Debunk myths about creativity

I facilitate corporate teams through idea sessions and often a participant will say to me “Oh, I’m not creative” in a quiet and defeated tone. Although their motive is likely to lower my expectations for their idea output, such a self-defeating statement is often a symptom the person has bought into myths about creativity. Not only is it heartbreaking when people do not allow themselves to explore their own creativity, the reality is this: unless you debunk myths, they become silent barriers to ideas.

I debunk all myths with two statements…

• The creative brain is like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Creative thinking is like running. Do it infrequently and you will huff and puff. (“Oh, I’m not an athlete,” you’ll say.) Do it regularly and the steps will come more easily. Each person’s inherent power as a creative thinker – or an athlete – varies. In either case, you can accelerate your natural ability with training and practice. Scientists say the “brain wiring” that connects neurons (brain cells) determines creative power. Although the number of neurons you have does not increase after birth, the number of “brain wiring” cells increase throughout life, depending on how much the brain “exercises.”
• The creative process is actually a mix of creative, strategic and critical thinking. There are ways for people with different strengths to contribute.

FYI Ten Innovation Myths (Harvard Business Review blog) echo the creativity myths below.

Myth: You can’t teach people how to be more creative.

Sometimes I hear “You can’t teach lightning to strike!” Lightning is an apt metaphor – when an idea pops, it can feel random and electric  – but it fuels the myth that creative thought is mysterious and therefore cannot be taught. To the the contrary, researchers who study the workings of the brain agree that an idea is actually the end result of a natural thinking process that originates in the subconscious mind and that this process can be focused and accelerated. This science is the foundation of all my work; I’ve seen it in action!

In 1926, American psychologist Graham Wallas was the first to publish a four-step creative thinking model – Preparation, Incubation, Illumination and Verification – although Leonardo da Vinci intuitively used a similar model centuries before. In 1953, the six-step Osborn/Parnes Creative Problem Solving (CPS) model was introduced and has since has been taught to thousands of people. CPS advises the user to find… 1) objective, 2) fact, 3) problem, 4) idea, 5) solution and 6) acceptance.

The model I developed, B.I.5 – Breakthrough Ideas in 5 Steps, is parallel to these early models although tailored to the realities of the modern workplace.

Myth: Creativity is measured by artistic ability.

This is a HUGE myth, most often expressed as “(Sigh.) I’m not creative. I can’t even draw  a stick man!” Artistry is just one application of the creative process. Others are: science, technology, medicine, business, education, manufacturing and so on. Dr. Edward de Bono, author of Serious Creativity, said it best: “There is the assumption that creativity belongs in the ‘art world’… this view is so old-fashioned as to be medieval.”

Myth: Creativity is inherited. (Or not.)

Statements such as “I didn’t inherit any creative ability; my brother the writer got it all!” are common. In fact, creative thinking can be improved with training and practice and so is not exclusive to people born of creative or artistic-minded parents. That said, parents with strong creative skills will often model them for their children and pass them on in this way.

Myth: Some people are just “left brain”.

The functions of the two hemispheres are not so easily separated! Both sides of the brain participate in the creative process and this is reflected in “B.I.5 – Breakthrough Ideas in 5 Steps”. The left brain, which commands logic and analytical ability, has a strong role in “define the challenge,” “refine ideas” and “propose solution.” Intuition and imagination, housed in the right brain, play a role in all 5 steps – most identifiably in “generate ideas.” The whole brain approach states that simultaneous use of opposite parts of the brain makes it stronger. Find all steps of B.I.5 explained in a one-page cheatsheet.

Myth: People can’t change the way they think.

There are two parts to this myth because two factors affect the way you think. First, the physical set-up of your brain. Secondly, your thinking behaviours and your willingness to improve them.

The physical: “Patterned thinking” is established in childhood when we are trained to recognize patterns in order to survive and grow. For example, letters and sounds are arranged in patterns to create language. When we learn these patterns, we learn to speak, listen, read and write. Repetition ingrains these patterns into our brain. Although patterned thinking allows us to flourish day-to-day, it hurts idea generation because it limits our thinking to what we already know. Creative thinking tools are designed to mentally knock us out of our well-worn mental tracks through “lateral thinking,” a term coined by Dr. Edward de Bono.

The behavioural: Improving your creative thinking ability requires a change in attitudes and behaviours. First, it means letting go of myths about creative ability. Secondly, it means investing in the creative process. Thirdly, it means nurturing the behaviours that stimulate the creative process and letting go of those that stifle it.

The Conference Board of Canada’s Innovation Skills Profile identifies 60 behaviours that drive innovation process. A focus on risk-taking underscores that a willingness to fail is essential to innovation. A focus on relationship building is a reminder that ideas cannot be created or “sold” or implemented without support from others.