The Process of Creativity and the Art of Sifting the Essential

The Process of Creativity and the Art of Sifting the Essential

Creativity Is a Process, Not an Event. What most people forget, however, is that Newton worked on his ideas about gravity for nearly twenty years until, in 1687, he published his groundbreaking book, The Principia: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. Creative thinking requires our brains to make connections between seemingly unrelated ideas. However, studies show that creative thinking scores have decreased over the years, despite the rise in IQ scores. This suggests that creativity is not solely determined by intelligence but also by other factors.

According to psychology professor Barbara Kerr, genes play a significant role in creativity, accounting for about 22 percent of its variance. However, being in the top 1 percent of intelligence does not guarantee fantastic creativity. Instead, intelligence is a threshold that, once met, allows personality factors to become more predictive of creativity. This means that having a growth mindset and approaching the creative process with a focus on effort, strategies, persistence, and resilience is crucial for nurturing creative skills.

In the workplace, promoting a growth mindset involves praising the process rather than just the outcome. By conveying the values of process, giving feedback, and rewarding engagement in the creative process, individuals are encouraged to step out of their comfort zones and embrace challenges, setbacks, and opportunities for growth.

To enhance creative thinking, it is important to incorporate actionable advice. Firstly, carefully designed constraints can spark creative thinking. By creating a larger surface area for a creative spark to hit, producing a volume of work can lead to increased creative output. Secondly, broadening knowledge by exploring seemingly disparate topics and ideas can stimulate creative connections. As psychologist Robert Epstein suggests, broadening knowledge is beneficial for both psychology and life. Lastly, ensuring adequate sleep and spending time in nature can boost creativity. Sleep deprivation impairs cognitive functions, including creative thinking, while exposure to sunlight and positive emotions broaden our thinking and enhance creative potential.

On the other hand, sifting the essential from the non-essential is crucial for unlocking another level in life and career. Einstein's ability to grasp simplicity amidst clutter allowed him to make groundbreaking discoveries. Often, the constant search for more information is a sign of not truly understanding what matters. Filtering and processing information can be achieved by focusing on understanding basic principles, identifying the variables that will lead to desired outcomes, removing unnecessary clutter, and thinking backwards about what to avoid.