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Creativity

What Creative People Do Differently

Learn from creatives' examples to nurture your own creativity.

Key points

  • Many people would like to be more creative.
  • Many of them doubt themselves or let critics shut down their dreams.
  • Thinking differently can help anyone connect with their creative side.
Source: Colin Behrens / Pixabay
Source: Colin Behrens / Pixabay

As a clinical psychologist, I have been fortunate to work with many creative and talented people over my career. My area of focus during graduate school was creativity and mental illness. My primary emphasis was on debunking the notion that creative geniuses must suffer in some way for their art. Fortunately, much of the research belies this myth, although there are many famous examples where it holds true. These troubled geniuses often stand out in people’s minds; think van Gogh, Hemingway, and others.

In recent years, I have worked in therapy with two best-selling authors and several musicians. In examining this clinical experience, as well as reviewing recent literature on the topic, I want to offer the following suggestions that may be useful to those of you who wish to be more creative. If you are a parent, I would also encourage you to provide an environment in which your children are fostered in their creative development. The following apply to people of all ages who wish to be creative.

Creative People Ask "Why Not Me?"

Many of us hit a brick wall when we realize that something has not been done before. It is as if we say to ourselves, “Well, no one has figured out how to do ___, so I likely won’t be the first.” And, so, we move on. This experience is known as the Bannister Effect, based on the perceived impossibility of running faster than a four-minute mile. Once Roger Bannister removed this psychological barrier by accomplishing this feat, many other athletes soon followed.

Creative People Can Hold Two Disparate Ideas in Mind at the Same Time

It is often useful to classify and organize the information in our environment. This helps us to understand the world better, including any perceived threats. It can also limit our creativity. If we remove this barrier, we can see the world differently. This is what Andy Warhol did so beautifully. He took everyday objects such as Campbell Soup cans and transformed them into works of art.

Creative People Do Not Take No for an Answer

This includes from themselves! Many of us get derailed by either self-criticism or negative feedback from others. Thomas Edison, for instance, reportedly worked through more than 2,000 failed prototypes before inventing the lightbulb. I think it is fair to say that most people would have given up. Nearly everyone was certain that air travel, and later space travel, were scientifically impossible until visionaries proved them wrong. The same can be said of many other inventors, scientists, and artists. They do not let self-doubt or external criticism sway them from their vision.

The only barriers to living a creative life are self-imposed. Perhaps not surprisingly, children tend to demonstrate more imaginative play and creativity, although this does not always remain intact as they age. I encourage you to consider the above as guidelines. If you have the urge to quit, try to stay the course. If you are critical of your own ideas, try journaling away the doubts before you sit down to write or paint or create. Finally, never give up on the dream of becoming creative.

Remember, not everyone will become a best-selling author or invent new technology that will change the world. Still, some of you may, just like Edison or Warhol. The others can create for their own enjoyment or for their friends and family. This can be enormously rewarding in and of itself!

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