What is the fuss about? Why do so many people consider creativity a foreign concept or something other people have, but not themselves? Or something vaguely alternative that might be just a bit dodgy.
I think this comes from the (erroneous) view that creative people are flamboyant, out-there types who live by a different set of norms from everyone else. Of course, many well-known creative people are flamboyant and out-there, but being well-known is perhaps a function of the flamboyancy as much as the creativity.
An average person regardless of their personality type has huge creative capacity, but for most of us the creative side was discouraged because: “It won’t get you a good job/income/life.” Actually having a better job/income/life has a lot to do with being creative. When I was growing up there was a lot of talk about the importance of “lateral thinking”. These days schools emphasize De Bono’s “thinking hats”. What these approaches have in common, is the idea that if we come at things from different angles, we will see more, learn more, understand better.
Creativity is the epitome of approaching things from another angle, letting go of what we’ve done before and exploring new territory. Not that we have to throw the baby out with the bathwater, creativity springs out of what we are and what we have experienced, but in fresh ways and with new eyes.
Creativity is innate and we filter it out at our own peril, turning life from rainbow excitement into dull greys and browns. Perhaps that is part of why so many people suffer from depression. Expressing our creativity fills us with joy. Denying or ignoring it flattens and dulls us.
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