Creativity - the use of imagination or original ideas to create something (Oxford Languages)
From Creativity comes the term Creative Thinking - a skill that lets you consider things from a fresh perspective and different angles.
Creative thinking or Design thinking has become a buzzword in today`s companies. Every head of a company expects ‘out of the box’ ideas from employees. They are `taught` the skillsets and tools for creative thinking through special workshops.
Creative thinking is not limited to people who are into creative fields or people that have learned `to think creatively.` We do not realise that we as humans are born Creative Thinkers. Unintentionally, creativity gets suppressed in the quest of growing up. The irony is that now all the grown-ups want is the ability to think like a child.
An interesting study was conducted to understand creative thinking ability in children of different age groups. In 1968, George Land (George Land & Beth Jarman, 1992) gave 1,600 five-year-olds a creativity test. This was the same test used by NASA to select innovative engineers and scientists. He re-tested the same children when they were of 10 years of age (1978) and again at 15 years (1983).
98% percent of the five-year-old children solved the test at the genius level. The score came down to 30% percent when the same children were ten years of age. Further down to 12% at 15 years.
Surprisingly, the same test, when given to 280,000 adults, only 2% could reach the genius level.
Click here to Check out George Land`s Ted Talk - The Failure of Success
This study actually suggests that we suppress creative thinking while growing up. So, Why does this happen? There are some obvious issues with our education, social and professional systems resulting in this unlearning process. Let`s explore some possible causes.
1 Social Expectation
The key challenge here is an inherent ability of a person versus social expectations that begins right in childhood and grows further with age. The notion of being always right and ahead of everyone is so engraved into our thinking since childhood that we fear exploring as exploration can go wrong.
2 Fear of failure
The fear of failure is another obstacle to creative thinking that connects to social expectations. We see students that fail or could barely pass the exam as losers. The fear of getting judged by others is built so strongly in us that we want to fit in and be like others to avoid judgment.
3 One correct answer
Education teaches us directional and linear thinking. It teaches us to follow a sequence of steps to reach the final solution. Each question needs to have one answer - that is the basic idea behind most of the learning. Not getting to a definite correct answer is not acceptable. Linear thinking is helpful in a lot of situations. The challenge arises when linear thinking overpowers our thinking process, diminishing more iterative, explorative creative thinking.
4 Unchallenging work environment
Most social and professional set-ups do not tap a person`s underlying potential. They want one type of work done by one person. People are locked into monotonous work and routine, hardly getting time and energy to explore other areas of interest.
5 Putting limit on self
After some time, we get into our comfort zone, limiting our potential to work and routine. We fear getting out of that zone and trying out something new. Putting a limit on our potential and not exploring our interest areas provides a lot of harm to our creative thinking.
`Teaching` creative thinking to grown-ups through a set of tools and techniques might provide a good result for a particular task or a project in an organisation. But are we providing skills that are long-term, resulting in developing creative thinkers, or just creating ideas for a project? Are the people provided the environment fit to nurture that creative thinking further?
Creative thinking is there in all of us. It is a skill that makes us imagine a figure of an elephant or an alien in a floating cloud. It is a skill that makes us appreciate the Paintings of Da Vinci even when we all perceive them differently. We need to nurture this ability, not only during a week of a workshop but everyday, to make creative thinking an integral part of our thinking process. Creative thinking is a habit that makes us evolve into explorative, curious, and creative individuals.
Most of us do not have the time and energy to conduct huge tasks or go through changes to unlock our creative potential. Here are a few small things you can do to unlock your creative thinking in everyday life.
Do not sideline your areas of interest or hobbies. Our interests are part of our inherent potential - who we are as a person. Those are the forms through which we could find ourselves more. Nurturing our interests is equal to nurturing our creative thinking. When we do something we like, we are carefree and happy. That is the key to exploring creative thinking.
Observe your surroundings a bit more. Pause for a while if you observe something interesting - the growth of a plant, the movement of an ant, the colours of a parrot, the patterns created in mud. Keep your senses a bit more active. Feel different textures, and focus on some sounds. Observation makes us aware of the present, making us alert and active. It makes us aware of the variety of inspirations and experiences around us.
Bring some playful elements into your surroundings that can take you away from reality sometimes. Take a break, and get into the world of your imagination. Play - Explore - Imagine - Create without any boundaries. The excitement and fun will follow, nurturing your creative thinking.
References :
George Land`s Ted Talk - The Failure of Success. https://youtu.be/ZfKMq-rYtnc
The Waste of Creative Talents - https://esinakay.wordpress.com/tag/george-lands-creativity-test/
