, faith or fear. Make your growth calculated, not accidental. Just getting by is not a life well lived.
In 2016 make it your goal to become the person and the success you were created to be. Do not simply experience life and hope you learn what you need to learn along the way. Go out of your way to seize growth opportunities. Your future depends upon it.

Keys to Leading a Team to Maximum Productivity

As with all elements of business, finding the right people is the first step. In addition to bringing together the right set of skills, experiences and mindsets, it's important that every team member and their leader practices and believes in the following principles:

1. Showing respect for other team members is paramount.

To have real buy-in to common goals, all team members must respect and appreciate the skills and contributions of others. Virtual teams cannot survive with self-centered and abrasive members or loners who won’t share the load or risk. This requires a strong leader, and begins with good hiring.

2. A willingness to share responsibility for success.

All employees must accept their dependency on each other for results, and take personal responsibility for team actions. This means taking an interest in the work performed by all team members and willingly accepting even mundane tasks to assure the success of the project.

3. Leaders foster a culture of collaboration and trust.

Effective and frequent communication to all team members is the key, with a focus on strengths and desired behaviors, rather than personalities and faults. Team leaders and startup founders must be visibly and mentally present to be perceived as trustworthy and part of the team.

4. Members practice regular communication with each other.

Geographically dispersed teams won’t work if some members make themselves hard to find or consistently refuse to communicate. As a good practice, frequency standards and modes of communication must be set early, and all employees held accountable for making it happen.

5. Necessary tools are provided and supported for collaboration.

These tools may range from secure phone lines to compatible messaging software for everyone. Virtual teams need a tool-acquisition process, training program and support contact for all technology provided. Tool availability is the responsibility of the startup, not the individual.

6. Conflict resolution procedures are well-defined.

Even the best of teams have conflicts, but these can arise more quickly in remote teams from simple oversights and poor communication. Virtual team leaders must be especially proactive in following up and resolution, before productivity and trust are lost.

7. Clear objectives and metrics are established early.

These must include time constraints and budgetary limitations to be tracked by the team, as well as the leader. Everyone in an office environment may see and hear the objectives in other contexts, but team members working from home, or in another country, have less insight.

8. High morale and a positive attitude drive team productivity.

Team members who are quick to assign blame or find fault with the project will jeopardize the productivity of the entire team, and must be quickly removed. Maintaining positive morale requires an extra dedication to continuous relationship-building, recognition and compensation.
For truly global virtual teams, cross-cultural training may be required where members are separated not only by time zones and distance, but also by language and environmental and political differences. These differences add complexity to group dynamics, but also often add new value through new perspectives on creativity and productivity. With the Internet, every startup today has global reach and visibility. Just think of your remote team members as closer to the customer, rather than farther from the team. Business success is all about value creation. Your value is in your teams, as well as your solution. Make every one count.

5 Keys to Inspiring Leadership

Forget the stereotypical leadership image of a buttoned-up person in a gray suit hauling around a hefty briefcase. Today, standout leaders come in all shapes and sizes. She could be a blue jeans-clad marketing student, running a major eCommerce company out of her dorm room. He might be the next salt-and-pepper-haired, barefoot Steve Jobs, presenting a groundbreaking new device at a major industry conference. Research indicates that what really matters is that leaders are able to create enthusiasm, empower their people, instill confidence and be inspiring to the people around them,
That's a tall order. However, as different as leaders are today, there are some things great leaders do every day. Here are five keys for effective leadership:

1. Face challenges.

Great leaders are brave enough to face up to challenging situations and deal with them honestly. Whether it's steering through a business downturn or getting struggling employees back on track, effective leaders meet these challenges openly. Regular communications with your staff, informing them of both good news and how the company is reacting to challenges will go a long way toward making employees feel like you trust them and that they're unlikely to be hit with unpleasant surprises.

People need to see their leaders out there, confronting that reality head-on."

2. Win trust.

 Employees are more loyal and enthusiastic when they work in an environment run by people they trust. Building that trust can be done in many ways. The first is to show employees that you care about them. Take an interest in your employees beyond the workplace. Be kind enough, to ask about an employee's child's football game or university graduation. Let your employees know that you're interested in their success and discuss their career paths with them regularly.
When employees, vendors or others make mistakes, don't reprimand or correct them in anger. Instead, calmly explain the situation and why their behavior or actions weren't correct, as well as what you expect in the future.

When people know that you aren't going to berate them and that you have their best interests at heart, they're going to trust you.

3. Be authentic.

 If you're not a suit, don't try to be one. Employees and others dealing with your company will be able to tell if you're just pretending to be someone you're not, That could make them question what else about you might be inauthentic. Have a passion for funky shoes? Wear them. Are you an enthusiastic and hilarious presenter? Get them laughing.

