Maybe the biggest enemy of creative thinking, is the fear of failure. After all, we all want to succeed, to be appreciated and valued.
Therefore, it’s little wonder that we often choose not to develop a new idea or create a new piece of art, when we focus on things like:
- What if I create something and it flops?
- What if I create something and people criticise it (or criticise me)?
- What if I create something and it doesn’t turn out the way I had hoped?
Creativity and the freedom to fail
Those people who are known for the quality and volume of their creative output, choose to frame the idea of failure very differently. They see it as feedback… not failure. They see feedback as useful, rather than seeing failure as frightening.
Here’s how it looks:
- If they create something and it’s a smash hit, they win.
- If they create something and it flops, they win… because they learn from it and invest the lesson in their future work. This is also a key to progress and learning!
The only way they can fail with that feedback mindset, is to do nothing. So, they eagerly get their art out there and embrace the feedback.
A huge part of your creative potential can be unlocked, simply by reframing failure as feedback. Give yourself the freedom to fail, knowing that the feedback is invaluable.
PS: Here is an insight into Steve Jobs’ creative mindset.