Over the last 45 years, I have written and published over 175 books for adults and children. Sometimes the number surprises me, as I didn’t set out to be an author.
Early on in my career, I realized that being a successful writer wasn’t just about crafting compelling stories. I needed to be a sponge, read widely and broaden my perspective.
Embracing the quote from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs that “creativity is just connecting things,” I gave myself permission to follow my interests, wherever they led me.
To that end, I have written about topics as varied as marine biology, job interviews, teaching, creativity, baseball, archeology, American history, resume writing, tsunamis and nocturnal creatures.
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In my most recent book, “In Search of the Old Ones,” about the longest-lived trees in the United States, I dove into the study of tree rings and social psychology. And I still have so many more ideas that I’m excited to pursue.
These are the four creativity principles that have served me well for over four decades.
1. There is no one ‘right’ answer
I was a professor of education for nearly 30 years.
So many of us, instructors and students alike, were taught to believe that for every problem there is only one correct response. That is simply not true. Seldom were we offered the opportunity to consider a multitude of potential solutions to any intellectual challenge.
That in and of itself is a problem because as inventor and author Roger von Oech says, “if you think there’s only one right answer, then you’ll stop looking as soon as you find one.”
You need to give yourself room to imagine all the possibilities.
I recently invited participants in a creativity workshop I led to generate as many different uses for a paper clip as they could in five minutes. They came up with 57 ideas including a cheap nose ring, ear cleaner, lock picking device, mini fishing rod, bookmark, ant javelin, cheese cube holder and tie clip, among others.
A focus on a one-right-answer mentality forces us into a “don’t take any risks” mindset. But creativity is a continuous generation of options — seldom a search for solitary answers. In my writing, I too, constantly search for multiple approaches and prospects.
2. Give yourself permission to make mistakes
The most creative people tend to have the most failures.
James Dyson created 5,126 unworkable prototypes before inventing the Dyson vacuum cleaner. Thomas Edison spent over two years attempting to improve his light bulb. When asked about this period of trial and error, he remarked, “I have gotten a lot of results! I know several thousand things that won’t work.”
When I was writing “In Search of the Old Ones,” I went through 21 separate drafts over the course of 12 months. I didn’t feel discouraged by the mistakes I knew would be present in these drafts. Instead, I saw it as an opportunity to make changes and improvements.
The process itself is part of the joy of the experience to me.
Keep in mind that creativity is not about perfection. Looking for the perfect idea severely limits your thinking, as well as your expression.
3. The more curious you are, the more creative you can become
The most creative people I know are able to recall and tap into a childlike sense of wonder about the world.
Curiosity is an active consideration of the possible. It’s the catalyst for questioning, and questioning drives us to seek out the unfamiliar and contemplate the unknown. It opens our minds so we can explore the unexamined and create the unexpected.
My most recent book was inspired by learning that Bristlecone Pines have lived continuously in the White Mountains of California for more than 4,000 years. Immediately, I had to know how they were able to survive for so long.
I tracked down scientific papers, went to experience the trees firsthand and reached out to a number of dendrochronology experts.
When I started the process, I didn’t expect that I would get a book out of my research. But my curiosity has always been the foundation and the driver of my creativity.
4. Believe you have creative potential
We all have creative potential, just like we did as children. So often, our natural creativity unfortunately gets ground down over time.
The most creative people I know understand that creativity isn’t about pleasing everyone. If you want people to approve of what you’re doing, then you’re not being creative. You’re simply validating their preconceived notions about what you should do. Consequently, there’s no imagination, just confirmation.
As a professional educator for more than half a century, I have come to the conclusion that creativity also has absolutely nothing to do with I.Q. — and that traditional schooling, quite often, compels students to memorize the irrelevant, remember the unnecessary, and consider the insignificant. As a result, we seldom have the opportunity to create, only regurgitate.
True creativity is about being comfortable with chaos. With every book, I see writing as a journey through something I’ve never experienced before. It’s a celebration of the unknown, and we’re all capable of that.
Anthony D. Fredericks, Ed.D., is professor emeritus of education at York College of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Psychology Today’s Creative Insights blog, and has written over 100 nonfiction books including “From Fizzle to Sizzle: The Hidden Forces Crushing Your Creativity and How You Can Overcome Them, “Two-Minute Habits: Small Habits, Dynamic Creativity,” and his latest “In Search of the Old Ones: An Odyssey among Ancient Trees.” Follow him on LinkedIn.
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