Creativity Is Dead: New Paradigm Of Creativity

Creativity Is Dead

A few years ago, I published a book titled New Paradigm of Creativity, in which I introduced my idea that the conventional approach to creativity is dead. Creativity is an overused buzzword these days; everybody says that creativity is important. However, interestingly, there is no clear definition of creativity that everybody understands, and there is no consensus in the world on what exactly creativity is. So, today, I’d like to briefly introduce my ideas on creativity. If you are interested in details, you can read my books or attend my workshops.

Creativity is relative

First, it is very important to discuss how people misunderstand what creativity is. Long story short, creativity is relative. It is not the ability to create a certain thing. Taking an example, creating a smartphone was considered extremely creative when it first appeared in the market. However, now it is so normalized that all companies can create a similar product. So, the act of creating or producing something can be considered creative or ordinary, depending on the context. Thus, creativity itself is always relative.

Creativity is not a solution

Most people think or expect that creativity can solve all the issues that companies and individuals have. For example, people think that Steve Jobs was creative, and that is why he could create an iPhone. Likewise, people think that if they are creative, they should be able to make something great. Unfortunately, this is one of the biggest mistakes that they make, misunderstanding the cause-and-effect relationship. Creativity is not a solution in itself but a tool to make ideas happen. When you want to create or achieve something, you start to think about it seriously, which gives you the space to develop creative ideas to make it happen. This means that creativity exists in a process, not in a result.

What you need is not creativity but imagination

The reason that most people cannot create something great or new is not because of a lack of creativity, but instead a lack of imagination—they do not know what they want to create. Creative and innovative ideas always first come from imagination. Therefore, imagination is more important than whether you are creative or not. Imagination allows you to develop an image of things that do not exist in the present reality, and that image allows you to find the creative solutions needed to bring the image into reality. The problem is that the act of imagining something is considered negative in our current society. For example, if you spend time doing nothing but imagining something in a classroom or office, your boss or teacher will penalize. Today, in our society, execution is considered more important than imagination, as execution can bring us tangible and visible outcomes. There is no incentive to imagine something without any limitations. Moreover, people are hesitant to imagine freely, and they tend to set limits on themselves by comparing one’s imagination to what is considered normal in society.

We need to unleash our imagination

Similar to the industrial era, during which workers were treated like cogs in a machine, people today still try to find one-two-three step solutions to execute something. But, as mentioned above, without imagination, it is impossible to understand what you want to create. If you do not know what you want to create, naturally, you do not need creativity. You would simply need to have an ability to execute things to realize someone’s imagination in reality. So, if you truly wish to be creative, what you need to do is unleash your imagination in order to think freely, which allows you to better understand what you want to create.

Connecting dots differently

Once you get an idea of what you want to create, you then need a creative approach to make it happen. In the process of making imagination happen, the real challenge is that there are many obstacles, but there are only limited resources in which to invest. And that is the moment you need creativity to overcome the obstacles and limitations. What is necessary to make ideas happen is the ability to connect dots differently, or in other words, connect things that seem to be irrelevant. People tend to think that there are not enough resources or opportunities, but the truth is that they simply cannot recognize the resources and opportunities in front of them. We are pattern-recognition animals, meaning that we interpret reality through pattern recognition gained through experiences. So, the pattern you have in your mind defines how you interpret reality, which does not necessarily reflect actual reality. That is why, in order to overcome obstacles and limits, it is necessary to break your pattern of seeing things and try to reconnect ideas to develop creative approaches and jumpstart your imagination.

How to accelerate imagination and connect dots differently?

In my creative program, SOUZOU, there are a number of exercises designed to stimulate imagination and connect irrelevant ideas. These exercises require commitment and devotion. There is NO easy way. However, there is a simple yet powerful thing that you can practice in your daily life: doubting what you believe. Your interpretation of reality is based on your belief system: what you believe that you have acquired through experience, which is influenced by interactions with others. The most powerful way to remove limitations in your thinking and connect things differently is to doubt all the beliefs you unconsciously have in your mind. For example, if you believe you need to work five days a week and eight hours a day, think about why you believe this. If you believe you cannot start your own business, think about why you believe this until you can logically explain where these ideas are coming from and come up with counter-arguments. In your daily life, you recognize objects using patterns and interpret them according to your belief system. To break this pattern, the first step is doubting what you believe and starting to think in alternative ways.