The art of developing creativity: are we all creative?
Is creativity a universal trait?
Is creativity possible for any of us? Yes, it is a pretty dumb question, but it can be all too easy to take on some form of belief that only kids or “artists” or “professionals” can use their minds in truly creative ways.
In one of his sermons, Reverend David Herndon argues, “Some people assume that creativity is a gift, bestowed or withheld by some capricious divinity.
“But I would invite us to consider another point of view, that creativity is a talent widely distributed among human beings, a talent which can be cultivated and developed, if one understands something of how creativity works.”
Born in the unconscious
He quotes three people who know from personal experience about developing creative talent: “Whence and how [my ideas] come, I know not; nor can I force them,” said Mozart. “The role of this unconscious work in mathematical invention appears to me incontestable,” said Poincaire. “Because the thing has already taken form in my mind before I start on it,” said Van Gogh. Leonardo da Vinci also attested to the role of the unconscious..”
Continued in article Creative Ability Development.
Many artists and psychologists acknowledge our shadow side, or unconscious, as a source and power for creativity.
Author David Richo, in his book Shadow Dance: Liberating the Power and Creativity of Your Dark Side, quotes Carl Jung: “The shadow is the negative side of the personality, the sum of all those unpleasant qualities we like to hide, together with the insufficiently developed functions and the contents of the personal unconscious…. [The shadow] also displays a number of good qualities such as normal instincts, appropriate reactions, realistic insights, creative impulses, etc.”
Also see the pages on Depth psychology and The Shadow Self.
Collaboration
Creativity also involves going outside of ourselves.
R. Keith Sawyer, PhD, a leading expert on the science of creativity, says in his article The Hidden Secrets of the Creative Mind that one of our cultural myths about creativity is that of the lone genius.
But, he notes, “Ideas don’t magically appear in a genius’ head from nowhere. They always build on what came before. And collaboration is key. Look at what others in your field are doing. Brainstorm with people in different fields. Research and anecdotal evidence suggest that distant analogies lead to new ideas—like when a heart surgeon bounces things off an architect or a graphic designer.”
Also see more Creativity enhancement articles, as well as many books, quotes and programs on this site on how to nurture creativity growth.
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