In 1666 one of the greatest scientists in the history of science was walking through an area of garden when he shocked by an explosion of brilliance that would transform the entire world. As he sat in the shade of the apple tree the famous scientist Sir Isaac Newton saw an apple drop into the earth. “Why is it that the apple should always fall perpendicularly to the ground?” Newton wondered. “Why is it that it should not be able to be able to go upwards, sideways or sideways all the time, and never return to the center of the earth? It is certain this is because the Earth pulls it. There has to draw power within matter.”

The concept of gravity was created.

The story of the fall of the apple is now one of the most lasting and most famous instances of the moment that is creative. It’s a symbol of the enthralled genius that fills your mind when you are in these “eureka times” when the creative environment is perfect.

The thing that is often forgotten but is that Newton was working on his theories concerning gravity for almost 20 years before, in 1687, he released his most groundbreaking work, The Principia: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. The fall of the apple was the start of a line of thought that would last for a long time.

Newton can’t be the only person to struggle with an amazing idea for a long time. Creativity is a process that is shared by all of us. This article will discuss the science behind creativity examine the conditions that trigger creativity, and which make it difficult, and provide helpful tips for becoming more creative.

The Creative Mind: Destiny or Development?

Our brains are required to connect seemingly disparate thoughts. Does this skill come from something is innate or is it something we acquire by practicing? Let’s examine the research to discover the answer.

in the 60s a researcher in the field of performance called George Land conducted a study of 1600 children who were five years old. 99 percent of children scored within the “highly creative” range. In the 1960s, Dr. Land re-tested each subject over five years in increments of. At the time that these children were just 10 years old the test result was only 30 percent in the range of highly creative. The number fell to 12 percent at age 15 and only 2 percent by the age of 25. When children grew into adults, they were effectively having their imagination sucked out of their minds. According to Dr. Land, “non-creative behavior is taught.”

Similar patterns have also been observed in other studies. One study of 272,599 pupils found that, even though IQ scores have increased from 1990, creativity scores have declined.

It isn’t to say that creativity is 100 % acquired. Genetics do play a role. According to psychologist Barbara Kerr, “approximately 22 percent of variation [in creativityis due to the effect on genes.” The discovery was discovered by studying the different patterns in creativity between groups of twins.

All this to claim that “I’m just not a creative kind of person” is a pretty inadequate excuse to not engage in creativity. Certain people have a higher potential to be imaginative than others. But, almost everyone has a degree of creativity as well. The majority of thinking capabilities are trainable.

Since we now know that the value of creativity and how it can be cultivated we can discuss the reasons behind it and how learning and practice affects the creativity of your employees.

Thinking and Creative Thinking

What do you need to do to let you unleash your creativity?

As I explained in my post about Threshold Theory that being in the top one percent of intelligence does not have any connection with being exceptionally imaginative. You just need to be intelligent (not an expert) and work hard, practice deliberately and perform your exercises.

If you’re able to meet an intelligence threshold that is high, then great creative work is within ability. In the words of scientists who conducted a study in 2013, “we obtained evidence that when the threshold of intelligence is reached, personality traits increase the likelihood of being creative.”

Mindset of Growth Mindset

What is it about these “personality elements” which researchers are talking about in order to boost your creativity?

The most crucial aspects is how you perceive your strengths internal. Particularly, your creativity abilities are greatly influenced by the way you approach your creative process by adopting a fixed-minded or a growth-oriented perspective.

The distinctions between these two types of mindsets are detailed in Carol Dweck’s amazing work, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success ( audiobook).

The fundamental idea is this: when we employ the fixed mental model, we approach tasks as if our skills and capabilities are unchanging and fixed. In a growth-oriented mindset, we are convinced that our skills can be improved through perseverance and training. In reality, we are able to move ourselves in one direction or the other depending on the way we speak about and praise our accomplishments.

Here’s a quick summary of Dweck’s words:

“The self-esteem movement in general was a false assumption that praising talent, intelligence and abilities would boost confidence in self and self-esteem. everything else would be great. However, we’ve discovered that it doesn’t work. People who are highly praised for their ability now stress about what’s next, doing the difficult task and not looking competent, thus tarnishing their reputation of excellence. Instead, they’ll stay in their comfortable zone and become extremely defensive when they encounter defeats.

What should we be praising? The work, the tactics that are a constant source of inspiration, the perseverance and grit that people display and the strength they demonstrate in the face of challenges, the ability to bounce back when things go wrong, and being able to know what they should do next. That’s why I believe that a significant aspect of encouraging a growth mindset at work is to promote these values of process giving feedback, to reward those who participate with the procedure, not just for a positive outcome .”

