Increasing Your Creativity
©Ralph Jean-Paul
Creativity has long been admired through the ages by many. The creative mind is often seen as an unattainable gift that some fortunate person has been endowed with. The idea of a person being creative is usually surrounded by mystery and wonder. The ambiguity of the notion of creativity often sparks myths about why some people are more creative than others.
The truth is most of the assumptions about creativity are false.Any person can develop a more creative mind. Being creative has more to do with diligence, hard work and outside input, than it does with harnessing some deep rooted natural ability. Creativity is manifested by outside influences that are developed in the mind of the creator and then redirected into a creative medium. If you’ve read any of my articles you should know by now that I wouldn’t even present an idea like this unless I thought that it was possible for any of you out there to do it. Just like I mentioned in Be Smarter in 30 Days, the results will be determined by the willingness of the person to carry out the task necessary to accomplish their creative goal. In order for you to build your creative mind, you will first need to eliminate the myths about what a creative human being is.
Myths about Creativity
I think that most of our preconceived notions about creativity are like most of our other ideas about the skills and abilities of people.We tend to think that a person is just born a certain way. The ‘you either got it, or you don’t’ mentality is limiting so many people from doing things that they are capable of doing. There are many myths that surround the idea of increasing creativity but I narrowed it down to these few.
-Creativity is a skill that only some who are born creative possess
-Creative people look, act, and are “different” than normal people
-Creativity just happens
Born Creative
We love to see a child who can play the piano or is good at art. Adults are quick to point out the talent in the child and label the skill as “good genes”. Never mind that the child probably spends hours on end tapping away at the piano keys or constantly doodling on, well, everything. As we get older we tend to lean towards the roles society guides us to. We tend to process the information and situations around us differently thus slightly altering our creative growth.
When you were young, your creativity was probably encouraged and nurtured. As you get older, your creativity probably comes second to the responsibilities at work and home. You still have that amazing creative potential but now it is pushed and used towards things like hobbies. Psychologists who study creativity are concluding creativity is related to a process, not a brain region.
Creative people are “Different” Than the Rest of Us
Mentally ill characters in the movies are either psychopathic killers or extremely creative individuals.Why is that? Not the psychopathic killer part that I understand. But why are we so quick to accept that to be a creative genius you must have something wrong with your brain? They are also seen as loners who isolate themselves from others in order to perfect their genius.
Why is it so hard to acknowledge that the investment banker that is sitting one table away from the tattoo artist with the Mohawk at Starbucks have the same creative potential? Most artist, writers, and musicians who use their creative potential often are quite normal.I bet you know some people who have harnessed and are using their creative talent. Perhaps they think and see things a different way than you but chances are they can hardly be considered mentally ill.
Creativity just happens
Since most people tend to believe that one must already possess creativity in order to harness it, the stigma of haphazard creativity usually accompanies that idea.In other words, people think since someone is born creative, that means that the creative works that they do just happen. Nothing could be farther from the truth.Just like any skill, creativity must be practiced. Those who think that they are not creative enough usually have not put in a solid effort to be creative. If you think that creativity is something that you don’t have, and you won’t have, then why would you practice creative works?
You need to first begin to change your perception of your creative ability to one that will enable you to be creative.If you begin to see your creative potential, then you will be more willing to work at that potential thus increasing your creativity in all aspects of your life.Another way to ensure that your creativity increases is to change your thinking from vertical, to lateral.
Lateral Thinking
The idea of thinking laterally is a complex notion.Edward deBono invented the term which now a part of the English language. Although there are many ways to define lateral thinking, I think the best way to describe lateral thinking in terms of creativity is seeking to change perceptions and concepts. Some of the most creative people in history were able to excel in their craft and work by just looking at a situation differently. Here is an example from Edward deBono’s book "New Think" (Basic Books, New York) originally titled "The Use of Lateral Thinking" (Jonathan Cape, London)
There is a girl who is to be gambled by her father against a heavy debt. If she draws a white pebble from a bag containing one white and one black pebble, the debt is cleared and she is freed. If, however, the black pebble is drawn out, she must go with the merchant. The dilemma is that she sees the merchant sneak two black pebbles into the bag, so what should she do?
