According to one definition of creativity, creative people see something that no one else sees when they look at the same thing. However, every creative person, including you, can occasionally encounter obstacles. Sometimes seeing something different is impossible. Sometimes you can’t see a problem any other way because you’ve been looking at it for so long.

What then do you do in these circumstances? Why not give a new perspective a shot?

Think about this: A friend of mine who needlepoints has a majority black design. She is stitching the negative aspects of the design rather than the positive aspects of the design on a black canvas rather than simply stitching the design on white canvas with black thread.

She altered her perspective on the issue. Additionally, she now has a unique needlepoint design that stands out from the majority of others. Or, consider this: Students in an art class are instructed to paint what they see when they turn an image or object upside down—not a picture but an arrangement of shapes. You can alter your perception by shifting your viewpoint. Additionally, if you alter what you see, you are more likely to produce something entirely new. However, that is art, as I can hear you all saying right now. That will not assist me in solving my business issue.

Okay, here’s another tale from Michael Michalko’s “Thinkertoys” book. Experts declared that the ocean freighter industry was dying in the 1950s. The prices were skyrocketing, and delivery times kept getting pushed back. While the ships were sailing, executives at the shipping companies continued to focus on ways to cut costs. They developed ships that required fewer crew members to operate and went faster. It failed to work. Costs continued to spiral out of control, and getting the goods shipped took too long.

The viewpoint was then altered one day by a consultant. Instead of asking the question: How might we make ships more cost-effective at sea? Executives inquired: What methods can we use to cut costs? Ta-da! When they aren’t actually doing their job of shipping goods, ships are big money-sucking machines. And when do they stop working? while they are being loaded and unloaded in port.

As a result, the industry developed a method for preloading merchandise on land. Now a ship arrives, the container with the cargo rolls off, a new container with the cargo rolls on, and the ship goes back to the sea. A whole industry was saved by that one innovation. Additionally, it transpired as a result of shipping executives altering their perspective on the issue.

Exercise in Creativity: Changing Your Perspective So, how can you change your perspective and find solutions to your marketing and business problems?

Change the question and try what the shipping industry did.

The question “In what ways can we make ships more economical while at sea?” is too narrow a focus. Increase the scope of the inquiry, “In what ways can we reduce costs in general?”

Here’s another illustration.

Perhaps your concern is “how can I acquire more customers?” What if you broadened the scope of the inquiry as follows:

How can I acquire more customers?

How can I expand my company?

How can my business help me make more money?

How can I increase my income over time?

How can I make my life happier? I am aware that happiness cannot be bought with money. However, having it is certainly a plus.)

A better place to look for a solution might be one of those questions. Because perhaps one of those questions is the “real” problem you want to solve, but you haven’t found the right question because you haven’t looked at the big picture.

Your muse will never give you an answer that actually solves your problem if you don’t ask the right questions.