Key principles and habits from some of the world’s most creative minds.
“Where do your ideas come from?”
This is one question every creative genius has had to answer at one point in their lives. We ask because we imagine that the workings of their minds are so different and somewhat mysterious from the ordinary person’s.
This high and somewhat misplaced view of creativity makes us dismiss our own inclinations. Instead of staying committed to the process, we get impatient because we don’t quickly see flashes of unique ideas written on the wall by a mysterious hand.
The hard truth though is that creativity requires courage. It takes courage to stay in the process long enough for your mind to be able to make connections between concepts. It also takes courage to go against what’s conventional and articulate notions that may not be familiar already.
Courage is the underlying trait upon which creativity is built. That said, here are four other qualities creatives also possess.
They Don’t Try to Be Creative
Frederic Eugene Ives discovered the half stone process which allowed photographs to be produced in ink on paper by means of a printing press.
This process reduced the cost of printing images by 15x and remained the standard printing technique for the next 80 years. Ives became a trailblazer in the field of photography and held over 70 patents by the end of his career.
However, before his breakthrough, he spent two years working as a printer’s apprentice and then four years (1874–78) running the photographic laboratory at Cornell University. He spent almost a decade experimenting with new photography techniques and learning about cameras, printers, and optics.
Creative people don’t start out thinking “I want to do something extraordinary.” If that was their intention, they’d give up before they are ever able to get to the point of extraordinary ideas. What they focus on is hard work. The longer they stay in the process, the more they see things clearly. As Twayla Tharp wrote in her book, The Creative Habit:
“Before you think out of a box, you have to start with a box.”
Forget about being creative and just focus on doing the work. Everyone can dream about being creative. That’s easy. What’s not easy is staying on one thing long enough till the point where your mind is able to make connections between concepts.
They Don’t Have Exceptional Minds
There’s a beautiful quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that says:
“In the mind of the genius, we often find — once more — our own neglected thoughts.”
We’ve all had that strange feeling in which we come across a creative work — like a perfectly articulated viral article — that appears so ingenious but yet, obvious. We might think, “how did I not think of this before?” Sometimes, out of envy, we might press, “There’s nothing special about that.”
The reason creative work might provoke this feeling is that creative people pay more attention to their thoughts and inclinations. While the rest of the world might be afraid of their ideas being unfamiliar or even strange, creatives courageously stick their head up for what they believe.
Percy Spencer was able to establish the connection between the candy bar that melted in his pocket (while at work) and a microwave’s ability to cook in 1945 because he didn’t quickly disregard the thought when it came to him. He gave his attention to it, further experimenting on popcorn and eggs.
Creative people don’t necessarily have a different or magical thought process, they simply pay more attention to their inclinations than everyone else. Their works have a distinct impression on us because we felt it too, we just didn’t pay attention.
To harness your creativity, learn to pay more attention to that little voice. We all have it, we just need to learn to listen.
They Don’t Leave Their Morning to Chance
For their book, My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired, Benjamin Spinball and Michael Xander talked to over 300 of the world’s brightest people about their morning ritual.
Their list included President of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, successful business leaders, university presidents, military generals, Olympic athletes, and many others.
What they found was that most of these bright minds carve out time in their morning to commit to something that makes them feel relaxed, energized, and motivated. In the words of the authors:
“What we discovered as we got deeper into the process of interviewing people about their morning routines is that almost none of the world’s best and brightest leave their mornings to chance.”
A good start is vital for creativity because doing anything creative requires you to think clearly. If you start your day with drudgery, distracted, and disoriented, it will be difficult to get your mind to focus deeply on anything. As the opening statement of Spinball’s article published in The New York Times reads:
“The choices we make during the first hour or so of our morning often determine what the rest of the day will look like.”
Our mind is our creative engine and a good morning routine sharpens, polishes it, and gets it ready for a creative day.
They Know That Different Things Work For Different People
When I first started writing, I anxiously consumed all the writing advice I could lay my hands on. If one writer says the best practice is to write 2000 words a day, I quickly adopted it. If another says “I write 1000 words every evening before I sleep,” that became my practice.
It was like climbing a mountain. I was so concerned about climbing with the crowd, forgetting that everyone’s energy and method of climbing is different. If I go at my pace, with my method, I’ll definitely get to the top — maybe I’ll take more time. But trying to keep up with the pace of others, will only lead to me burning out.
Twyla Tharp articulated it perfectly her book The Creative Habit:
“In the end, there is no ideal condition for creativity. What works for one person is useless for another. The only criterion is this: Make it easy on yourself. Find a working environment where the prospect of wrestling with your muse doesn’t scare you, doesn’t shut you down. It should make you want to be there, and once you find it, stick with it.”
Creative people understand that different things work for different people. So many people struggle with being creative because they are not listening to what works for them personally. They want precise instructions they can just apply and get great results.
But the hard truth is this: you have to listen to yourself and deliberately experiment on different methods so that you’ll know what really works for you. Some love to read and write with music on, others can’t. Some will tell you they produce their best work in the early hours of the day. Others, in the late hours.
Maybe what you can do now is 500 words daily, why not keep up with that pace for now. Maybe you’ll write fewer articles, the important thing is that you’ll grow steadily at your own pace. What’s important is that you find your own shtick.
Summary
Creative ideas aren’t available to only a few who have a magical thought process. We all are, in our own unique ways, capable of being creative. How? To recap:
- Focus on hard work, not the need to be creative
- Pay closer attention to your inclinations
- Start your day right
- Understand that different things work for different people.
Writer. Learner. Lover of great books. I write about everything I learn about living a better life. Contact: LinkedIn
