Why you struggle to come up with ideas
Last year, I started Open for Ideas as a place to debunk the myths and misunderstandings surrounding the worlds of creativity and innovation. There's so much bull-crud out there being spouted by apparent experts. And so many historical misunderstandings about the way we get ideas. Many of these 'alternative facts' are pretty damaging and prevent people from expressing their ideas and using their creative abilities to the full.
Fortunately, we're currently undergoing a scientific renaissance that's giving us fresh understandings about the brain. They've given us stronger evidence to put these inaccuracies to rest once and for all.
We're currently undergoing a scientific renaissance
So we created a little video series to give some of these harmful myths the thorough kicking they deserve. Each video tackles a single issue in under 2 minutes. And the first episode is at the top of the page just waiting for you to hit the play button.
This one addresses the lie that only a select few special people are born creative.
This is a lovely little lie that makes people in 'creative' roles feel a bit more special. That's why they tend to be the ones who get all precious about it. It's nice to feel that you're one of the chosen ones who's been blessed with special abilities. You're not like the hum-drum masses; you're super-human.
This is a lovely little lie that makes people in 'creative' roles feel a bit more special
I've got to admit that I fell for that nonsense when I was younger. I'm embarrassed about that now. It's painfully clear to me that I'm nothing special. And that's a good thing.
However, it's worth noting that some people are born with more potential to be creative – in the same way as some people are born with more athletic physiques. But if they don't put in the training and strive to be as good as they can be at coming up with ideas, it's of no help whatsoever. It's more important that we have the right attitude than the right wiring.
We all have the ability to come up with creative ideas. And repeated practice makes us better at it.
But in a business environment, that's still not enough.
Most organisations are set up to kill fresh ideas
Most organisations are set up to kill fresh ideas. And for understandable reasons. Once you've reached a certain size, it's more important to be able to predictably replicate what you do than to apply fresh thinking every time. You're focused on predictability and effectiveness rather than invention and novelty.
But organisations need fresh thinking more than ever. And their environments and processes are holding them back. It's nearly impossible to come up with truly valuable ideas when there's an inbuilt resistance to anything different - and layers of fear that cause people to second-guess their boss rather than express anything challenging. This is where I've been helping companies for the last few years; building environments that encourage creative thinking and helping them develop valuable new ideas for their business.
We've debunked a whole bunch of other creative myths in this video series - as well as in articles on the site. And given practical advice to help people improve their own creative output as well as that of their company.
But, for now, if you've been one of those people who regularly utter the phrase "I'm not creative", STOP! All that does it perpetuate the myth that there's a 'have' and 'have not' situation with creativity. There's not. The only difference is that there are people who choose to use their creative abilities and people who don't. And those who don't are missing out on a hugely enjoyable part of their lives.
There are people who choose to use their creative abilities and people who don't
This article is an expanded version of an article that appeared on Open for Ideas. Go along and subscribe to get a free copy of A User Guide to the Creative Mind.