A 2012 Adobe study on creativity proves that a striking minority – only 1 in 4 people – believe they are living up to their own creative potential. Are we blocking the creative thinking process?
I was having a conversation with my friends about a thing I noticed in my young cousins over the holidays. To make it short, I have about 4 cousins, around the age of 10, who I get to see when we have family reunions like the Christmas dinner. Being children of the new generation, they already have all the fancy phones and fancy computer games, etc. The thing I was amazed about was the fact that they proved themselves being unable to use their creative thinking to find a game or some sort of entertainment that involves all 4 of them. They just sat there all night, ogling their phones.
This is why I was trying to explain to my friends the fact that I don’t understand why, at their age, they are unable to use their creative thinking and imagination. Hearing this, one of my friends said:
” I am not surprised! I realized the fact that even I cannot use my imagination anymore. Whenever I need to come with a creative input, I immediately turn to Google for aid.”
By this time I realized I also do this way too much. This question arose in my mind:
“Are we blocking creative thinking?”
We have become so dependent of this giant called Google, the one who gives the answer to all of our questions, that we are killing the creative process in its early stages inside our minds.
Do you feel the same? Then it’s time to restart the creative process!
1. Prepare yourself
To be able to create, you need a clean state of mind, concentration and calm. Whenever you want to begin a creative process you should first prepare your mind. Give yourself the time and space you need to get completely absorbed in the zone of creativity and inspiration.
2. Feed your mind
This is an action that sustains creative thinking and should not be engaged only when creativity is required. Someone once said that every unique thing that has been invented has actually been inspired from already existent things. The more you see, the more you know, the more you create.
3. Allow yourself to be “stupid”
When you were a child, you did not mind if someone called you crazy, or stupid for inventing all sorts of games. You did not find them stupid, therefore you would at least give each thought a chance. Don’t fear the idea of looking stupid. Genius ideas have developed from crazy or stupid ideas. The creative process is all about liberating yourself, allowing yourself to push the limits.
And if you think you’re not creative enough, keep in mind that creativity can be taught.