Use your strengths and personality traits to develop your personal leadership style.

4. Earn respect.

 When you conduct yourself in an ethical way and model the traits you want to see in others, you earn the respect of those around you. Leaders who are perceived as not "walking their talk" typically don't get very far. This contributes to employees and other stakeholders having pride in the company, which is an essential part of engagement.

customers are less likely to do business with a company if they don't respect its values or leadership.

5. Stay curious.

Good leaders remain intellectually curious and committed to learning. They're inquisitive and always looking for new ideas, insights and information.  The best leaders understand that innovation and new approaches can come from many places and are always on the lookout for knowledge or people who might inform them and give them an advantage.

"The most successful leaders I know are truly very curious people. They're interested in the things around them and that contributes to their vision.

THE PROSPECTS OF STUDYING CREATIVE ARTS AND DESIGN

“LIFE ISN’T ABOUT FINDING YOURSELF. LIFE IS ABOUT CREATING YOURSELF.” – GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

THE PROSPECTS OF STUDYING CREATIVE ARTS AND DESIGN

PREAMBLE

The subject Creative Arts covers various aspects of human creative endeavours such as fine arts, applied arts, performing (or dramatic) arts, also known as theatre arts, and the popular soul of life which is music. For the purpose of this discuss, permit me to limit the scope of this education to visual arts. The three branches of visual arts are: fine art, applied art, and the functional art. In the basic post-primary school, the subject is creative arts and it is known to be visual arts in the senior secondary school curriculum in the Nigerian educational system. This is a subject that is exclusive to the gifted hands amongst our youngsters.

By a way of definition, visual arts is the creation and expression of what is beautiful as a result of up-stirring force or intuition in man, that enables the being to create, decorate, fashion things and express him/herself using certain media. It can also be defined generally as a means of self-expression of inner feelings or ideas about things using creative endowments of the mind and of the hand. Fine art comprises of natural handicrafts like drawing, painting, sculpture and architecture, while applied art delves into textile, batik, ceramics, graphics, photography, metal works and elements of printing technology.

Specifically students study visual arts for the following reasons:

1.      For communicating and expression of one’s self.

2.      Development of sense of creativity, imagination, self-thinking and hidden talents.

3.      It is central to all other subjects in form of illustrations.

4.      It projects good moral, reflects people’s way of life and cultural traits.

5.      It develops our sense of appreciation of both natural and artificial stuffs.

6.      It is also a sure aid to technological advancement.

7.      Art is also a viable means of livelihood in providing employment opportunities.

 THE PROSPECTS OF STUDYING CREATIVE ARTS AND DESIGN

Every discipline has its own prospects but visual arts has greater prospect than them all. Some of these prospects are briefly enumerated below, which will be expanded further in subsequent publications.

Animators, ceramists, community art workers, fashion designers, fine artists, furniture designers, glass blowers/designers, graphics designers, interior decorators, graphics illustrators, jewelries’ designers, makeup artists, medical-illustrators, museum/gallery conservators, print-makers, textile designers, cartoonists, photographers, dancers, animation artists, product designers, theatre artists/film-makers, sign writers,  carvers, painters, sculptors, to mention just a few. There are other employment opportunities which include working with filmmakers, creative industries, media and publishing organizations, blogging, teaching, architecture, marketing, advertising, consultancy services, to mention a few.

There is also a discovery that almost seventy five percent of graduates in the field of visual arts are self-employed. Some art and design graduates choose to further study more on their respective discipline. Those in this field are about five percent in specialized areas related to their first degree discipline. Further research carried out in the area of Creative Art and Design graduate employment has this result that about three quarters (¾) of creative arts graduates become gainfully employed within the first six months after their graduation.

Future Destination of Graduates of Visual arts and Creative arts

We have the following data recently gotten from the Higher Education Statistics Agency of Nigeria about Visual Art graduates employment index.

Instant Employment             - (77.4 %)

Further Studies                     - (4.1 %)

Working and Studying         - (2.3 %)

Unemployment Ratio            - (11.4 %)

Other Category                     - (4.8 %)

Total                                       = 100 %

Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency

The deduction from the data above shows that level of unemployment in the field of Creative Arts is very low compared to other discipline of human endeavour, except for Medicine and Law professions only.

Creativity is the bedrock of modern civilization, and the axis upon which modern technology rotates. It is good to be a creative thinker. Join the league of creative artists today. And it will leave you no regret.

