Business managers and Team leaders often talk about the word ‘Creativity’ and staff employees begin to squirm in their seats. They all start thinking like – We wish we could be as creative as that guy or girl. We’re not those creative humans.
Let’s face it – our work, job or even studies often challenge our creativity, and on demand, we must think novel and innovative ideas that transform us into more competitive human being. But in real-time circumstances, the term ‘creativity’ raises our anxiety, doubt, and fear, most of the times.
Several studies and books proved that what we know about the creative principles are just plain wrong. In the post ahead, I’ll explore the eight most untrue believes that can hold you back from being a pure creative guy.
#1) Creativity Requires Some Patience
There is an interpretation that creativity requires inspiration. Someone must wait for that inspiration and only then, he/she would be able to draft the idea. Some people trust this mentality so firmly that they’ll invest their time and energy into looking at the countless resources (for inspiration) and the entire loss make them wail “I’m not creative!”
Think of this creativity as an exercise. Let’s see the example of the runners – they do not wait to be able to run, they work at their weak points continuously. You should work at the creativity muscle regularly, and eventually, it will hit to the point. What’s the demand? Just get in the habit of practicing it.
As Michael Reeves Interior suggests, just write down ten ideas daily; Don’t worry about the innovation and creativity in initial days. Just write it down.
This way, at the end of the first month, you’ll have a minimum of 300 ideas in your paper. Obviously, some will be awful, some inferior, but a couple of them will be awesome. Following the practice, you will be able to learn the art of brainstorming consistent, useful ideas.
#2) There are no Possibilities of Failure for Creative People.
Samuel Beckett gave a brilliant quote – Try again. Fail again and fail better.
Another myth is that creativity comes as a product; it’s a process. To think innovative ideas or coming up with actual implementation ideas doesn’t necessarily mean you get it done right within the first attempt itself. See, we try; we fail, and again fail – Virtuoso Legal. Innovators had come up with hundreds of ideas – some of them were really good while some were just awful.
Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, a highly creative act. He also failed to get it right thousands of times. Steve Jobs was turned down by Atari and Hewlett Packard before starting Apple. Walt Disney went bankrupt at twenty-two, five years before he created Mickey Mouse.
#3) You Can’t Learn Creativity
If you re-frame your definition of creativity (think new things) and view creativity as a muscle that must be worked habitually, you can take the next step. Creativity is not a genetic trait; it is a skill – Ridgeway Kitchens And Interiors.
You can’t change your height, but you can develop a skill. If you can learn a skill; you can also teach it.
#4) Creativity is Welcome in the Workplace.
Of course, the opposite is true, and we can’t deny it. Just because companies say they welcome creativity in the workplace doesn’t mean it’s actually happening. A 2012 Adobe study called the State of Create showed that while 8 in 10 believe creativity is critical to economic growth, 75% felt pressure to be productive rather than creative at work. This factory-driven mentality still rules in many companies.
And just because educators recognize creative thinking as a necessary skill does not mean it’s being taught in the classroom. Standardized testing comes from a factory-driven mentality — be productive rather than creative. Is it possible to shift the massive entity that is the corporate capitalistic structure to uniformly welcome creativity in the workplace?
#5) Your Child is Creative.
Ask a young child any question, and they will come up with the most visionary answer possible. They can create fantastic worlds with their minds, complete with specific details and characters you couldn’t dream of. This activity does not make a child creative. It makes a child usual. Creativity is not unique to intelligent children; it’s a muscle they use on a regular basis.
Every child can easily access their imagination. Creating Minds website says that we use 80% of our creative potential at the age of five.
#6) Creativity Dooms Your Child to a Life of Poverty.
The middle-class parents do worry. “My child will not be able to make a living and will suffer.”
This fear stems from the notion that creativity only occurs in the arts and the arts are not a viable career. Many parents will stifle any creative impulse in their child in order to prevent this perceived life of poverty.
As an arts educator, I’ve had many conversations with students who have been removed from a drama in order to take extra math or science courses. Pushing a child to science, for example, doesn’t necessarily prevent poverty. Are there actually jobs for science grads?
#7) Creativity Never Leaves You.
Creativity is a muscle. That muscle will atrophy if you don’t maintain a habit of creativity (as with our physical muscles).
Creating Minds website offers a second depressing statistic: by the age of twelve, we’re only using 2% of our creative potential. And that’s where it stays for the rest of our lives.
So it’s easy to say “I’m not creative” and believe it if you never establish and maintain a habit of creative work.
#8) You are not Creative.
Ken Robinson once said – Everyone has great capabilities. That’s a truth, but not everyone develops them.
I’m not creative. This statement had perpetuated by many over and over again. The worst side is – many believe it, but it’s no more than a lie. No doubt, it requires a lot of work and routine exercises to be creative; thus, it takes time and effort. Unfortunately, for most of us, it’s a lot easier to live the lie rather than doing the requisite thing for it.
Do you tell yourself you’re not creative? Do you believe you’re not creative? What, if anything would change your mind? Let me know in the comments section.