Page 127 - Keys To Community College Success

There are many ways to define creativity. Here are a few to ponder:

■ Combining existing elements in an innovative way to create a new purpose or
result (using a weak adhesive to mark pages in a book, a 3M scientist created
Post-it notes).
■ Generating new ideas from looking at how things are related (noting what ladybugs
eat inspired organic farmers to bring them in to consume crop-destroying aphids). 9
■ The ability to make unusual connections—to view information in quirky ways
that bring about unique results (after examining how burrs stuck to his dog’s fur
after a walk in the woods, the inventor of Velcro imagined how a similar system Critical, Creative, and Practical Thinking
of hooks and loops could make two pieces of fabric stick to each other).
To think creatively is to generate new ideas that promote useful change, whether
the change consists of world-altering communication technology or a tooth brushing
technique that more effectively prevents cavities. Prepare to power up your creative
thinking ability by gathering the following five ingredients.

The Five Ingredients of Creativity
This recipe produces both the mindset and the inspiration that allow you to think creatively.

1. Belief that you can develop creativity. Even though some people seem to have
more or better ideas than others, creative thinking is a skill that can be developed.
In an essay about the role of creativity in medicine, Jennifer Gibson, PharmD,
notes, “Creativity is not restricted to great artists, but it can be fostered by train-
ing, encouragement, and practice. . . . Everyone has the power to be creative;
while not everyone will paint a masterpiece or write a great novel, everyone can
be curious, seek change and take risks.” 10
2. Curiosity and exploration. Seeking out new information and experiences will
broaden your knowledge, giving you more raw materials with which to build
creative ideas. Think about what sparks your curiosity, and make a point to know
11
more about it—take a course in it, read a book about it, check out a website or
some music. If you are curious about something you don’t think you’d like, explore
it anyway to see if you have misjudged your reaction.
3. Time alone. Despite how American society values speed (so much so that we
equate being “quick” with being smart) and working in teams, research indicates
12
that creativity demands time and independent thinking. Think of the stereotypes
13
of the writer alone in a cabin or a painter alone in an attic studio. Business offers
examples as well, such as Apple CEO Steve Jobs’s collaborator, Steve Wozniak. Mr.
Wozniak worked alone for long hours over many months to develop the personal
computer that Mr. Jobs marketed so ingeniously. Comparing inventors and engi-
neers to artists in his memoir, Mr. Wozniak provides some advice that he says “might
be hard to take. That advice is: Work alone.” 14
4. Risk-taking and hard work. Although most people think of creativity as coming in
lightning flashes of inspiration, it demands that you risk time, ideas, and enormous
effort in the quest for reward. “All creative geniuses work passionately hard and pro-
duce incredible numbers of ideas, most of which are bad,” reports creativity expert
Michael Michalko, recounting, among other examples, the fact that Picasso created
more than 20,000 pieces of art. He also advocates regular practice, noting that “the
15
more times you try to get ideas, the more active your brain becomes and the more
creative you become.” Like any other consistent action, working on ideas builds
16
new neural pathways in your brain.
5. Acceptance of mistakes as part of the process. When you can risk messing up, you
open yourself to ideas and promote productivity. Michalko repackages the idea of
failure as a learning experience along the way to something better. “Whenever you
try to do something and do not succeed,” he says, “you do not fail. You have learned
something that does not work.” 17

89