Considering that a good measure of creativity is required to make constructive impact on any endeavour in today's world, it can be upsetting for some that one industry is termed "creative". It appears to disregard the sheer innovation it takes to stay ahead of the pack in all other sectors. To make matters worse, the practitioners in the so-called creative industry look the least serious, the most unruly and apparently lacking in basic discipline. So why call them creative?
Psychologists over time have explained that creativity comes from divergent thinking - a process which factors many possible views to a single problem - as against convergent thinking which employs the use of different rules and principles into arriving at a "single" solution. Convergent thinking is employed mostly by left brain thinkers - the analytic and rational while divergent thinking comes more naturally to the right brain thinkers. Convergent thinking is what the system of education most of us grew by is based on, so the larger percentage of society has picked up skills for what is also known as linear thinking. That is what a good chunk of the white collar jobs are based on too.
Divergent thinking, also known as lateral thinking, is more intuitive and spontaneous. It is often regarded by some as disorganised, to the degree that some of the most innovative solutions produced by this method came about when the mind was distracted from the problem. In fact, creativity is often linked to abstracts including humour, sleep, awareness of the supernatural and triggers such as alcohol and drugs. Some proclivities even show up within that category.
The "creative industry" is one created based on the economic value placed on the input of unconventional jobs - driven largely by lateral thinkers - to the society. To achieve some structure, white collar jobs were created in the industry.
The typical creative industry practitioner is a lateral thinker, and that is not just a problem-solving technique for him; it is the way he approaches life. While his counterparts in other sectors (say finance, for example) see him as scattered and laid-back, he fancies himself as free and expressive! In this industry, it is not unusual to find the combination of different shoes to make a pair, or workspace that's perpetually in a state of apparent chaos. You will find the artist who would rather not comb his hair because it is "naturally beautiful", the young lady who wants all her fingernails to have different colours, or the geek that will pick shorts over trousers any day. But largely, the solutions that they have provided to the problems of our ever-changing world are undeniable.
For optimum performance, every individual requires both lateral and convergent thinking. The skill to know when to switch from one to the other is the distinguishing factor between those who are exceptionally productive and everyone else - knowing when to follow the norms and when to be the trailblazer - is the ultimate wisdom. There are times to follow the training we have received (sometimes through heavy financial and time investments), and there are times to defy the rules for the sake of innovation. Divergent thinkers need to upgrade by adding more conventional processes to their ways of life while linear thinkers need to set themselves loose sometimes.
As we get to the point of intentionally birthing new ideas, the following points should be helpful:
1) You must recognise that there is phenomenal power greater than yours or another's optimum best. Therefore inspiration is not something you make happen, rather it is something you become aware of when subject to a higher power. Your ability to depend on that power determines the extent to which you are creative.
2) Keep your primary work tools perpetually close. If you're an artist, you will be killing creativity you went around without at least carrying paper and pencil to work with when the flow of inspiration comes.
3) Carry with you a vision of the end-product - your desired result - and set a goal before starting. This gives you a direction and helps your subconscious mind to work in that direction.
4) Allow yourself to make mistakes. Things will not always work perfectly the first time. The fear of not getting it right has always been a major obstacle to progress. Get your hands dirty, fail and in that failure learn the invaluable lesson of success.
5) Evaluate your previous performances, celebrate them and improve on them.
6) Find mentors - some persons whose life and/or work you can pattern yours after. If you have a close enough relationship with them you might be able to discuss with them, if not, their work will serve as reference. You can always contrast your work with theirs and identify further working points.
Just as we have different temperaments, each with advantages and disadvantages, and the onus lies on the individual to maximise the positives at the expense of the weak points, so it is with thinking patterns. Each of us should identify where we belong and evaluate the merits, and then pick the advantages the other class has over it. We can all be creative while staying grounded in the principles convergent thinking has taught us, where necessary.
