The 6 myths about creativity

Many people identify themselves as creative or non-creative. I have always identified as a creative.  

But others that feel they are not I often hear them saying, “I could never do what you do, I am not creative enough" or "I wish I could be more creative."

Creativity is just the use of your imagination to create original ideas and we have all been born with imagination, that means essentially we can all possess creativity.

So how can you develop your creativity? And what have we been taught about creativity that we need to unlearn?  

We dive deeper to dispel some myths with the help of authors Carolyn Gregoire and Scott Barry Kaufman on their popular book - Wired to Create.

Myth 1: I am right-brain so it means I am creative! 

False… Creativity does not require a single region of the brain i.e. Right brain functions. The creative process takes out on the whole brain. We are all in one way wired to produce! 

Myth 2: Daydreaming is a waste of time.

Daydreamers are often labelled space cadets, lazy, having irrelevant thoughts. 

Psychologist Jerome L Singer established daydreaming as normal and indeed widespread. Many people are happy daydreamers who enjoy their inner imagination and fantasy.

Mind wandering consumes 47% of peoples waking hours. As long as it’s done constructively, it can help make the hopes and dreams for the future a reality. 

Allocating time to daydream every day can really help you see past potential obstacles and put yourself in scenarios that help you achieve your goals. 

Myth 3: That knowledge, skills and intelligence are more important than creativity.

Knowledge, skills and intelligence are important, but not enough for true innovation. Being creative requires the balance of skills - the ability to read and memorize. 

Also the ability to relieve oneself from that knowledge and habitual ways of thinking to imagine the possibilities that have never been dreamed of before.

Myth 4: Thomas Eddison’s famous quote that you need “1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” 

Inspiration and effort feed off each other and need one another for creativity to thrive. Realistically, it is more like 50/50 or 60/40.

Myth 5: Creativity requires mental illness or distress.

There are many instances throughout history where suffering has helped with creative expression. Although creative expressions can be highly therapeutic for those who are experiencing hardships it is not required or necessary to undergo to achieve creative genius status. 

Myth 6: That creativity can just be done in a certain way by certain people.

Creativity benefits from the outsider’s mindset, experts may have trouble being flexible and adapting to change because they are so habituated to seeing things in a particular way. For this reason, newcomers to a field are sometimes the ones that innovate and shift paradigms.

A 1997 study by Psych. Dean Keith Simonton revealed that periods of immigration have preceded periods of great creative achievement in diverse cultural contexts. "Immigrants bring new ideas, culture and customs to existing cultural infrastructure, creating more diverse experiences for everyone, thus triggering creative ways of thinking."

Written by Christina Banjo, Founder of Always Create Co.

If you would like to learn more ways in which you can tap into your creative power make sure you subscribe to our website for tips, events, content and resources.