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Creativity

5 Surprising Myths About Creativity

Posted by on 09 October 2013
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When it comes to creativity, we tend have a 'you've either
got it or you don't' mentality. We think creativity is innate ' something only
the fortunate are born with. As it turns out, we're wrong.
Contrary to popular belief, no one is born without a
creative bone in his or her body. In other words, we've all got it, but our
personalities play a role in the kind of creative we are. Since many
of us still think of creativity as a special personality, there's a lot about
the phenomenon about which we're misinformed.
"Our creative process is how we see the world and how
we make decisions," David B. Goldstein, artist, researcher, management
consultant and the co-author of "Creative
You: Using Your Personality Type to Thrive"
told The Huffington Post. "There's more than one way to be creative
-- everyone is creative and can be creative in their own way."
Here are five creativity myths, according to Goldstein, that
will hopefully unleash your inner creative genius:
Stepping
"outside of your comfort zone" is the best way to elicit creativity.

"Creativity comes from finding our comfort zone and standing in it,"
Goldstein said. "When we're comfortable and acting in our preferences, we
have the courage to take risks."
When you're not comfortable, you're less likely to take the
risks that could lead to that bright idea. And, our best ideas come in the most
unexpected places - like in the car driving home -where we feel comfortable.
Brainstorming is the best
ways to come up with brilliant ideas
.
Some feel most alive when surrounded by a group of people. But this is not the
case for all - especially the introverted types who experience a sense of draining
when they're around others, Goldstein explained.
Being creative means
being spontaneous.

Some of the most creative works came with a set of plans. In fact, Painter Henri
Matisse constructed all of his paintings before he began. He even wore a suit
and tie while he created - not exactly the splattered, ragged overalls we
associate with artsy folk.
Creative people must
invent something.

Only 30 percent of the population has the personality of the "intuitive
types' like the Einsteins and the Edisons who are big picture thinkers who create
something out of nothing. Goldstein says
these kinds of thinkers are abstract and impractical - they contemplate the
future and solve future problems.
Creativity means
having a finished product.

You don't need to create something worthy of display to be considered creative.
Those with a "perceiver" personality type tend to never see things as
entirely complete, because they're always inspired to add more. "If you're
a perceiver, you prefer endlessly modifying, editing, repainting and revisiting
since there is an unlimited and continuous flow of data to consider,"
Goldstein wrote.

About the Author: Amanda Ciccatelli, Social Media Strategist of the Marketing Division at IIR USA, has a background in digital and print journalism, covering a variety of topics in business strategy, marketing, and technology. Amanda is the Editor at Large for several of IIR's blogs including Next Big Design, Customers 1st, and ProjectWorld and World Congress for Business Analysts, as well as a regular contributor to Front End of Innovation and The Market Research Event blogs. She previously worked at Technology Marketing Corporation as a Web Editor where she wrote breaking news and feature stories in the technology industry. She can be reached at aciccatelli@iirusa.com. Follow her at @AmandaCicc.



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