Is Creativity a “Given”?

Creativity often seems gratuitous to read about and is often a given…as in…“we are a creative business.” Sort of.?

I say sort of because, for a given, people seem to talk a lot about creativity—how creative they, their companies, or their solutions are. However, they often bemoan its absence, criticizing particular manifestations of creativity or ripping it apart (if it comes from someone or somewhere else)…because, of course, there is no creativity in their industry except for them. We’ve all seen that one.?

Therefore, I thought a few thoughts might be in order for a given that doesn’t seem to be very given.

Over the years, I have written a lot about creativity and will continue to do so. I guess I don’t see it as a given either (or maybe I’m just gratuitous). I have spoken on the topic at numerous conferences. Nevertheless, I am always amazed at how, for something so elemental to business, so core to success, and so primal to our being (get my drift?), there seems to be little consensus as to what creativity is, how it’s used, and who is ultimately accountable for its development and delivery.

To begin with, my Loyal Readers (you know who you are—thank you!!!) who have read my previous meanderings know that I don’t view creativity as a domain, a group, or a department.

?I firmly and wholeheartedly believe that everything we do, business and personal, has to be creative—meaning that everyone needs to be creative and have ideas, whatever that means.?

Keep reading.

All business demands creativity.

I’d even argue more so that all successful businesses operate with creativity, from a corner dry cleaner to the corner office in a big conglomerate.

That kind of creativity is inherent to the way you present yourselves in a reception area or storefront, to the development of the most simple or complex data programs, to the delivery of a social post or e-mail targeted to the right person, to the most brilliant retention campaigns ever, to the way you answer your phone calls, to how you present ideas in meetings and communicate in general.?

All require creativity.?

All demand creativity.?

All suffer in its absence.

So, what is creativity? What does it really mean to be creative??

I have seen highly paid self-identified “Creatives” who wouldn’t recognize a big idea if they were personally introduced to it. I have agonized for colleagues who tortured themselves because they thought they weren’t creative and yet could inspire their clients and others to paradigm-shifting thinking.

It all boils down to definitions. If I define creativity in business as any one thing, I have severely limited the meaning of the word and severely limited the value I can bring to the table. The same goes for personal relationships.?

On the other hand, if I define creativity as programs, promotions, or offers (for business and non-business), I have applied the same basic limiter and have perpetuated the same restrictive bias.

So, how do we define creativity? A fresh and interesting way to define words is to look at their opposites. If you can make the connection, see the link between a word and its extreme, between a concept and its contradiction, and between a meaning and its reverse, then it can bring new thinking to your own understanding.

What is the opposite of creativity? I am sure you all have thoughts. Stop right here…what comes to your mind first? Unimaginative? Boring? Maybe, but I find both words unimaginative and boring. I was stuck too, but then I found it:

“The opposite of creativity is cynicism.” —Esa Saarinen

What a great and simple and fresh thought!

What kills a creative idea quicker than scorn? What causes creative thinking to retreat faster than jaded negativity? What destroys creative freshness and joy more thoroughly than sneering disbelief? NOTHING!!!

Here is the challenge and the thought: The next time you get that negative urge, that little itch to make fun of an idea or person, or decide to distrust the integrity of intuition and emotion, remember that you are not just being rationale (a good trait) but also you are being the polar opposite of creative (a bad trait), which is the potential killer of new ideas.

I sometimes come across as cynical but consider that as positive skepticism. LOL!!!

Seriously, this applies to all aspects of your life; be the force of positivity…your creativity will flow.?

What are your thoughts?