How to Become Creative?

 

Becoming Creative
Don Allen

Introduction. How to become creative? This question is on all minds if only out of curiosity, but specifically on how to do it. In this short note, we identify two main types of creativity. Many types associated with a topic, e.g. digital, educational, art, and science, have detailed interpretations online. We look here at more of a foundational level, as in what’s common with all. Assume there is some problem at hand about which you want to find a solution or an explanation. Very rarely, if ever, does the creative process work spontaneously, rendering up some solution to something about which you are substantially unknowledgeable or unaware. Sometimes, though, it happens when you notice something unusual that you cannot explain. However, this creates a problem, upon which you must focus. Alternate terms for creativity include innovation, inspiration, and intuition.

 

Creativity is not for amateurs, even though folks, me included, are always firing off wild ideas. Not as well known is that creativity must be practiced. Indeed, practice is essential.

 

Associative Creativity. Here we associate two or more seemingly disjoint ideas to bear on the problem. Think of this as jumping from one sandbox to another and using the resources of both to build a new idea, i.e. solution. You have this ability, probably noticing it years ago, when you saw how effective combinations of ideas can be. People may say, “How ever did you come up with that?” Most people who have associative creative abilities are avid readers, interested in many things, and notice everyday similarities between different phenomena across subjects. Even though you may notice a similarity, it may require considerable work to make it into a solution to the problem at hand.

Here you will find thinking for problem-solving, divergent thinking which is thinking broadly, and convergent thinking, often used in decision-making and critical thinking. As well, collaborative thinking is included, as the whole team creates an associative atmosphere. All of these require serious focus.

 

Associative creativity is by far the most common, not to say it’s easy. You can associate memories, experiences, people, subjects, and even other ideas. Isn’t team brainstorming an associative effort to combine thoughts and ideas? Campuses of all sorts are strongly encouraging interdisciplinary research. For most, this is the best we can do, and we’re lucky if we can. Nonetheless, if you can, you are virtually assured success.