I have always imagined creativity to be a personality trait
and thought that some people naturally have this quality and others, not so
much. I read an article by psychologists,
Daniel Goleman and P. Kaufman that challenged some of my assumptions about
creativity, the creative process and the opportunity for us all to bring
creativity to our lives. Below I have
summarized some key ideas, but I invite you to explore the complete article
published in Psychology Today , tilted The
Art of Creativity. https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199203/the-art-creativity.
If you are like me, you may think of creativity as a moment of
divine inspiration… Like when Thomas Edison’s light bulb flickered for the
first time, or the blessed union that occurred when someone dropped a chocolate bar into a jar of peanut butter.
But according to Goleman, the creative process actually has four
distinct stages.
4 Stages of Creative Problem Solving
Preparation. “The first stage is preparation, when you
search out any information that might be relevant. It's when you let your
imagination roam free. Being receptive, being able to listen openly and well,
is a crucial skill here.
That's easier said than done. We are used to our mundane way
of thinking about solutions. Psychologists
call this "functional fixedness." We see only the obvious way of
looking at a problem—the same comfortable way we always think about it. Another
barrier is self-censorship, that inner voice of judgment that confines our
creative spirit within the boundaries of what we deem acceptable. It's the
voice that whispers to you,
"They'll think I'm foolish," or
"That will never work." But we can learn to recognize this voice or
judgment and have the courage to discount its destructive advice.”
Incubation. “This is
the stage when you digest all you have gathered. It's a stage when much of what
goes on occurs outside your focused awareness, in the unconscious. As the
saying goes, "You sleep on it." The unconscious mind is far more
suited to creative insight than the conscious mind. Ideas are free to recombine
with other ideas in novel patterns and unpredictable associations. It is also
the storehouse of everything you know, including things you can't readily call
into awareness. We are more open to
insights from the unconscious mind when we are not thinking of anything in
particular. That is why daydreams are so useful in the quest for creativity.
Anytime you can just daydream and relax is useful in the creative process: a
shower, long drives, a quiet walk.
Epiphany. This is the
popular stage—the one that usually gets all the glory and attention, the moment
that people sweat and long for, the feeling "Eureka!" But the
thought alone is still not a creative act.
Translation. The final stage is translation, when you take
your insight and transform it into action; it becomes useful to you and others.
Below are 7 ideas that will challenge your assumptions about
creativity:
1. The key to building creativity is experimentation. According to Goleman, “The more you can experience your own
originality, the more confidence you get, the greater the probability that
you'll be creative in the future. The idea is to develop the habit of paying
attention to your own creativity. Eventually, you will come to place greater
trust in it and instinctively turn to it when you are confronted with problems.”
2. “The ability to see things in a fresh way is vital to the
creative process, and that ability rests on the willingness to question any and
all assumptions.”
3. “Research suggests that creative people make more mistakes
than their less imaginative peers. They are less proficient—it's just that they
make more attempts than most others. They spin out more ideas, come up with
more possibilities, generate more schemes. They win some; they lose some.”
4. “Researchers report that when teams of people are working
together on a problem, those groups that laugh most readily and most often are
more creative and productive than their more dour and decorous counterparts.
Joking around makes good sense: Playfulness is itself a creative state.”
5. Our experience of creativity in childhood shapes much of
what we do in adulthood, from work to family life. Creativity is a natural
state in childhood because of our openness
to entertain all thoughts without judgment when everything is new.
In business…
6. Creativity isn’t an individual sport. “A close-knit team,
drawing on the particular strengths and skills of each member of the group, may
be smarter and more effective than any individual member of that group. Yale
psychologist Robert Sternberg calls it "group IQ"—the sum total of
all the talents of each person in the group. When a team is harmonious, the
group IQ is highest. That places a premium on a leader who can create a
smoothly working team: a leader who knows the virtues of sharing, trust, and
encouragement.”
7.“Apart from the structure of a company, the attitudes that
pervade its operations can enhance or thwart creativity. One of the keys is
building feelings of trust and respect to the point that people feel secure
enough to express new ideas without fear of censure. This is because in the
marketplace, imaginative thoughts have financial value. But an unimaginative,
unreceptive attitude destroys opportunity.”
"Our lives can be filled with creative moments, whatever we
do, as long as we're flexible and open to new possibilities—willing to push
beyond routine"~ Daniel Goleman
imagecredit: verbalplusvisual.com
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