THE PROCESS OF CREATIVITY FOR PROGRESS IN LIFE

                   “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have” – Maya Angelou

THE PROCESS OF CREATIVITY FOR PROGRESS IN LIFE

The word “create” entails production and before any meaningful productivity can be achieved, a process must be in place, hence the need to examine the strategies for creativity. But before we do this, we need to say something about why creativity is imperative for any advancement in life. The reason is not farfetched. God created the world and left it in a raw state with a charge: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

This charge would have been impossible for man to carry out if God had not implanted in him a creative potential for exploration, invention and discovery. The import of this exposition is to make you know that as somebody who was created in the image of God, you are expected to be a co-creator with Him for further creations. You must decide to create. “There are yet many and varied discoveries to be made in virtually every field of human endeavour including spiritual, mental, social and physical,” says David O. Abioye. Partake in the joy of creation. John Mason reasons, “God gave us a world unfinished so we might share in the joys and satisfaction of creation.”

BOOSTERS OF CREATIVITY

Creativity flourishes with the right environment or atmosphere. Creative potentials are indeed inherent but must be activated for maximum productivity through certain boosters.

OBSERVATION:

A creator must of necessity be a keen observer of life and nature. We can gain a lot from nature. James Allen, in AS A MAN THINKETH, posits, “Nature gives all, without reservation, and loses nothing.”

The hulling machine that is used to process rice was invented by a soldier. While serving in the American civil war, he noticed a bird hulling rice. He observed the bird, took its bill and modeled his machine thereafter. There are still many things nature offer mankind if only we can observe things very well.

SOLITUDE:

Creativity requires concerted thinking. Thomas A. Edison says, “To do much clear thinking, a man must arrange for regular periods of solitude when he can concentrate and indulge his imagination without distraction.” On value of solitude, Edward Gibbon says, “Conversation enriches the understanding but solitude is the school of genius.” Create your “silent hour” when you do nothing but searching for golden ideas.

VISUALIZATION:

“The invisible is superior to the visible,” says Sam Adeyemi. To create invaluable discoveries, we must see beyond the physical; visualize what does not yet exist in the visible world and see it as a plenty; see opportunity where others see difficulty; see plenty where others see poverty and success where others see failure.

BOOKS:

The wisdom of the world is stored in books. Wisdom is needed for inspiration for lofty ideas. To access this wisdom, reading of books is imperative. The imagination is sharpened and developed through wide and comprehensive reading. No wonder, Sir Francis Bacon says, “Reading maketh a man.”

CONCENTRATION

To concentrate on something requires self-discipline. You direct your whole attention, feelings, focus and actions on something, refusing any distractions. Writing on concentration, Herbert Harris says, “It is the process by which you focus your attention on a particular thought, thing or outcome.”

CREATIVE IMITATION:

Creative and wise imitation means you can learn from other people. No matter how brilliant you may be, you can still borrow brilliance from others. Paago Aleele Imabel says, “Borrowing brilliance from greater minds is not theft or piracy but the very core of creative thinking.” It was said of Bill Gates that he borrowed the idea of for Windows from Steve Jobs of Apple after he saw the prototype for the first Macintosh. Steve Jobs himself borrowed the idea from the Xerox Palo Alto Research Centre. Remarkably, Xerox also borrowed it from an unknown academic researcher who possibly borrowed it somewhere. So, think of what you can borrow to bring about new packages of innovative ideas, products or services. Paago Aleele Imabel gives this memorable gem for whoever cares.

“I will imitate my way to greatness. I will sing like Don Moen or Frank Edwards until I make my impact. I will write like Chimamanda Adichie or Max Lucado until I make my impact. I will sell like Dangote, preach like T.D. Jakes, pray like Enoch Adeboye, lead like Mandela and copy all the other greats that have gone ahead of me until I hit the marks they hit and then I will surpass it, because I will add just a little to their style and that will be become my original.”

| AN INCAPABLE MIND |

| AN INCAPABLE MIND |

I pity the man whose mind is incapable of creative thinking

Because when his likes take to the mountain heights

He stays aground like an eagle that can't fly,

Robbed off of the thrills and feels of conquering the skies

His natural eye may seem perfectly intact

But the ignorant man's mind is completely dark.

Foolishness makes him shrink into obscurity

And become slave to men of rare ingenuity.

The creative man is one who simplifies complexities,

Turn challenges to perfect opportunities,

Makes profit in places where others have toiled in futility.

His mind, like is countenance, is wired with positivity.

But the fool instead with frail wishes and empty dreams,

Goes all about and make boast in the street

Plowing and planting his seeds in the wind

And yet hoping for a bountiful harvest in due season.

All the toils of the thoughtless man will go unnoticed

For his life is worth nothing to his own household

His days, like his wishful dreams, go with the wind;

He soon dies unremembered and becomes a forgotten history.

Consider deeply the ways of the wise man for a while

Putting it side by side with that of the ignorant man,

And next to it, place your very own life

Then choose for yourself with whom your path is aligned?

I have found a secret worth holding on to;

The strength of the wise is in the place of solitude

There in their place of meditation, ideas abound in excess

But the ignorant enjoys the place of cacophony, not quietness.