Sunday, March 22, 2015

A Creative Mind

A creative one is motivated by the desire to achieve something, not by the desire to beat others --Ayn Rand

Creativity is a mode of thinking. Some people are more in the creative thinking mode than others. This would mean that you can switch your thinking mode to fit the circumstances. That is the secret weapon of a 'creative mind,' to be able to voluntary switch between open and closed thinking styles.

Creativity exists between the two contradictory human drives of needing others; and needing to establish one’s own identity. On the one hand, you need to feel part of a group, at which time it is your similarity with others that is salient. On the other hand, you need to establish your own identity and uniqueness, when it is our difference from others that is salient. This is happening like a time spiral whereby you leave the comfort of the group to be creative, and then return to it to fulfill the group needs, and have others recognize the fruits of your creativity. Thus, living with a creative person is bound to be a dynamic experience.


Regardless of which discipline you take, art or science, creativity is about having the novel ideas or new way to do things: Either working in the science like STEM or art like painting, writing or acting, the content of creativity is different, but contextually, it’s all about connecting the dots to create something fresh or new way to do things. Creative people are both nature and nurtured. Sometimes, the best thing that can be done for really creative people is to simply leave them alone. They will sink or swim by themselves. They will find the next level of their creativity or focus; at other times, the environment is like a catalyzer, which can kindle one’s creativity by stimulating one's brain and synchronizing one’s mind and heart.


Creativity by Taylor is "expressive, productive, inventive, innovative, or emergent. Everyone has a creative potential that can be expressed through artistic & scientific creativity. Also by the realization of something new that may be an idea or plan. It begins with the existence of a problem that needs solving! A creative mind desperately needs to absorb the new knowledge across the disciplinary boundary in order to ponder the creation of the new insight. Not only connecting the dots via your own experience but also learn from someone else’s experiences, to get more dots for connecting. The more a person can learn from someone else, the better off she/her is going to be.


Creativity flourishes in solitude: Though it doesn’t mean all innovators are introvert, creativity is a thinking activity. With quiet, you can hear your thoughts, you can reach deep within yourself, you can focus. Of course, there are lots of ways to find this solitude: when it comes to nurturing creativity: participation matters as well. This can come in many forms, but it requires connecting with others, being inspired by others, reading others, collaborating with others. But how can you have both solitude and participation?! this is the point. They obviously have to come at different times. Finding the balance is key, of course, but it takes a conscious effort: There’s time for solitude, and there’s time for participation; there’s time for thinking & visualization, and there’s time for conveying or delivering.

Back to that classic "lightbulb" metaphor for creativity, there’s a flash in your mind, but you just have to find where is the switch, and how to handle it.

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