Creativity is dead!

Long live creativity!

Like the old monarchs, we need to retire (perhaps forcefully) the idea we currently have about creativity. And institute the reign of a new model!
Creativity is not the problem. The way we think about is.

And what habits can cultivate a good creative muscle?

With the rise of automation, global outsourcing, job descriptions becoming more vague to meet the needs of the ever-shifting job-scape, soft skills are more in-demand than ever. Creativity is one of those skills and without an philosophy degree, it might be tricky to define it and how to improve it. It is definitely worth a shot as it leads to increased ability to innovate, problem-solve and collaborate. All of these are also in-demand soft skills.

The issue lies with how creativity has been defined and mystified over time. Thankfully, due to neuroscience, we can gain some crucial insight into its workings and how to potentially train it.

cre·a·tiv·i·ty (noun): the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.

However, if we define creativity as something more neurologically consistent, we get a very different picture.

How about this...

cre·a·tiv·i·ty (noun): the act of combining current knowledge with memories, in a way that demonstrates your developed skills and preferences.

Much better.

The science shows us to think of creativity less like "you are God", making the world, designing a concept, a system to give rise to said concept, and an aesthetic that will blow minds. The science actually promotes thinking more like a chef. Take existing ideas that serve the purpose that aligns with you and your talents, more like an arrangement.

With that in mind, here are five pieces of advice that may help you innovate and find solutions.

1 - learn as much as possible in the current field you want to be creative in. The more prior exposure to knowledge, the more combinations are possible.

Look at many types of cakes, varying ways of baking, different shapes, etc.

2 - take inspiration from your passions and try combining ideas. Cakes combined with Star Wars equals creative cakes. When we combine our personal interests with a field we are developing skills in, we arrive at results no-one else can get.

3 - try being creative in areas you already have developed skill in. (learn to bake cakes before making Star Wars cakes). You can be creative without developing a skill, however creativity plus a skill always leads to more challenge, pleasure and accomplishment for you personally as well as more appreciation from others.

4 - try be creative when you are tired (myelin sheath, which insulates neurons, is at its thinnest, allowing misfiring neurons to connect patterns you may not have connected, this was a technique the famous painter Salvador Dali used). The idea of Star Wars cakes crosses with a tired state and helps you think of the many variations, some may be nonsense, others may be brilliant.

5 - practice your creativity skill in areas that don't have stakes. The more you 'flex' this neuro-muscle, the stronger it will get. Bake multiple cakes to develop the baking skill, brainstorm different types of cakes to develop that skill.

Creativity is not a problem, the way we think about it is.