The Nature of Creativity — Part 2
Everyone is Creative
As promised in last week’s post, I am going to build on my six foundational premises regarding creativity. (please read it if you haven’t yet done so) Here we go.
Here’s a reminder of that first foundational premise:
All humans are creative — without exception. Creativity is innate to humanity, and is an important part of our humanity. To begin a running metaphor: Creativity is to humanity, as water is to ocean. Ocean would not be recognisable as such without water. In fact, ocean would not be ocean at all without water. However, while water is necessary to ocean, ocean is so much more than just water. In the same way, humanity is greater than creativity, but creativity is necessary to humanity. Many people do not practise or develop their innate creativity, because they believe that they are not creative. This is usually because they were told, during childhood, that they were not creative. That misinformation often proceeds from my next premise.
“BUT I’M NOT CREATIVE!”
More often than not, this is the response I get when I say that everyone is creative. While I totally disagree with this response, I can also completely understand it. In fact, twenty or so years ago, I would probably have responded similarly.
During my many years of studying creativity, I’ve discovered the following universal facts.
- Most people believe that they are not creative
- The reasons for this mistaken belief are, in spite of differences in gender, race, creed, culture, education, or economics, as universal as the belief itself.
Here are four of the most common reasons that people believe that they are not creative:
Reason #1 — You Can’t Sing
With only a very few exceptions, young children cannot sing in tune. This is simply a physical limitation, caused by developing vocal chords. Unfortunately, this is the age at which most people are told that they cannot sing, or that they must be tone-deaf. That message, relating, as it does, to possibly the most basic form of art and creativity, is carried strongly into later life.
In this regard, I was more fortunate than most. I was one of the tiny minority who could always hold a tune. My father was also an exceptional singer, who encouraged my singing.
For most people, this is their primary non-creative message.
Reason #2 — You’re A Bad Artist
This message is usually received when you’re slightly, but not very much, older. While it can sometimes be more subtle, it still scars very deeply.
At some point in your childhood, you begin to realise that your parents are no longer very impressed by your artistic projects. Your art is more likely to be “put in a safe place”, than displayed proudly around the house. Your parents begin to encourage you to focus on alternate endeavours, such as academics, sports, and friends. You might even overhear them laughing and joking about not being able to recognise your artistic subject matter.
However it happens, you get the message loud and clear, and you alter your focus accordingly. Art, and thus creativity, acquires a negative tinge.
In my case, my mother, in trying to caringly shield me from disappointment, unwittingly shared her own lack of creative confidence.
“Your dad and I aren’t artistic, so don’t expect too much of yourself artistically.”
Actually, she was incredibly artistic, but that’s another story.
Kids are still developing their fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and observational skills. That is the main reason that their drawings often don’t meet adult expectation. Once again, criticism (even with the best of intentions) for something that cannot be helped, sends a negative, destructive, life-altering message.
Reason #3 — Educational Reinforcement
As you get older, all of these non-creative messages are consciously and unconsciously reinforced. The arts are seldom a top priority at school — at least, not in the same way as “real” subjects are important. The message is clear, the arts, and all creativity by association, might make a great hobby, but won’t help you to earn a living. So, art/creativity is not really important.
Reason #4 — You’re Over-Imaginative
Do you remember how wonderfully vivid and active your imagination was when you were a child?
As a young child, I was, what may now be recognised as, a highly sensitive child. I battled to make friends, and was bullied constantly, from day one to well into high school. I hated school.
Half-way through my second year of school, I moved from a tiny, small-town school to a large, big-city school. I began to make up highly imaginative stories, in which I was the hero. In hindsight, I was using my imagination in an attempt to cope with real life. When peers, teachers, and parents heard, or read (yes, even then, at 7-years old, I wrote) these stories, I was branded a liar, and punished. I got the message very clearly. Imagination is bad.
As a slightly older child, I dreamed of, and designed (in my head and on paper) mini submarines, go-carts, and all kinds of other gadgetry. Whether any of them would have worked as designed, I don’t know, and is beside the point. The clear message from my parents, was that we didn’t have money for such foolishness. The message from my peers was even more brutally clear; I was ridiculous, an idiot, and an object of ridicule.
