Here's what I know about creativity while being an uncreative freak.
No, it's not what you have been thinking of.
Creativity is a combination of discipline and a childlike spirit.
—Robert Greene
Creativity was something boring to me, you know what? So boring. And so I didn’t look at it as if I cared.
But there was something in me, and still it is in me, which we can call a childlike spirit and out-of-the-world thoughts.
There are thoughts like eating the sun and kissing the moon to make the sun jealous.
Let’s begin with this childlike spirit thing.
What is this childlike spirit?
If I define creativity, it will be something like this:
Creativity is not doing something new from blank but doing something in a new way by taking what is already present. In short, creativity is doing things differently.
In this way, doing something different requires taking a risk, and taking a risk requires a childlike spirit. You see, a child will never be afraid of messing up things. If you were a child again, you could break things, break your toys, or break yourself, or mess up the wardrobe, the kitchen, and more. See, you could have messed up things without being afraid.
What you don’t see is the difference. The difference you need in your creativity comes from messing up, which requires a childlike spirit. A childlike spirit, where you are not afraid of messing up, leads you to create something different.
Imagine yourself as a child playing with Power Rangers toys or the Hot Wheels dashing cars. You play, smash them, and mix them to create Power Rangers cum Hot Wheels. That’s different, a mess, but different.
You need to stop being afraid of doing and creating things differently and start messing up to become a creative freak.
How will you convince me if I say I am not a creative freak?
In the 60s, a researcher named George Land studied and experimented with 1600 five-year-olds, where 98 percent of the children scored in the highly creative range. Dr. Land retested the same children when they were 10 years old. Only 30 percent of them scored in the highly creative range. This number went down to 12 percent by age 15 and just 2 percent by age 25. Age by age, creativity has gone from the children. In the words of Dr. Land, “Non-creative behavior is learned.”
It’s not that creativity can be learned. Genetics plays a role. According to a psychology professor, Barbara Kerr, “approximately 22 percent of the variance [in creativity] is due to the influence of genes.” It shows that some people are born with more creativity compared to others. But nearly every person has some level of creativity, and it can be trained to level up.
Creativity is a skill that can be improved. Now, let me show you the practices to hone your creative skills.
5 stages of the creative process (for a more creative brain).
Collect new and raw materials. First, you learn the specific knowledge you’ve gathered for the creative work. Second, you go for the general concepts, which will broaden your knowledge for the work.
Consistently work on the materials in mind. In this stage, you thought-process what you’ve learned. Look at the facts from different angles and experiment with ideas to fit them together.
Put the problem aside. Next, you put the problem out of your mind and go do something that you enjoy and energises you.
The idea returns to you. At some point, when you are not thinking about it, your ideas return to you with powerful insights.
Refining the ideas requires sharing. To get the most out of your creative work, share it with the world and get criticism and feedback. Learn and adapt again.
This comes from a short guide published by an advertising executive named James Webb Young titled A Technique for Producing Ideas.
Young believed these five stages of the creative process are helpful for a more creative brain.
5 steps to stay disciplined with your creativity. (Stay disciplined with your childlike spirit.)
So far, we’ve discussed the process and practice of being creative. Now, to stick with it, a disciplined way is required. Here are 5 disciplined ways to stay creative and keep your childlike spirit alive.
Ready to mess up. You will write your first 4 pages terribly, in which you find one good sentence in the middle of those pages. It’s a messy path to glory. Start with the mess.
Consistently work on your creativity. As creativity is a skill, you can improve it every day. Make a schedule to be creative, whether it is writing or creating something. Try doing something creative consistently.
Do the work and finish it. The thing is, being creative isn’t being perfect. It’s to show the good work, which is imperfect. Don’t wait for it to be perfect. No matter how much you work, there will always be something to improve. Stop doing that. Be imperfectly creative.
Don’t put yourself down. Stop judging yourself when you try, but it won’t work. Every creative person, from top to bottom, struggles with creativity. It’s natural to feel disappointed with your work, but don’t let it stop you. It’s not you to say no.
Stay responsible to show your work. What you know might be brilliant to someone. Don’t let them down by not showing up. You never know what happens. You might end up creating something that the world will know for centuries.
Creativity isn’t hidden (you are not showing it)
Your creativity isn’t hidden; it's just that you are not revealing it to the world. You are afraid of not being perfect. As I already mentioned, being creative isn’t being perfect. Creativity is itself imperfect, that’s why it’s called creative.
Become an imperfect creative freak.
James Clear, the author of the bestselling Atomic Habits, on finding your creativity:
Finding your creative genius is easy: do the work, finish something, get feedback, find ways to improve, show up again tomorrow. Repeat for ten years. Or twenty. Or thirty.
Sumit,
Founder of Simple Digest
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