Unlocking Creativity: A Case for Embracing Ignorance.

Cam Ferrin
Jul 20, 2017 · 5 min read

It should not surprise anyone to hear that in 2017 human beings have at their fingertips more information than ever in the history of the world. That is, after all, why this chapter of life is referred to as the Information Age. Or Digital Age. Or Computer Age. Or Media Age. Pick you poison. The point is there is absolutely no reason not to be incredibly well informed basically all the time. No matter what nuggets of knowledge you may seek there is a treasure trove of content ready for your consumption. And if you’re not actively trying to stay in the know you are likely at odds with your smart phone, battling the onslaught of notifications you are served on a minute-by-minute basis pestering you with breaking news, available app updates, new episodes of your favorite podcast and a FOMO-fueled alert not to miss your brother-in-law who has apparently just gone “Live.”

Hey, I never said all information was good information!

In fact, I think the quest to be our smartest, most well-read, most quotable, most connected, most earliest adopting selves could be doing more harm than good. If you ever heard your mother profess her concern that you would “eat her out of house and home,” allow me to do you one better. Something for the Information Age: you are thinking us out of creativity!

Now listen, I love Ira Glass and Malcom Gladwell and all the other scholastic sex symbols as much as the next 30-something, bearded strategist! But to quote The Gambler, “you gotta know when to fold ‘em.” It’s easy to overlook a phenomenon like this when the demands of modern work keep so many people squarely in survival mode Monday through Friday. But I feel confident I am seeing this problem with fresh eyes.

I recently returned from a generous Silicon Valley-esque paternity leave where I had the privilege of completely washing my hands of all professional responsibility and basking in the glory of pure, unadulterated family time. It was a period of balance, reflection and terrible dad jokes. But it was during this season of mental clarity that I gleaned valuable insights on operating from a place of unfamiliarity and even ignorance. A great deal of both art and science go into preserving the order of one’s home and I spent 10 weeks as the least knowledgeable and most uninformed person in my immediate universe. Suddenly I sort of related to all those doofus-dad commercials where grown ass men are at home revving blenders without lids and tracking suspicious amounts of mud through otherwise spotless living rooms. But in the process I uncovered what I think is an interesting case for abandoning the pursuit of all-encompassing professorial wisdom and simply following your instincts.

Knowledge dismantles your ambition

We’ve all been there. Boom! Lightning strikes. Or for you maybe it was more of a lightbulb. Either way, if you’ve ever been hit by a great idea and felt unbridled creativity coursing through your veins, if even for a moment, you know the sensation is electric. But if you’re like most people you also know that the feeling can fade just as fast. Inside each of us is not only inherent creativity but also innate cynicism that leverages everything we know to launch a compelling counterattack against our creative ambitions. Knowledge, experience and opinions are the cinderblocks of which great walls are built to separate brilliant, vibrant creativity from the outside world. Often times, the less we know — or at least the less we think — the better. Don’t let the stuff you think you know squash the things that could be before they have a chance to breathe fresh air, stretch their legs a bit and really develop.

Knowledge shackles you to the past

Think about the things you know. Anything really, so long as it is factually true. How do you know it? Chances are because it happened in the past. That’s the tricky thing about knowledge, it keeps you looking in the rear view mirror. Which makes it tough to move forward. And that’s what creativity is all about! Progress. Innovation. Disruption. Or perhaps just the thrill of making something that is nothing like anything else in the world. But it is not easy! Creative ideas are born wild and unwieldy and unclear. The instinctual reaction to facing a feral creation of the mind is to seek safety beneath the shelter of what has already been done. Fight it. It is one thing to find inspiration in the creativity of others but quite another to measure the merits of your own creative prowess based on the success or failure of ideas from years gone by. The past holds many great treasures but your own personal creativity is not one of them.

Knowledge erodes flexibility

When it comes to creativity there are really no rules. If you can dream it, you can achieve it. At least I think I read that on a motivational poster once. And what I took away from that poster was that creativity is fluid. Amorphous. It occupies the sprawling gray area between black and white that few people have the wherewithal or bravery to traverse. And therein lies the danger of knowledge as a filter for the creative process — its implied sense of right and wrong introduces a certain rigidity that feels completely unnatural. From the time we started school through to our careers as adults we have been conditioned to believe that there is a correct answer in every scenario. This sort of institutional learning has led us to believe that a mistake is the worst possible thing you can make. Don’t believe the stigma? Ask Sir Ken! The best thing knowledge can do for you is get you to “correct.” And don’t get me wrong, there is real, tangible value in that in certain situations. But knowledge will never get you to “new.” And that’s when creativity is at its best. So break stuff. Be a bit reckless. In order to be creative you must be comfortable making mistakes. Or even better, forget what you know and completely abandon the concept of right and wrong altogether.

Far too few people in the world, despite their incredible talents and perspective, consider themselves creative. To speak plainly, its tragic. We all have creativity inside of us but it takes many forms. Think of all the incredible things that may never be because someone didn’t feel creatively validated by their job title or the opinions of those around them.

Embrace your inner creative intuition. Be bold. Be brave. And please, get out of your head and stop thinking your creativity to death!

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A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world | Associate Partner at TwentyFirstCenturyBrand | Previously Dropbox & Airbnb | These are my thoughts

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