The Psychology Behind Creativity

Be creative is about being comfortable to think differently or act differently.

Creativity seems to be the free flow of life force energy. It is a wellspring we can learn to tap or to un-tap. Everyone possesses a certain level of creativity, but how does creativity manifest itself? We tend to equate artistic with creative and they can go together although not necessarily. Creativity has many faces and creative people have varying profiles. What’s the psychology behind creativity and how to develop creativity via practicing?

Curiosity: The clear manifestation of intellectual curiosity is to ask good questions, the open questions, the profound questions, and the thought-provoking questions to stimulate the art of possibility. How to ask the right questions is not only just the raw intelligence to reflect human’s intellectual curiosity, it becomes the new skills need to be sharpened and focused on. Everyone has a creative potential that can be expressed and unleashed through artistic and scientific exploration, by the realization of something new that may be an idea, a plan, or a new adventure. Albert Einstein wisely said, "Unlearning is more important than learning.” “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” It begins with the existence of a problem that needs solving! "Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” - Edward de Bono

Positive thinking: As the ability to think and produce, creativity requires a certain degree of independence and mental balance, the proper psychological level of positive attitude, inner security, and genuine autonomy. Positive mentality spurs creativity. Creative people always see possibility in the world, when most people only see the way that they have been told. Positivity plus adaptation catalyze creativity. A positive mental attitude can stimulate creativity because the mind is focused on strength, opportunities, and inspired actions. The positive people see the bright side, their mental strength leads them to take risks and develop creativity. They just don't let negative experiences restrict them or scare them away. It’s their positive attitude to overcome the challenge and strengthen their creative competency.

Courage: Creativity requires a certain tolerance for and acceptance of failure, which is more than just risk tolerance, it’s courage. It’s not difficult being creative, it’s difficult for you to be understood by others most of the times. Many people cannot get out of ‘comfort zone” due to fears or doubt, or to put simply, lack of courage. Fear has always been one of the major obstacles to innovation: Fear of failure, fear of uncertainty, or fear of loss of control, etc. Creativity flourishes in solitude. With quiet courage, you can hear your thoughts, you can reach deep within yourself, and you can focus. Connections can be spelled out. Analogies can be noted. Chains of thought that can lead to those inspirations can be told as stories. Be creative is about being comfortable to think differently or act differently, it takes courage.

Creativity is nurtured in solitude and triggered by intuition. It requires to step away from the normal noises, listen to your heart, follow your guts, be curious enough to understand the surroundings and let creative thoughts flow. "A creative one is motivated by the desire to achieve something, not by the desire to beat others" -Ayn Rand

Posted in: Creativity,Innovation