Demystifying Creativity Tools: Why They Never Seem to Work
We’ve all been there. We’ve all engaged in a google blackhole of “how to be more creative”. They say desperate times, call for desperate measure. My sweet spot is usually right after a quarter review when I feel it is time to rise from the ashes and get my life together.
Typically, what follows is a very expensive trip to the nearest stationary shop, because harnessing your creativity is suddenly an urgent matter. The scavenge hunt is usually concluded with an hour spent in a decluttering/recluttering exercise on your desk and your phone with the new “creativity tools” you found this time. Funky notebooks, mindmaps, brainstorming card games and of course the Spotify playlists and 3 apps that boost your creativity.
I have to give myself some credit because I usually stick with it for a good 3 days before I’m back to my old habits. And the same cycle begins a quarter later.
So what is it about these creativity tools that make them the salvation for some and the periodic agony of others? And why can't we find the one that rules them all?
1. Good News: You are just as creative as the next person
As humans, we are hardwired to be creative. It’s in our DNA. Millions of neuron networks, resulting from years of evolution, are designed to take in different inputs (visual, auditory, sensory etc.) and map out an infinite number of possible outcomes. For a rat, seeing food can only mean one thing. Eat it. For humans, seeing food results in an array of possibilities that includes extracting the dye, cross-breeding and even carving portraits into its’ skin.
At its’ core, creativity is simply being able to form unusual concepts or applications from usual inputs. So give yourself a break, creativity is actually your default state.
2. Somewhat Good News: These tools are actually all scientifically sound
Trust is fickle, especially when it comes with a budget. But don’t lose hope yet, that ‘101 Ways to Be More Creative’ article isn’t a scam. Almost every good resource out there operates similarly. The concept is that creativity correlates to the number of outcomes our neurons are able to derive from a specific input, for example, seeing blue and thinking ocean. In that sense, one way to boost creativity is to increase the number of inputs. Theoretically speaking, the assumption here is that if you see blue while listening to classical music and playing with a fidget cube then you will think, ocean, smurfs and blue cheese. Studies have proven this to be true and have marked the importance of multiple experiences in the creative process.
So far, so good. so why does this almost never work?
3. Not So Good News: Comfort is Creativity’s Kryptonite
With 20–30% of our energy supply being consumed solely by our brains on a daily basis, it is only natural for us to develop ways to minimize that consumption. After all, it is an evolutionary skill. Even with billions of neurons made to drive creativity, over the years, our brains have mastered the art of taking the path of less resistance. Recalling the most familiar course of action. Choosing comfort over ambiguity. This isn’t laziness as much as it is self-preservation. The challenge with harnessing creativity, therefore, isn’t overpopulating our sensing but committing to get off the path of least resistance.
Actively seeking the uncomfortable, knowing that that is the only way to capitalize on the creativity engine we carry around is what our google search left out. Understanding that failure is not a risk but a guarantee in the creative process is key to get yourself off the path of least resistance.
So next time you buckle down to get creative, make sure you commit to getting off the path of least resistance and the failure that comes with it.