–Carol Dweck

Creativity and embarrassment

What can we do to apply the mindset of growth to the realm of creativity? According to my personal experience, this all comes to a single factor being willing to look at yourself as a failure when you pursue an activity.

As Dweck affirms that the growth mindset is centered mostly on process rather than the final result. This may be easy to grasp in theory, but difficult to adhere to in the real world. Many people do not want to face the embarrassment or shame that’s often needed to master an entirely new skill.

The list of mistakes you will never be able to recover from is a short one. I believe that most of us recognize this at a certain level. We all know that our lives won’t be destroyed if the novel we wrote doesn’t get published or if we are rejected by a prospective date or forget who we are as we greet them. It’s not always what happens following the event that worries us. The fear of looking silly, being embarrassed or enduring embarrassing moments which prevents our from launching in the first place.

To fully accept the growth mindset and increase your creativity, you must be prepared to act regardless of these emotions that so often sabotage us.

How to be more creative

Assuming you’re willing to undertake the difficult work of facing your own fear and facing the failures, here are few strategies to help you become more imaginative.

Beware of your HTML0. Carefully designed constraints are among the best methods to spark creativity. It is said that Dr. Seuss wrote his most famous book when the author was restricted to only the size of 50 words. Soccer players can develop more intricate abilities in the event that they play on smaller fields. Designers are able to utilize a 3-inch by 5 inches canvas to design better large scale designs. The more we restrict our own capabilities, the more resourceful we become.

Writing further. For nearly three years, I wrote each Monday a new article and every Thursday on JamesClear.com. The longer I adhered to this pattern and the more I realized that I needed writing about twelve standard ideas before I came across an amazing one. In the process of writing a lot in work I carved out an additional surface for an idea to come through me.

Do you not want to share your writing with the world? Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages routine is an excellent method to utilize writing to enhance your writing skills even if you do not have any intentions of writing for other people.

Increase Your knowledge. One of my most effective creative methods is to make myself write about seemingly unrelated subjects and concepts. For instance, I need to think creatively using basketball tactics from the 1980s or the old software for word processing or the zen Buddhist philosophy to explain our everyday behavior. According to the psychologist Robert Epstein, “You’ll do better in your life and in psychology when you expand your understanding.”

Stay asleep longer. In my article about ways to improve your sleep I mentioned research from at the University of Pennsylvania, which showed the profound effects of sleep on mental performance. The most important finding was this the debt from sleep is cumulative. For instance, if you can get just 6 hours of rest each night for two weeks consecutively your physical and mental performance is at the same extent as if you remained awake for the entire duration of 48 hours. Similar to all cognitive functions creativity is significantly affected due to sleep deprivation.

Get outdoors and enjoy Nature. One study tested 56 backpackers on a variety of questions about their creative thinking before and after a four-day backpacking excursion. Researchers found that at the conclusion of the trip, the backpackers had boosted their creative abilities by 50 percent. The research confirms other studies, which have shown that being in the outdoors and getting more exposure to sunlight can boost your level of creative thinking.

Accept positivity. It sounds a little too flimsy for my tastes however, positivity can result in significant enhancements in creativity. Why? The research on positive psychology shown our tendency to see things more clearly when we’re content. This theory, often referred to as The Broaden and Build Theory, allows us to connect the dots between thoughts. However, depression and sadness can lead to limitations and limiting thinking.

Deliver the HTML0. The honest truth is that creating content is laborious. The most effective option is to pick a pace that can maintain and then deliver your regular content. Be committed your time and effort to work according to a timetable. The only way for creativity to become an actual reality is to deliver.

Final thoughts on Creative Thinking

Creativity is a method, it’s not an activity. It’s not a one-time eureka moment. It is necessary to break through mental obstacles and internal blockages. You must be committed to pursuing your craft consistently. You must also stay for a long period of time maybe even for decades as Newton did so that you can see your creativity develop.

The ideas presented in this article present a variety of strategies to help you become more innovative. If you’re looking for more concrete strategies to increase your creativity take a look at my free guide entitled mastering creativity.

Footnotes

Thank you for taking the time to read. You can find more practical ideas from my popular newsletter. Each week, I send 3 ideas I’ve got from me and 2 quotes from other authors and one thought-provoking question. Over 3,000,000 people subscribe. Join us now by entering your email address and join us.

About the Author

James Clear writes about the importance of habits, decision-making and continual improvement. James Clear is the author of the number one New York Times bestseller, Atomic Habits. It has been sold more than 25 million copies around the world in over 60 countries. It has also been translated over 60 languages.