7 worst clichés about creativity ... and 5 absolute truths

It's easy to fall into the trap of metaphors and myths surrounding creators. In a trap transmitted to each other misconceptions and statements about what qualities are necessary in order to build. Let's understand how everything is in reality, and how to achieve success in creativity .

1. Everything rests on originality

One of the most serious obstacles in any creative work is the creation of something unique and interesting. A product that can surprise the user or reader. It is difficult to break through the satiated satisfaction of most people.
They cannot but pick and choose - in the digital era, people have already seen everything.

But creativity does not just come up with something unexpected. Sometimes it’s all about revealing what you believe in and writing material that honestly and openly reflects this.

2. Your whole life should be devoted to creativity

For most of us, creating a masterpiece turns into a test simply because we are constantly working. We have a busy service with its long hours and long days that blur and mix with each other. By the time we get home, it seems: switching to something else and giving out at least a drop of creativity is almost impossible.

Does this mean that we are less creative than a college student studying alternative literature who spends 5 hours a day tapping “The Next Great Novel” on an antique typewriter? Not.

Joan Rowling wrote Harry Potter, being a single mother and working in parallel. She just found the time for this .

3. You must be a wizard

There is a cliche regarding artists and writers: they possess mysterious magic. It was entrenched, thanks to creators who insisted that strangeness was their main distinguishing feature, and who looked down upon people who were engaged, for example, in technical work that seemed to require no inspiration.

The truth is that the masterpieces belong to different artists: both accustomed to walking in strict costumes, and those who consider themselves to be half an elf. You can stand on the ground and still create amazing things.

You do not need a letter from Hogwarts to be a creative person. You should just work.

4. If you have a “gift”, everything will be simple

When people, looking at a work of a creative person, say that they would like to have his talent and do the same, in a sense, this depreciates the work of the author, because he, in fact, was not born a writer, artist or musician. And a significant part of his life worked hard to master these skills.

It is unlikely that someone is born, already possessing an innate talent that turns, for example, into selected novelists.

Great creators sacrifice something and go to bed late. And you know what else? The rest may do the same. The idea that creativity is the result of unique giftedness is completely wrong.

5. Genesis of a Tormented Genius

You don't need a drug breaker or an open bottle of JackDaniels to be creative. You do not need to be a recluse, a slightly crazy genius, living in a dilapidated mansion, or an asshole.

You just have to work , and work hard.

The artists and writers who created the Pixar films didn’t do this against the backdrop of self-destructive egoism and scandals. They got up every morning and perceived it as work. And they were able to create some of the most attractive and amazing examples of art of our time.

6. You must wait for inspiration

This article is completed on Sunday at 7 a.m. Do you think the muse visited the author? And if you think about it yet? He is tired, hungry and wants only to return to bed again. At this very moment, a devouring flame does not burn inside it. He writes because it is a work of his own choosing.

There are many artists and other creative people who have abandoned all this because, according to them, the muse has died. This is utter nonsense. To begin with, they never had a muse. What they call inspiration is more correctly considered a stimulus. You do not loiter, expecting motivation , you create it.

Understand: inspiration does exist, and it is the real thing. But if you need it in order to be creative, you will lose it.

7. The Creator is as Good as His Tools

Some creators will tell you that if they only had that guitar pedal, or this synthesizer for $ 1,000, or the latest MacBookPro, they could create something incredible. Or they will say that they will record their music only in an analog studio on a real film.

In fact, the budget of some of the most influential albums in our history was minimal, and the resources for their creation were completely absent. Ever heard of the Ramons band?

If you are a musician, you need a recording instrument and device.
If you are an online writer, you need a laptop and an internet connection.
Everything else is jewelry.

5 absolute truths about creativity

However, not everything depends on the cliché. There are several truths that are true for every creator who works in any field, regardless of who he is or where he is.

1. You must work hard. You have to exhausting, boring, difficult work. Creativity should not and will not be easy.

2. You must be honest. If in your works you lie to the audience, you are deceiving yourself, and this will destroy you.

3. No one should be called a unique snowflake. There are no magical creature creatures. Everyone can be creative, and everyone is capable of creating great things. How? See point 1.

4. You can act as a creator, move as a creator, speak (nonsense), as a creator. But if you do not finish the job, you are just a bummer. Writers write. Creators create.

5. If you wait for inspiration, you will lose a lot of time. Better find a stimulus. And get up already from the couch!

PS We recommend one more article on the topic - The best way to use creativity .

The author of the translation is Vyacheslav Davidenko, founder of MBA Consult .