Pattern recognition and risk-taking are two essential components of the creative process. To learn new skills and come up with new ideas, it takes a lot of learning, growing, and taking advantage of opportunities.
So, why aren't there more people making things? Part of it stems from a reluctance to take new risks. Anything is possible, and if people can borrow from the bravery and boldness of their younger selves, they will be able to tap into their untapped creative potential.
Nobody has a valid reason to stop learning and growing. There is always the opportunity to learn new skills, which can lead to new opportunities and a better self!
If you only remember one thing from this post, there is a growing online community with plenty of support to keep learning, growing, and sharing your gifts with the world. When you start creating and expressing yourself, your life quickly brightens. Get out of the rat race and start consuming your own supply.
Thanks for the great motivation! I work part time, freelance occasionally (mainly writing ) and am in college to be a paralegal. Getting past the lazy is hard, but I have to remind myself that i am learning and growing!
What a great reminder. It seems that everyone suffers from "writer's block" at one time or another. This is a good reminder to keep going as that is how one learns and grows.
What hit me the most is the quote you shared by Isaac Newton, "Live your life as an Exclamation rather than an Explanation." True, if you think about it. I've been living my life trying to fit into the standards of other people, constantly explaining myself, falling into the status quo. Its about time to break the barrier and surround yourself with the right people. Be in an environment and consume media that pushes you to be better, not the other way around.
Despite their efforts to sell us on the idea that either chaos or order is good, mainstream media would have us believe their answer should be the opposite. In reality, both are necessary and should work together as opposed to one over the other. The reality is, whatever happens, will happen regardless of our intentions. The first thing we need to do is understand what they are selling us; the systems and structures that mainstream media desperately want you to believe in.
I adore the creativity you have exhibited here in explaining the creative process!
You know I just had a conversation that was similar to some of the content in this post the other day. I was speaking with a friend and discussing how I feel like there aren't many things being "invented" nowadays. Creative thinking isn't something that's always been my forte however, I've always had the urge and drive to learn and experience new things. I think understanding now the different types of creative thinking that exist might help fuel me into some new ideas when it comes to my writing. Thanks for sharing this great insight, definitely going to use this as my starting point!
I just had the same conversation not long back with a friend!
Just reading this article feels like I got a little caffeine boost. So inspiring and encouraging. This summer I just feel like I need to do new things and what’s holding me back? Especially now that I’m getting older I feel more secure and making my choices because what do I have to lose? No matter how silly or strange or out of character some of my goals might be I’m going to start them even if it’s just one tiny thing every day. Or maybe it’s just learning about one of my goals or practicing on it a little bit every night. I want to make sure that I’m learning something every day.
Steve Jobs said it best "You've gotta be willing to fail, you've got to be willing to crash and burn.
I have literally found everything I have needed by doing a little research online before starting my entrepreneurial endeavor. Diving in is the hardest part. Once you are in the water everything you need is right there.
Thanks for sharing this Michael
My creativity is processed by a few different aspects of all 3 creative thinking styles. This is a great article to explain the process a bit more
Convergent, divergent and insight! I really appreciate this insightful breakdown into our creative thinking!
Love this, and appreciate all the sources you've cited – very useful for continuing to learn about this topic.
"Chaos and order are both necessary ingredients in the creative process and the answer is in the and, not the or." This resonated with me. I actually write pretty consistently about finding, developing, and cultivating creative inspiration, and I think you're right on the mark here: organized chaos is a beautiful thing. Thank you for this food for thought.
I wish so many modern activities weren't focused on consuming over creating.
I have always been the creative one in my family; with writing, performing, literature, etc. I have been fortunate enough to bring that creativity to my line of work, and I find myself changing and growing all the time. Being creative keeps life from being boring; it allows for new ways of thinking and new ways of finding solutions. The problem with being the creative sort is, not everyone will appreciate it. I've often been accused of being TOO creative and being too much for people to handle. I've faced an incredible amount of rejection, not always polite. I've fallen flat on my face, but I learned from it. The only way to learn is to fail. People are afraid of rejection and failure, that's why they avoid taking chances and being creative. But for myself, it's the only way to be.
When I was working as a manager one of the things that I loved as a hobby was make Quilts. I love taking random pieces of fabric and putting them together to make a beautiful blanket. I was always afraid to do this on my own because I did not think I would be able to make a living or do anything with my talent. I never pursued it until the day I got laid off a couple years ago and that was the push I needed and now it’s my full-time job and I couldn’t be happier. I feel like that is the way of a lot of people. they are afraid of pursuing a passion or talents because of failure I myself experienced that. Now one of the things that I do is I try to encourage others that were in the same position as me. Maybe don’t quit your job right away but you should definitely start off small and don’t be afraid that you will never make it because just like in the article you can’t make an omelette without cracking a few eggs . I hope that I’m showing my children as well to pursue their dreams and not be afraid of failing.
I have grown to be a big perfectionist which has of course hindered me in many aspects of life up until this point. I am actually really glad that I came across this article because I have been working on journaling and understanding my inner child. I also have been trying to find my creative "hotspot" so to say, and in reading this article I actually went and tried the RAT Test as well as the Torrence Test. Turns out that I am a divergent thinker which makes a lot of sense as I reflect onto my young life and how I developed as a person. It shows within my personality as well just how divergent I am, and now that I understand more of how I function I can definitely use it to my advantage. My perfectionism is what has actually bee stifling me all of these years because that rigidity was combating against my free-flowing way of thinking. Great article!
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