Creativity is what results from an orchestration of distinct thought processes.
Here’s something for those of you who don’t think you are creative: Research says that all of us are creative. We just have to learn the skills to let our innate creativity flow in. “We tend to assume that some people are simply more creative than others, that originality is a predetermined personality trait: if a person isn’t born with the correct kind of brain, he’ll never be able to compose an original song or come up with an idea as innovative as Post-it notes. But creativity isn’t a fixed feature of the mind – that’s why merely exposing people to the color blue can double their creative output. The imagination is vaster than we can imagine. We just need to learn how to listen.”1
Creativity allows us to realize new and original ideas, connections, and solutions to problems. In my experience, these don’t happen by trying hard but instead by getting out of the way and letting them arrive. Creativity is part of what makes us human and plays a big role in our resilience, our ability to experience wonder and awe and to enter life with richness, fulfillment, and depth.
A creative act can be spectacular and inspiring – such as creating publically admired art or a wildly successful business idea. But that should not be the goal of the creative process, only an unintended consequence. Focusing on a specific desired outcome will stifle creativity.
The soul of creativity is the welcoming mindset that allows the spark to seedbop us. The soul of creativity is that which takes hold in the field we’ve fertilized to let it grow. The soul of creativity is our ability as unique individual humans to bring something into being and let it flourish. The soul of creativity is believing in our own genius and letting it fly.
I love this synopsis of skills needed to be creative from Austin Kleon, author of “Steal Like an Artist”:
“You will need:
1. Curiosity
2. Kindness
3. Stamina
4. A willingness to look stupid”
That’s it. If you don’t think you are creative, keep reading this blog and start practicing the mindset and exercises suggested. See what happens!
1 Jonah Lehrer. Imagine: How Creativity Works. Houghton, Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. 52 Note: Subsequent to the publishing of this book, Mr. Lehrer was found to have fabricated quotes from Bob Dylan. In my opinion, the information he researched and used in this book still has great value and is replicated in creativity research of other authors. I do not include any Bob Dylan quotes Lehrer wrote.
