Creativity does not require genius

Based upon an independent survey of advertising and marketing executives, which was reported in USA Today, there are three common misperceptions about creativity:

• That the time of day when people tend to be the most creative is at night,
• That the common causes of creative block are lack of inspiration and concentration, and
• That the best way to prevent creative block and keep ideas flowing is to focus harder on the task at hand and talk to others to gain their perspectives.

The truth of the matter is that most people are more creative in the morning. Most of us do not work better under a tight deadline. And taking a break is the best way to avoid creative blocks.

Notice I said most people. Everyone is different. Beethoven poured cold water over his head when he sat down to compose music, believing that it stimulated his brain’s creative process. And no one ever doubted his creative genius.

In my case, I’m sharpest in the morning after a good night’s sleep, or when I’m exercising. But ideas hit me at all times during the day and night. That’s why I always carry a pen and paper with me, or make a voice recording if I can’t take time to write. If I get an idea during the night, I have a pad of paper and pen on my nightstand, and I get up and write it down. Sometimes I even check my phone messages to jar my memory in the morning. I don’t trust it to memory alone. I hate to waste an idea, even if it doesn’t turn out to be great when exposed to the light of day.

One of my favorite cartoons in the New Yorker magazine showed two assistants preparing for a sales meeting in a conference room. One says to the other, “And don’t forget the little pads in case one of them has an idea.”

Like many people, I don’t think well when I’m hurried or under pressure. I tend to go a mile a minute, but I think better when I’m relaxed. Did you know that some truly creative people spend their most productive time looking out the window? They are thinking. It’s one of the most important things we do.

Every one of us can become more creative, and we can help each other learn how. When I speak to groups, I give them this lesson: If I give you a dollar and you give me a dollar, we each have one dollar. But if I give you an idea and you give me an idea, we each have two ideas.

Thomas Edison, who was awarded more than 1,000 patents, was a prime example. He said, “The ideas I use are mostly the ideas of other people who don’t develop them themselves.”

Edison visited Luther Burbank, the famed horticulturist, who invited everyone who visited his home to sign the guest book. Each line in the book had a space for the guest’s name, address, and special interests. When Edison signed the book, in the space marked “Interested in,” he wrote “Everything!”

That was an understatement. In his lifetime, Edison invented the incandescent light, the phonograph, the hideaway bed, wax paper, underground electrical wires, an electric railway car, the light socket and light switch, a method for making synthetic rubber from goldenrod plants, and the motion picture camera. He also founded the first electric company.

Edison refused to let his creativity be stifled. He was curious about everything. See a connection?

“Ideas are somewhat like babies,” said the late management guru Peter Drucker. “They are born small, immature, and shapeless. They are promise rather than fulfillment. The creative manager asks, ‘What would be needed to make this embryonic, half-baked, foolish idea into something that makes sense, that is feasible, that is an opportunity for us?’”

I like that thinking. It validates all my little scraps of paper and two-word dictations, among which are my best ideas in infant form. Developing them and watching them grow, seeing where they go from a little seed—and seeing what other bright ideas grow right along with them—that’s what gets my creative juices flowing.

Cultivate creativity to grow success

Paul was majoring in zoology at college. One semester he took a course in the study of birds—ornithology. For the final exam, Paul studied until he had the textbook nearly memorized. He knew his class notes backward and forward. He was eager to take the exam, certain of getting a good grade.

The morning of the exam, Paul took a seat in the front row of the big auditorium where the class was held. Over 100 students were in the class with him. On a table at the front was a row of 10 stuffed birds, each one with a sack covering its body so that only the legs were visible.

The professor announced, “For this test, which counts for 80 percent of your final grade, I want you to identify each bird up here by its legs, and then discuss its species, natural habitat, and mating patterns. You may begin.”

Paul stared at the birds. All the legs looked the same to him. After spending half the exam period in growing frustration as he tried to determine which bird was which, he picked up his exam and threw it on the professor’s desk.

“This is ridiculous!” he shouted. “I studied the textbook and my notes all night, and now you’re asking me to name these birds by looking at their legs? Forget it!”

The professor picked up the exam booklet and saw that it was blank. “What’s your name, young man?”

With that, Paul yanked one leg of his pants up. “Why don’t you tell me?”

Paul’s response probably didn’t earn him a passing grade, although I must admit, I admire his creativity!

“Creativity is a great motivator because it makes people interested in what they are doing. Creativity gives hope that there can be a worthwhile idea,” said English psychologist Edward de Bono. “Creativity gives the possibility of some sort of achievement to everyone. Creativity makes life more interesting.”

Everyone is born with the ability to be creative, but some people seem to lose it as they grow older, whereas others are better at accessing their creativity throughout their lives. Studies show that there is no correlation between IQ and creativity.

