YOUR CREATIVE MINDSET

What?

Creativity has many definitions and approaches:

  • Psychometric (creativity is possessed by everyone and can be measured, Torrance Test of Creativity)
  • Psychoanalytic (creativity as the manifestation of the unconscious and works of Freud)
  • Self-expression and mystical (emphasis on aesthetic and expressive outcomes, associations to talent, inspiration, and the divine)
  • End-product (Creativity as a process that is manifested in a creation i.e. a product, work, or output)
  • Cognitive (Creativity as cognitive skill or process).

Why?

In sum, creativity can be seen as the ability to develop original ideas that have value.
Creativity is the infinite source of innovation and becoming increasingly important for the development of the 21st century knowledge society. Creativity contributes to economic prosperity and social and individual well-being. When we take part in a creative activity, we feel more involved and are living more fully than during the rest of life.

 

How?

Everyone can be creative, and creativity can be learned. However, it also requires talent, training, good luck, and domain access. To lead a more creative life, follow the advice beneath the video.

ADVICE

ACQUISITION OF CREATIVE ENERGY

  • Curiosity and interest: Be surprised by something, and surprise somebody every day. When something strikes a spark of interest, follow it, and write it down.
  • Cultivating flow in everyday life: Wake up every morning with a specific goal to look forward to. If you do some-thing well, it becomes enjoyable; to keep enjoying something, you need to increase its complexity.
  • Habits of strength: Take charge of your schedule. Make time for reflection and relaxation, shape your space. Find out what you like and what you hate about life. Start doing more of what you love, less of what you hate.

INTERNAL TRAITS

  • Develop what you lack. Shift often from openness to closure. Aim for complexity.

APPLICATION OF CREATIVE ENERGY

  • Problem finding: Find a way to express what moves you. Look at problems from as many viewpoints as possible. Figure out the implications of the problem. Implement the solution.
  • Divergent Thinking: Produce and have as many ideas as possible. Try to produce unlikely ideas.
  • Choosing a special domain: Try as many domains as possible. Start with things you already enjoy, and then move to related domains.

Advice based on: Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Creativity: Flow and the psychology of Discovery and Invention. London: HarperCollins Pubishers

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have”
– Maya Angelou