Overall, the message could not have been clearer. Using one’s imagination is dangerous, wrong, and strongly discouraged.
I’m sure that by now, most of you will have recognised, or been reminded of your own non-creative messages, even if they differed slightly from the examples I’ve given.
Everyone Is Creative (potentially)
Society’s dominant message is that most of us are not creative. So, why do I believe that creativity is an innate part of human nature?
Firstly, I define creativity a little differently to most. For now, suffice to say that creativity is much more than art, and much more than imagination. Creativity, or it’s lack, impacts every area of our lives, without exception. I’ll deal with this in more depth later in this series.
Secondly, my view of creativity is inseparable from my view of humanity. I firmly believe that creativity, or at least the potential for creativity, is an innate, defining aspect of humanity, both individually and corporately. If we deny our creativity, we deny a vital part of our humanity.
I believe that people are a creative expression of the most creative being — God, if you will. I believe that we were/are created by a creative being, to be creative.
At this point, let me insert a strong word of caution. Don’t confuse me with any variety of fundamentalist creationist. I do not believe that creation and evolution are exclusionary beliefs. Nor do I subscribe to any of the other mumbo-jumbo that populates arguments from either side of this topic.
While my personal views on universal origins have been called heretical by some, and dismissed by others as fairy tales, they aren’t vital to my reasoning in this instance. They are merely one small aspect of why I believe in universal human creativity. (maybe I’ll write a post on them some day)
While it is convenient to claim that we are made “in the image” of a creative God, one does not need to rely on any such belief to fill one’s bag with strong evidence for universal creativity. This is true as long as one remembers three things:
- Creativity is much more than art, but can be expressed through art.
- Creativity is much more than imagination, but makes use of imagination.
- Creativity requires that something be made/created. (destruction is the polar opposite of creativity)
With that in mind, human evolution, whatever your viewpoint, offers masses of evidence for universal human creativity. After all, we are the tool-using “apes” — the “apes” that make things — the “apes” that create. In terms of human evolution, creativity is the element that separates us from all other creatures.
Early humans constantly imagined better ways of doing things, and then created what was necessary. This was true for every aspect of life. In this, they were no different to us.
These early ancestors figured out how to make and control fire, and how to tan hides so that they’d last longer. They figured out that some rocks, the same ones that they used to start fires, could form sharp cutting edges, and be used as tools. Flint-napping was probably the first specialised craft — i.e. the oldest profession. Our forebears moved from sheltering in caves, to figuring out how to build permanent, temporary and even movable, reusable shelters.
Early hunters, realised that a spear could make hunting easier, safer, and more effective. Then they figured out how to make spears, spear-throwers (ahtlatl), slings, and bows & arrows.
Closer to hearth and home, people creatively responded to the need to store food, and transport water by hollowing out gourds, inventing pottery, and figuring out how to weave watertight baskets.
All of this barely scratches the surface of the creative thinking and action required for humanity to go from non-tool-using hominids, to where we find ourselves today. At one time, all of these things were completely unimagined, and sprang solely from human imagination and creativity.
This display of persistent universal creativity is unquestionably the strongest evidence for universal human creativity. We are all creative beings, and have been since time immemorial.
Even destruction, the other hallmark of the human race, is just the polar opposite, the dark face, of creativity. (more on this later in the series)
There is so much more that I could say about universal human creativity, and I no doubt will do so in the future. However, I don’t want this post to get too long. I’m sure you’ve all got what I’m trying to say by now.
If you are reading this, and you are human — and I certainly hope that you can make that claim — then you are creative. Or maybe, I should say that you have the potential, the ability to be creative.
Unfortunately, our upbringing within our society, has taught most of us to deny imagination and the creativity that should flow from it. I challenge you all, as I daily challenge myself, to own, rediscover, and practice your innate creativity in all areas of your life.
Remember, creativity is all about making something. So, build yourself up, and then build relationships with others. Make something, anything. Plant a garden, start a craft, paint your house, learn something new, or find a better way to do your job. Within creativity, the possibilities are endless.
