Creativity can be acquired
The creativity process has always fascinated me and my ideas about what creativity is has changed over the time. I have come to define creativity as something that takes shape when one has self confidence to explore a space of given constraints using your talent(s) applied through self discipline and fearlessness.
If you think about it, most of these ingredients in creativity are acquired and not something you are born with.Today I happened to think back to the time around 2012 when I was working in Halogen. At somebody’s initiative, a 100 days hobby design project was started that was about choosing a theme and carrying out something creative within that theme 100 days in a row, no matter what, without skipping a day. I remember at that point in time, I did not see myself as a creative person but still joined the project with two different themes. One of my chosen themes was to create a small painting with only two colours, without brush and using maximum 5 min no matter what the result may look like. As many as 20 people started on different self-selected themes, but on the 100th day it was only 4 of us who finished. I finished both of my projects.
Until that point in my career, I had perceived myself as a structured and analytic and not creative person. I remember that it was a very proud and turning moment for me where I realized that I am creative. What I really needed was to develop self discipline that in turn provided some confidence to be open to and explore opportunities without fear of failure.Today I happened to think back to the time I was working in Halogen back in 2012–2014. At somebody’s initiative, a 100 days hobby design project was started that was about choosing a theme and carrying out something creative within that theme 100 days in a row, no matter what, without skipping a day. I remember at that point in time, I did not see myself as a creative person but still joined the project with two different themes. One of my chosen themes was to create a small painting with only two colours, without brush and using maximum 5 min no matter what the result may look like. As many as 20 people started on different self-selected themes, but on the 100th day it was only 4 of us who finished. I finished both of my projects.
Until that point in my career, I had perceived myself as a structured and analytic and not creative person. I remember that it was a very proud and turning moment for me where I realised that I can be a creative person. What I really needed was to develop self discipline that in turn provided some confidence to be open to and explore opportunities without fear of failure.