Creativity is a uniquely human skill that manifests itself in our lives. Maybe you think it’s something superficial, something that only has to do with bricolage or coloring in mandalas in our free time. However, it is a psychological characteristic without which our advance as a species would have been impossible.
Ask yourself this question: where would our humanity have come from without creativity? After all, what characterizes humanity is a very long process of evolution. Evolution is change after change, the constant arrival of the new. The tireless attempt to reach goals, whatever they might have been, would not be possible without creativity.
As we mentioned at the beginning, we have learned to appreciate, perceive, and enhance creativity in all elements of art and design. What is designed by a designer? Look around: absolutely everything you see. Imagine the creativity and innovation that exist within the very four walls that surround you right now. Creativity is reflected in all aspects of human life.
Basic creativity
Basic creativitySince human beings took our first steps, we have exhibited truly dazzling creativity. Today, inventing a wheel or making a bowl seem like simple actions within the field of engineering or industrial design but, in reality, they are two astonishing inventions that would have been impossible without incredibly advanced brain capacity from Homo sapiens.
There are animals capable of innovation and creativity to an extent: beavers produce forts worthy of the Wild West, ants and birds compete with them in animal architecture. It is almost easier not to stop and think about what animals are capable of doing with what they find around them. But intentionally painting and reproducing things in the way that we do is something that distinguishes human creativity from animal creativity.
Let us affirm it solemnly: the human being became human the moment he picked up a prehistoric brush and created something as innocent as art. It doesn’t matter why or how the cave paintings throughout the world were thought of and executed. It’s difficult to reach a definite conclusion about whether those traces were made for religious, aesthetic or esoteric reasons, but there is no doubt that the cave paintings show the importance of creativity in the evolution of the human species.
Therefore, despite the habit of associating creativity only with art, the truth is that creativity encompasses much more. Hence let’s examine it from a more pragmatic point of view and look at how creativity generates things that are “useful” or “productive.”
But…what is creativity?
But…what is creativity?This may be a good time for you to force your neurons to be creative. Now let’s do an exercise that we call “metacreativity”: we’ll use our creative capacity to create a definition of what we mean by creativity.
Do you think you can do it? Stop reading here and take some time to think about how you define creativity. Don’t worry, it’s not a quantum physics exam, it’s just exercising your brain a little. Beyond how beautiful the word is, consider this question: what is this thing we call creativity?
Here at ifeel, we have also done the exercise. Thus, we understand it as the capacity to generate new material or immaterial results in any context, even if there is no predetermined purpose for doing so. Of course, creativity has an overwhelming number of manifestations in the field of art, but the ability to create, generate, explore, and innovate does not end with artists.
Continuing with our “metacreative” exercise, we come to the conclusion that creativity is generating a material or eliciting a certain behavior. We can also direct our creativity inward, and in fact, there is a close relationship between the concept of creativity and brain activity …What are the processes of synapses (connections between neurons) and brain plasticity but a biological exercise in creativity that takes place every second of our lives?
As you see, creativity is not simply aesthetic: it involves important cognitive processes related to planning, decision-making, and problem-solving. In addition, it is related to our critical capacity to analysis. Furthermore, it is related to the whole field of positive emotions.
The famous technique of brainstorming, generating as many ideas as possible to a question, is a good exercise to encourage creativity. Brainstorms are bright spaces of creativity because they require you to think spontaneously without restricting your flow of answers.
We can also think about the phrase “think outside the box.” When we think outside the box, we go beyond what is already established — the famous comfort zone that you have heard so much about in self-help books and internet tutorials. This bravery allows us to adopt new perspectives, however absurd they may seem at first. Try introducing this new mental habit into your everyday life: surprise yourself with the unknown, amaze yourself with the usual. Your brain is hungry for novelties and will reward you for it.
Beyond the definition
Beyond the definitionSo, what else do we know about creativity? We know that it is wonderful tool that generates satisfaction and a sense of self-efficacy in the people who practice it. A sign of mental flexibility, it helps us to advance. Creativity is the ability to see alternatives responses to a problem.
And here are other characteristics of creativity:
– Creativity can overflow and doesn’t always lead to “useful” results.
– Creativity is trained, practiced, empowering. All human beings have it, not only those who “know how to draw.”
– Creativity, just like talent, can be a double-edged sword.
– Creativity is something that recovers our abilities.
– Creativity is the root of diversity.
– Creativity is the engine that propels us to move when we are not satisfied with something.
In short, creativity is an important quality that you also possess and that, once developed, connects you with your tastes and values. If you embrace your creativity, it can enrich multiple aspects of your daily life and relationships. If you need help to develop it, psychologists can help you: after all, we are here to help you find the best version of yourself.
