Opinion | Creativity Is a Process, Not an Event

It is widely believed that creativity is a spark that comes suddenly and mysteriously out of thin air. Inspiration is thought to be that moment in time when everything comes together to form an entirely new idea. However, creativity can be seen more as a system that gradually evolves with time. This system involves analyzing, experimenting, changing and improving on what we have done. No good idea presented in anything such as writing, painting, business, and even science ever came about without hard work. Inspiration does not just happen. In most cases, it is an outcome of all that you have learned before, and creativity does not happen instantly either. You do not wake up one morning to find yourself creative. Instead, you develop yourself and nurture your skills to make yourself creative. Seeing creativity as a process relieves you from the burden of creating the perfect idea instantly.

The process of creativity is always gradual, although you may not always be aware of that. Typically, it begins with observing, which involves gathering thoughts around the environment, experience, and knowledge. Next comes the thought phase, in which you make connections between bits of information within yourself. There is then the phase of experimentation in which you implement your thoughts into physical form. This is often done in its incomplete form. Most people quit while still in the thought phase because of the need for clarity of thought. In reality, however, clarity only emerges with action and never before. When you start writing, drawing, designing, or planning, it means that your thoughts are taking some shape. Making mistakes is part of the creative process. They play a crucial role in enhancing direction and providing more clarity of thought.

Creative practice heavily depends on daily habits. It is impossible to wait for inspiration and get reliable results. In order to be able to be creative, one should develop routines that will enhance both his or her thinking process and expressing his or her thoughts. For instance, writing on a daily basis, reading various literature, watching people, or being in silence alone will help in boosting creativity. Such practices help train your mind so that it could observe details and establish associations between different things. Creativity will increase if you let yourself experiment. In fact, many people restrict themselves due to their attempt to create something perfect at once. What one should do is create drafts and edit them later. By doing this, you will get rid of hesitations and become more confident. Moreover, such practices will help in developing mental flexibility.

Overthinking is another major barrier to creativity. People procrastinate their work due to their fear of being judged or criticized. As a result, they end up having incomplete and underdeveloped ideas. Comparison is another hurdle to creativity. When people constantly compare their work with other peoples’ work, they might feel that what they do is inferior. In this case, they do not experiment with anything but rather become stuck in one spot. Creativity requires freedom, which cannot exist under constant judgment. People tend to wait for the perfect conditions in order to create something amazing, but there will never be such a thing. It is better to just start working regardless and keep improving along the way. It can even be as easy as writing an initial draft of something or drawing an outline of it.

The environment is yet another factor that can influence one’s creativity significantly. The presence of numerous distractions can make it difficult for you to concentrate on your work and think clearly. At the same time, an environment free of disturbances will help you focus on the task at hand more easily. However, one cannot simply confine the meaning of environment to the physical setting where one creates something; it is a much broader notion and may be defined as consisting of the people one talks to and the content he or she consumes. Engaging in a discussion with a reasonable person will enable you to get a new point of view. Reading different books will also widen your spectrum of thoughts. A little break from the computer will help you clear your mind too. Tools used may play an important role too; however, it will still depend on your mindset.

Creativity is not an event that determines your creativity quotient. It is a process that keeps developing with time. Each new idea you have passes through various phases, from conception to implementation. As soon as you realize that fact, you no longer strive for quick fixes but rather concentrate on gradual advancement. In doing so, you make creativity manageable and not stressful anymore. Your perspective changes – instead of striving for perfect solutions, you appreciate each step towards improvement, no matter how minor it seems. Gradually, your self-confidence will grow since you become able to observe yourself in action and notice each accomplishment. This way, creativity will become an integral part of your life, rather than an exception. You will learn to exercise it on a regular basis instead of waiting for it to strike once in a blue moon.

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