The vertical thinker considers all options and concludes that she should say what she has seen. The lateral thinker, however, thinks beyond this solution that, at best, leaves the girl with a 50% chance of freedom. If we think about the pebble that is left behind, which is black, all she has to do is pull out one pebble, and whilst keeping concealed, clumsily drop it where it cannot be found, then say ‘All we need to do is look at the pebble that is left.’
It is more than just problem solving.It involves stepping out of a situation and looking at it another way; then arriving at a conclusion to the situation from another angle.
Increase Your Creativity
Attitude and Atmosphere
If you would like to become more creative it is important that you take a look around.What is around you that is enabling you to feed your creative need?Like I said earlier, your thoughts about creativity need to change in order for your creativity to increase.When your thoughts change, your attitude will follow.If you are a vertical thinker, find some people who think laterally and feed off of their experience and knowledge.
Collaboration
The highly creative person is sometimes seen as someone who can contrive a masterpiece in the mist of solitude. Although I do agree that getting away by yourself is a great way to help your lateral thinking, great creative works and thinking are usually a direct result of collaboration. Every movie or TV show that you’ve seen was created by a group of writers, and editors. Creative people tend to soak up the atmosphere around them and then use what they’ve acquired towards their creativity.
Feedback is also very important.In 1401 a competition was announced for the right to decorate the Florence Baptistery doors in Florence Italy. Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti were the top artist chosen to compete. They were both asked to create a bronze panel illustrating the scene of the sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22:1-14). While creating his panel, Ghiberti asked the opinion of any and everyone he could find.He would even stop people who were walking down the street what they thought of his work in progress. Brunelleschi on the other hand was very secretive about his panel and allowed no one to see it until it was completed.
In the end, Lorenzo Ghiberti won the competition and the right to decorate the baptistery doors. The input from other people may have helped him in the creation process. If lateral thinking is looking at a situation from an alternate angle, why not have others look at it from their perspective? It’s like having someone else think laterally for you. Video game makers, advertisers, musicians, and many other people, who create for a living, do it in groups. Use others to help you increase your creativity by collaborating ideas with them and asking for feedback from them.
Filippo Brunelleschi Lorenzo Ghiberti
"The Sacrifice of Isaac" "The Sacrifice of Isaac"
Although both are great works, Ghiberti, who asked for feedback while creating the panel, won the competition because of his choice to bring out the suspense in the scence.
Learning
Since most people believe the myth that creativity just happens, they miss the fact that learning is a huge part of being creative. Educating yourself about the skill or craft that you want to be creative in is one of the most important parts of succeeding in that skill. Think about it, if you were a painter and you were working on an oil painting that had a river running through a forest, wouldn’t you need to know what paints to mix together in order to make the water blue and the leaves green?Musicians have to understand musical patterns and rhythms in order to make music. Poets have to know how to write in order to compose a poem.
Whatever it is you want to be creative in, take the time to learn as much about it as you can.Understand the mechanics of what it is you want to do. Explore others who have been successful at it and what made them successful. Once you understand what to do and what not to do, you can begin to create from your own knowledge and experience.
Create
Those who tend to think that they have little creative ability are most likely the ones who use their creativity the least.In order for you to increase your creative ability you have to be willing to create. You’ll never know what you are truly capable of unless you jump in with both feet. Like I said earlier in this article, creativity is a process so you must practice that mental process in order to increase its ability.Here are some things you can do that will help you sharpen that mental process.
Make a movie- Use the Movie Maker program that is on your computer and create a short movie using pictures that you have and music from your media player.
Make a collage- Grab about 5 magazines and a poster board and begin to cut out pictures of your favorite things, people or symbols.As you are doing this you will begin to formulate different ways to incorporate the pictures into the message of the collage.This is a good way to practice lateral thinking.
Brainstorm- Brainstorming is solving a problem by coming up with as many solutions as possible no matter how ridiculous or improbable the solution may seem.This will help you see one situation or problem from many different angles.
Doodling- I know it seems like a small thing, but just sitting down and drawing lines on a piece of paper can be a great creative exercise.
Write a short poem-It doesn’t have to rhyme. It doesn’t have to be formal.It doesn’t even have to make sense.The important thing is that you project your thoughts in a creative manner.
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