We are all wired differently. Our ways of thinking are very different from one another. The way we perceive things is equally different. This diversity is what essentially makes the world a better place to live and work in. Another thing that differs in people is normally the level of creativity. Creativity is the art of using imagination and tweaking of original ideas to produce artistic work that marvels crowds. It is a very important aspect of human life and has given rise to ideas that have helped make life easier and better. Creativity is characterised by an ability to perceive things in a different way and an ability to make connections between unrelated phenomena. This essentially takes quick thinking an ability to produce viable solutions.
Because creativity is such an important aspect of human life, we all want to hone the skills required to render us creative but this is virtually impossible. It is impossible to make one creative because the actual source or set of skills required to render one creative is not known. The million dollar question therefore is often where creativity comes from. Where does it originate from? Is it an ability that someone is born with? Why do people have varied levels of creativity? Is there anything we can do to enhance our levels of creativity?
Origin of creativity
A lot of studies have been conducted to determine the origin of creativity and means of enhancing it. All these studies and researches seem to be pointing towards a common answer. The studies show that the levels of creativity depend on the IQs of people and their nurturing. It however requires a lot of commitment and passion in whatever we do before we can start getting creative ideas to put into daily use. A study by George Land showed that everyone is born creative but thanks to limiting factors in our societies, we end up being boxed into a cocoon and we learn to be uncreative to blend into the society. By limiting factors I mean education and the standards set in the society. It is somewhat ironical that school is meant to give us knowledge which we need to become creative but in the long run it ends up curtailing our creativity. Society somehow also affects our creativity by castigating some of the creativities especially from the younger generations.
Factors believed to enhance creativity
Studies show that there are various factors that affect the levels of creativity shown by individuals. Here are some of the top factors believed to influence the creativity levels of people;
1. Mastery and knowledge in a field
Truth be told, there is no way you can create something from absolutely nothing. You can never come up with an idea in a field that you have no prior experience in. As stated in the definition, creativity involves tweaking an original idea. You have to have prior knowledge and information in the field before you can come up with a creative idea. Mastery of an art and having abundant amounts of information in a particular field have been found to largely contribute to the creativity of individuals in this fields.
2. Passion and motivation
If you are not passionate about what you are doing, you will never get creative. You will never want to even further your knowledge in the field. If there is no motivation in whatever you are doing, you will never come up with creative ideas. Passionate and self-motivated people have been found to be more creative than those who things for the sake of doing them. When someone is passionate about something, he/she always keeps his mind open to ideas and this is where creativity arises from. The necessity to find better ways of solving problems in life.
3. External factors
The environment where someone is nurtured and brought up is also vital when it comes to the creativity of the said person. The way someone interrelates with what is around him has been found to have a massive influence on the way the person thinks and comes up with ideas. The environment involves the workplace, school, friends hanging around him/her and the levels of exposure. If you live in a place where all you do is play Xbox from morning to dusk, there is a very high chance that your breakthrough creative idea will come in gaming or something related to it.
Can it be learned?
So, now that we have an idea of what influences creativity, we learn it? The answer really is no because we can only do so much towards being creative. Creativity cannot be taught neither can it be passed down generations. It is something that happens in a flash and its results are evident once it is turned into a practical piece that we can see or touch.