Creativity Myths
Creativity myths can act as barriers to creativity through their power to shape everyday behavior.
Creativity Myths Include:
- Creativity is mystical, magical and divine
- Only artists are creative and creativity is rare
- Creativity is only for right brained people
- Only creative people have creative ideas
- You can’t learn to be creative
- Only individuals with a high IQ are creative
- Creativity cannot be learned
- Only the young are creative
The Creativity Myths Are Not True Because…
When people convince themselves that such myths are true they act as inhibitors to the creative process.
The above mentioned myths are of course not true because…
- There is no mysticism or magic related to being creative, nor is being creative divine.
- Creativity isn’t rare; research shows that the underlying neurological processes in the brain are actually universal. Creativity is not restricted to artistic types see everyday creativity for examples of how you can apply creativity to your everyday life.
- There is no precise location for creativity in the brain. For full details of creativity and how it relates to the brain see brain creativity.
- Anyone can have creative ideas see the creativity techniques section for methods to improve your ability to produce creative ideas.
- You can learn to be more creative visit creative thinking to kick start this learning process.
- Intelligence correlates with creativity only up to a certain point. If you have enough intelligence to perform your day-to-day work then there is no correlation between intelligence and creativity. Put another way, anyone with an IQ greater than approximately 120 has the same creative ability as the next individual. Musicians, inventors, artists and poets are creative by the nature of their work and there are many famous one who have average intelligence.
- There are many creativity techniques that assist with the creative process. These techniques can be learnt which in turn, when applied will improve your ability to be creative. Almost anyone can learn to be more creative by learning and applying creative techniques.
- Knowledge is more important than age when it comes to creative potential. Creativity can happen as a result of deep knowledge of a subject area. Research shows that it takes seven to ten years to build up deep expertise in a particular field. Expertise in a subject area makes it easier to formulate patterns and new relationships that a novice would be unable to. However strong knowledge of a subject area can also inhibit creativity in that experts in a field find it difficult to think outside the box due to following expected norms / patterns.
Further Reading – The Myths of Creativity: The Truth About How Innovative Companies and People Generate Great Ideas
Please note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
How to get past the most common myths about creativity to design truly innovative strategies We tend to think of creativity in terms reminiscent of the ancient muses: divinely–inspired, unpredictable, and bestowed upon a lucky few. But when our jobs challenge us to be creative on demand, we must develop novel, useful ideas that will keep our organizations competitive.
The Myths of Creativity demystifies the processes that drive innovation. Based on the latest research into how creative individuals and firms succeed, David Burkus highlights the mistaken ideas that hold us back and shows us how anyone can embrace a practical approach, grounded in reality, to finding the best new ideas, projects, processes, and programs.
Answers questions such as: What causes us to be creative in one moment and void in the next? What makes someone more or less creative than his or her peers? Where do our flashes of creative insight come from, and how can we generate more of them?
Debunks 10 common myths, including: the Eureka Myth; the Lone Creator Myth; the Incentive Myth; and The Brainstorming Myth Written by David Burkus, founder of popular leadership blog LDRLB For anyone who struggles with creativity, or who makes excuses for delaying the work of innovation, The Myths of Creativity will help you overcome your obstacles to finding new ideas. Please note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
