Jan 26
Most people think that creativity is reserved for those who work in artistic fields, like design, photography, film-making etc. Creativity refers to the ability to produce original and innovative ideas and solutions, which makes it relevant for all careers.
“You can be creative in math, science, music, dance, cuisine, teaching, running a family, or engineering.” — Sir Ken Robinson, best-selling author and leader international projects in education
No longer something to be desired among a certain set of people, creativity is the most sought after soft skill across all fields, and includes a combination of curiosity, open-mindedness, imagination, and problem-solving skills.
Businesses around the globe are waking up to the importance of creative thinking, and recruiters are now including creative thinking as one of the soft skills they test.
Why is it important to develop creativity to succeed in the new economy?
✨ Creativity fosters innovation:
Dr. George Land, a leading scientist at NASA in the 1960s studied how to measure the creative potential of their rocket scientists and engineers, highlighting the importance of creativity in innovation. Innovation and creativity go hand-in-hand.
✨ Creative enables problem-solving:
Creative thinking allows people to think with greater clarity and enhances critical thinking. Research shows that creative people are the best problem solvers. As people who can think beyond the traditional, linear approach, creative people can approach a problem from all angles, viewing it from a new perspective, and thus come up with different solutions.
✨ Creativity helps you cope with uncertainty:
Creativity not only enhances thinking, but is also known to be a trigger for positive emotions, thus acting as a natural booster for confidence. Creative people can adapt their thinking to changing circumstances, and are thus more capable of dealing with uncertainties that the new economy will throw their way.
So how can you, as a young professional, develop creative thinking skills?
Creativity is a process. It isn’t something that you can learn within a day, or even a month, but it is something that can be acquired over time. You can sign up for a really expensive year-long course, read about it in Sir Ken Robinson’s book, or simply sign up for the Creativity 101 by Adaptiv that will help you improve your creative thinking skills.
