Our ability to be creative comes down to finding a connection between two unrelated things and determining the value that emerges as a result of that new connection.
Put simply, being creative is very similar to what learning is, which is connecting something we know to something we don’t know.
Some questions that often arise around the topic of creativity include:
- Are some people naturally more creative than others?
- Are we born creative or is it something we develop?
- Is creativity genetic?
- Why do some people appear to be more creative than others?
- What makes a person creative?
Some of the beliefs around creativity includes:
- Right-brained people are more creative.
- We’re either creative or we’re not.
- Highly creative people are not normal, maybe even a little weird.
- We can’t all be creative.
While there will always be different ideas or opinions around why some people are more creative than others, the truth is creativity is something that can be developed.
Since I was a young child, I associated being creative to being artistic. I admired people who could sketch, draw or paint beautiful pictures. To this day, I still hate anything to do with drawing pictures, sketching or painting because I never considered myself to be creative.
I’ve now come to recognise that being creative does not just relate to visual arts or artistic disciplines. Creativity is something we apply and use every day.
Why Are Some People More Creative Than Others?
- They have intentionally developed their creativity. Becoming more creative is just like developing another skill. There are practical things we can do to become more creative. Those we consider to be more creative may have dedicated more time to honing a particular skill and reached a higher level of competence.
- They think differently when it comes to being creative. Those who appear to be more creative are more willing to think outside the box. They’re not afraid to try out new things or take new risks. Just being in a creative environment inspires them to do things differently.
- They make time for their creativity. Being creative does not always have to be tied to a goal, project or task. Sometimes creativity is just like a hobby. Creative people spend time doing things because it brings them joy. I don’t spend any time drawing or painting because it does not bring me joy. Therefore, it makes sense that creative people do the things that allows them to express who they are.
- They continuously learn and apply. The process of learning involves entertaining a new idea, acting on that idea and experiencing a new result. The feedback received from achieving the new result is the learning experience. Creative people are more likely to acquire new levels of awareness because of their willingness to apply what they are learning.
- They have a picture of the outcome they want. It should not be a surprise that creative people have an end outcome in mind and work backwards from it. They ask questions like, “What would need to happen to reach my outcome?” or “What are some obvious things that can be done to achieve the outcome I want a lot easier?”
In order to become more creative, we need to identify what we want to be creative in and start spending time doing it. The more time we dedicate to it, the higher our level of competence will be and soon enough, we will consider ourselves to be creative in that thing.
Question: What could be other reasons why some people are more creative than others?
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