Why it's a mistake to talk about "divine inspiration"
5 ways to develop your creativity
It's 6:30 PM. I've been standing in front of my fridge for 10 minutes wondering what to cook. Behind me, I can hear my sons telling (or rather shouting at) me "we're hungry"! The pressure is mounting. I look at the ingredients on the shelves again. Suddenly...I know! I've found what I'm going to cook.
No, I haven't changed my activity. I haven't become a cooking coach (and the world thanks me for that). This example is here to illustrate today's topic: creativity or rather, the origin of creativity.
I have always been passionate about this topic. Look around you: all the objects in your daily life were originally just an idea in someone's head! Yes, even something as mundane as a bottle cap.
Whether I'm standing in front of my fridge looking for meal ideas, or in front of my computer writing my book, it's the same process: I have to create something new.
But is it really something new? In other words, does creativity come from nowhere or from experience?
What is creativity?
There are many definitions, but I have chosen this one:
Creativity is the ability to transcend traditional modes of thought or action and to develop new and original ideas, methods, or objects.
I love it because it is complete. It contains all the elements:
ability: creativity is a skill specific to the individual.
transcending traditional modes of thought or action: transcending means going further. It is recognizing the limitations of what already exists and trying to improve it.
developing new and original ideas, methods, or objects: creativity goes beyond imagination because it is about developing. If it is an idea, research must be done to prove it. If it is a new process, it is tried and tested to see if it works. If it is an object, it is built.
Divine intervention or brain mechanism?
Creativity is a very recent concept. It has only been around for 6 or 8 decades. Does that mean there was no creativity before? Of course not! Otherwise, we would all still live in caves and I would be carving on a tablet.
What is new is the study of creativity.
Before, the question was not asked: creativity was a gift from God.
It was not until the 1920s and the advent of psychology that creativity was considered as an individual capacity.
So, what happens in our brain?
Like all skills, the origin of creativity is to be found in our brain. It's about getting the neurons in the right part of the brain to work, over and over again, until what you're doing is well ingrained.
Forget the concept of left brain vs. right brain or the myth that "we only use 10% of our brain." This is pseudoscience.
Yes, there are areas of our brain that have certain functions, but it's the connections between these areas and the subsequent networks they create that are the origin of cognition.
For creativity, there are 3 areas that come into play:
The executive attention network helps you to be attentive and focused
The imagination network allows you to daydream or imagine yourself in someone else's place.
The salience network: basically, it's the one that allows you to remember the shape of a nettle leaf just as you were about to touch it. And an injury avoided!
The more these networks are active in your brain and the more they work together, the more creative you are.
Conclusion: creativity is nothing divine. It is the result of an understanding and analysis of everything we see around us + everything we have already experienced.
I don't know about you, but I find it reassuring because it means that everyone has the resources to be creative. In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell reminds us that even a genius such as Mozart had to work a lot to become really great.
Which brings us to the question ⤵️
How to develop creativity?
The key is knowing how to exercise your creative muscles. Good news: there are plenty of different ways to do that!
Activity #1: Get bored
I know what you're thinking, "all that for this?" But when was the last time you were really bored? If you're like me, you're never just "busy." Your middle name is "busy"! We all have hyper-filled lives lived at breakneck speed. Even our kids don't get bored anymore with their ministerial schedules. And that's too bad. Because boredom is magical. It's the door to new worlds. When we're bored, we daydream, which activates our brain's imagination network. Studies show that boredom stimulates creative thinking and can lead to a whole series of new and creative ideas (and new ways of thinking creatively). So, ready, steady…do nothing!
Activity #2: Schedule some alone time
This technique comes from Julia Cameron, author of the famous book, "The Artist's Way". She recommends scheduling alone time with oneself once a week. It's a block of time that you set aside to step away from work and engage in simple, enjoyable activities that nourish your creative spirit. As she explains, the idea is to "fill" your creativity well with pleasure activities (and I should clarify that grocery shopping is not on the list!).
Activity #3: Change your schedule
Changing things up and working on projects at an unexpected time can help you think differently. In fact, a recent study showed that we are more likely to solve "understanding problems" when we are least alert. So, if you are a morning person, you may be more effective at solving creative problems in the evening. It’s worth trying…
Activity #4: Try something new
Do you write novels? Try writing poems or, even better, do pottery or learn a musical instrument. When you try something new, it can help your brain create new connections and inspire a new form of creativity.
Activity #5: Become a creative machine
This is what James Altucher talks about. He is an author and inventor and his method consists of writing every morning, without fail, between 10 and 20 new ideas. They don't need to be good. They don't need to lead to a great business idea. The only criterion is that they are new and interesting. Simply sitting down and thinking creatively every day helps develop your creativity and become a machine for creative ideas.
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