I was just reading a blog post, which was intended to help people embrace their creativity. Instead, it made the creative process sound distant and enormously difficult.
It was an example of toxic information regarding creativity, which is extremely common online. It makes creative thinking sound like something elite and distant, instead of something you do all day, every day.
You are already creative
We are all creative. We use our creativity all the time and have done, since birth.
For example:
- Finding a route home, without satellite navigation, so you avoid that traffic jam ahead, is creative thinking.
- Going into your garden and deciding what to plant, and where, is creative thinking.
- Composing a tweet so that it gets your point across in 140 characters or less, is creative thinking.
- A person living on a low income, figuring out how to make ends meet, is thinking creatively.
- Even deciding what clothes to wear when we get out of bed, requires some creativity.
You were born creative
Anyone telling you that you need to go through complex exercises in order to become more creative, is missing a key point. Creative thinking is a 100% natural process, which we use all day and which anyone can improve. Belief and courage are just as important as learning the mechanics.
If you want to improve your creative output, accept that you’re creative, learn to trust your creativity and have the courage to put your creativity ‘out there’.