In my graduate classes on creativity and innovation there is a sentiment that keeps recurring. There are many myths about whether or not we are creative. Whether or not we feel creative. Whether we can achieve creative thinking. Therefore, in this post and in the next one we will talk about uncertain creativity myths that we must bust (part 1).
We will start from a very interesting study entitled “The Myths of Creativity” by David Burkus. This work helps to demystify what is behind certain thoughts and beliefs. The study aims to demonstrate that with proper training, anyone can develop new, creative and innovative ideas and processes.
The first step is not to limit our thinking. From there, the aim is to debunk 10 myths about the creative process. Half of them we will see below and we will continue in the next post.
Uncertain creativity myths that we must bust (part 1)
1. Eureka Myth
Sometimes new ideas seem to appear out of nowhere. They simply appear to be a lapse of inspiration. But research associated with the study shows that they are actually the result of previous work on a problem. In reality, associative thinking bears fruit after being incubated in the subconscious before appearing as WOW or Eureka-like innovations.
2. Myth of genes
Many people believe that creative ability is an innate or genetic quality. But, studies show the opposite: there is no such innate or genetic predisposition. Those who are self-confident and work more committed and intensely on a problem or challenge are more likely to reach a creative solution.
3. Myth of originality
There is a great myth about the intellectual property of an idea. It is believed that a creative idea belongs to whoever thought of it first. But both history and empirical research show evidence that new ideas are usually a combination of old ideas and that sharing them helps drive more innovation.
4. Myth of the expert
Many companies don’t rely on an expert or a team of experts to generate creative ideas. But studies show that the most difficult problems need the perspective of an outsider or someone not limited by knowledge about why something can’t be done.
5. Incentive Myth
The expert myth leads to another myth, which argues that the greater the incentives (monetary or otherwise), the greater the motivation and innovative productivity. Incentives can help, but they usually do more harm than help, because people learn to “cheat” the system.
In the next post we will look at 5 other uncertain creativity myths that we must bust.
Photo credit: VG