Here’s how to regain or retain your creative spark:

• Be aware of what’s going on around you. Just as a scientist needs to analyze all available facts and every bit of research, you need to stay on top of current business trends. Learn from other people’s ideas and mistakes.
• Explore. Examine all of your options and alternatives, no matter how far-fetched they may seem at first. Don’t rule anything out as you look for solutions and new approaches.
• Be courageous. You’ve got to be fearless and not worry about what others may think. Don’t try to be like everyone else. Take your own approach, whatever you’re doing. Prepare to accept some criticism, but don’t take it personally.
• Rely on your instincts. As you assimilate the information around you and assess the possibilities, factor in your instincts to come up with creative solutions. As legendary film director Frank Capra said, “A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.”
• Assess your options. Sort your ideas into categories, and rank them. Try combining ideas, and eliminate any that don’t fit what you’re looking for.
• Be realistic. Step back and evaluate how your idea or solution is likely to play out in the real world. Look at the upside, but consider the downside as well. Not all great ideas will work, but they may lead to other solutions.
• Stick with it. You need to be persistent if you want to achieve anything significant. A novel takes a long time to write; a successful business may take years to build. Keep a detailed picture of the intended result in your mind to help you stay focused and move forward.
• Be patient. You can’t hurry creativity, so take time to ponder your ideas. Sit back and take time to think things over. That’s usually how the best ideas bloom.
• Evaluate the results. At the end of the process, ask yourself: Has my vision been realized? Learn from what works and what fails so you can move on to your next project.

Creativity isn’t just a process. It’s a value. If you value success, get creative!

Imagination is the fuel for success

Take a close look at the back of a dollar bill. On the left side is a pyramid, with an eye at the top. Over the pyramid is the Latin inscription “annuit coeptis.” It means: “Providence has favored our undertakings.”

The pyramid symbolizes the strength of the union of the states. The top of the pyramid is unfinished, meaning there is still work to be done to make our system even better. The eye stands for the all-seeing God, Supreme Builder of the Universe. Benjamin Franklin chose this motto because he believed imagination was the singular characteristic of the people he helped to forge into a new nation. I think Ben Franklin would be pleasantly surprised where imagination got this great nation.

Earl Nightingale, one of the pioneers of the motivational movement, said, “The most interesting people are the people with the most interesting pictures in their minds.” I’m always fascinated listening to people who see the world through a different lens. Most of us have ideas of what we’d like to change, but not necessarily the vision to make it happen. People who can clear the negative clutter from problems will always be successful.

The famous inventor Thomas Edison used to say his deafness was his greatest blessing, because it saved him from having to listen to reasons why things couldn’t be done.

Curtis Carlson, founder of the Carlson Companies and one of my mentors, spent his life building and expanding. When asked what personal qualities contributed to the building of his successful empire, Curt responded, “I think my success is the result of my ability to see and to imagine how things can be. I’m not distracted by how things are.”

It’s never too late to develop your imagination, although I believe that the longer you suppress it, the more challenging it will be. Consider this lesson that was shared by Gordon McKenzie, a well-known creative force at Hallmark Cards.

McKenzie often visited schools to talk about his work. He usually introduced himself as an artist, and then would ask the students, “How many of you are artists?”

In kindergarten and first grade, almost every hand was enthusiastically raised. In second-grade classrooms, about three-fourths of the children would raise their hands, but not as eagerly. Just a few third-graders admitted their artistic talent. By the time he interviewed the sixth-graders, he said not one of them raised a hand. They thought being an artist was “uncool.” (My guess is that Curt Carlson was one of those kids who didn’t mind being “uncool.”)

So if we want to cultivate creativity and imagination, a good place to start is with children. Children don’t recognize limits on possibilities and are open to trying all kinds of solutions. They look through that different lens, that is, until we train them to focus on the practical. We would do well to learn from them that there is rarely just one way to get a job done.

A friend shared a story from the NewsOK website about two parents working on their Christmas cards with their six-year-old son. The son’s job was to lick the stamps (back before self-adhesive stamps were available). But the little boy balked because he didn’t like the taste of the glue on the stamps. His parents prevailed and, reluctantly, he went to his room to finish his assignment.

Before long, he emerged from his room with a big smile on his face and handed his father the pile. Every envelope was stamped. His stunned father said, “But I thought you didn’t like the way the stamps tasted when you licked them!”

“Yeah, that was yucky,” the son replied. “So I just licked the envelopes and then stuck the stamps on.”

Of course, I love a good story about envelopes!

From Napoleon Hill’s famous book Law of Success comes this summarizing thought: “Just as the oak tree develops from the germ that lies in the acorn, and the bird develops from the germ that lies asleep in the egg, so will your material achievements grow out of the organized plans that you create in your imagination. First comes the thought; then organization of that thought into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.”