Creativity is a funny thing. People think that it’s something you’re born with… and if you’re not… your out of luck. Though I agree some folks have creativity overload, I do not agree that if you’re not naturally creative that you cannot be a creative person with great original ideas. Here are some of my thoughts on creativity.
I believe you can pray for creativity. Some folks are born more naturally patient than others… but does that mean the rest of us can’t ask God for patience when we need it? No! God gives us gifts when we need them. Creativity is no different. It’s a gift from a loving God that can be given at a moment’s notice. The key is…
Creativity comes when you put yourself in a situation where you must be creative. Creativity is hard work… even for the naturally creative. It takes time and brain cells. Most folks will settle for less than stellar ideas because it’s easier or because they have other alternatives. It’s easier to look up an object lesson than to create one yourself for instance (not always actually). It’s easier to pay someone to do it rather than risk doing it yourself. When we eliminate all other options… and force ourselves to be creative… that’s when genius comes.
The only difference between a creative person and an uncreative person is how long it takes to create. Have you ever listened to a comedian and really related to what they were saying… but found it hilarious because of the perspective they took on it? It’s one of those moments where you may say to yourself, “That is so true… I just never thought of it that way.” That’s the difference between them and us. They see something… but think it through one or two levels further then we do. It’s almost like we could have come up with that ourselves if we’d sat long enough. Creativity is like that. Naturally creative people come up with ideas pretty fast. Folks who would call themselves uncreative can do the same thing… they will just need to push a little harder and stick with it a little longer. I call it The Third Idea.
It goes like this: The first idea you come up with, you’ve got to assume that it’s the first thing that would come to anyone’s mind. Push yourself to keep thinking. Your second idea is going to be better… but again, anyone who invested just a little time would probably come up with the same thing. The trick is to not fall in love with your ideas an be willing to push yourself through to that third idea. That’s going to be the place where almost no one would go. Truly original and creative ideas start coming through at this point. Try it yourself. You’ll hear folks say, “I would have never thought of that,” and they’re right.
What thoughts and input do you have on this topic? Leave them in the comments!