“Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately, it kills all it’s students – Hector Berlios  1856

We should use our time wisely, it is a limited asset, and as we grow older it sort of becomes a privilege. Throughout history one can find great examples of disruption. Ideas that changed the world forever. Ideas that had explosive energy and made people do things differently. Recent examples of disruptive innovation are E-Commerce, Social Networking, Smartphones, Wearable Technology, and 3D Printing. All are considered by many as by-products of a creative mindset resulting in disruption. Disruption over-rides stale ideas, and brings life to a new way of doing things. Disruption is a result of a fight against the status quo, the burning desire to do something new, to go beyond what is already being done. Disruption can occur either at the individual level, or at a group level, later on at a societal level. Disruption and Creativity are interlinked to each other in many ways. Many people feel a need to make a world a better place, to live a life that has a sense of purpose. To do something that no one else has done. To go beyond the scope, to reach where few dare to go.

“Creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity is characterized by the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena, and to generate solutions.” – Linda Naiman

Creativity means different things to different people, even the expression of creativity is interpreted differently by all individuals. Since creativity is a multidisciplinary and multifaceted. I believe almost all professions can be practiced in a creative manner. A management professional’s view of creativity will be differ from a software developer’s view, and likewise a designer’s view of creativity differs from a entrepreneur’s view. I feel that on a corporate level, creativity is what makes innovation via new ideas possible.

Creative ideas must be feasible, they must serve some function. For example in larger enterprise, creative ideas must serve some sort of functional utility, maximise profits, reduce complexities, reduce costs, or improve efficiency. This does not mean that creative ideas have to be radical deviations from current ideas, but creativity maximises what is possible within a scope or requirement. It is quite debatable if creativity is a result of nature or nurture or both. Some people seem to have a natural flair for creative thinking while for other’s it requires a lot of effort to be creative. In fact a lot of people, just pretend to be creative, overtime their stale and boring ideas become quite clear, separating the creatives from the non-creatives.

The factors that can enhance or increase creativity, the ‘Drivers’ can be split up categorically into Personal and Environmental (Internal or External.) Likewise‘Inhibitors’ or the factors that reduce creativity are also categorised in the same manner.

Drivers of Creativity – A. Personal Characteristics (Internal)

The personal characteristics that enhance creativity are in-depth knowledge of aesthetics, having a broad range of interests, curios by natural disposition, a helping nature by heart, an urge to discover something new, attraction to complexity and difficult to understand topics, a love for independent thinking, not afraid of new places/situations, intrinsic motivation, solution-oriented mindset, and an ability to look at things and situations from different perspectives.

Drivers of Creativity – B. Environmental Characteristics (External)

Societal norms and values, academic institutions such as schools, and universities, religious beliefs, role models, and peers all play a very important role in maximising and developing creativity. Rigidity in beliefs reduces creativity. Since i believe we are made from clay,being rigid breaks creativity, adapting to a situation in a clay-like manner enhances creativity. In a corporate context, brainstorming, analytical thinking, appropriate resourcing, encouragement and reward from management plus rules and regulations that do not punish experimentative/explorative individuals. Thus maximising creativity, and driving innovation. Encouragement and financial rewards for original ideas can also be drivers for creativity for many.

Moving on to the Inhibitors of Creativity. This Kind of Sucks!

Inhibitors of Creativity – C. Personal Characteristics (Internal)

A fear of failure or criticism, living in strict boundaries, a lack of time(creative ideas can sometimes need time to incubate and develop), a lack of feedback, a tendency to live within the rules and follow orders blindly (robotic kind of mentality.) A lack of recognition or appreciation (decreases morale) Living a lifestyle that is resistant to change, the kind of people that live as conformists.

Inhibitors of Creativity – D. Environmental Characteristics (External)

A population that is un-inquisitive or not curious by nature. An academic curriculum or educational setting in which an individual is unable to question foundational beliefs, or assumptions. A place where questioning or curiosity is frowned upon by people who hold power reduces creativity.

The Down Side of Creativity – E. Stigma and Consequences (Negative Manifestations)

While creativity is most valued for problem solving and enhancing value through innovative ideas, it has it’s own costs to individual and society at large. Creative people when under stress display eccentric or unexplainable behaviour, deviating from their usual behaviour or character. This can be very difficult to understand by a non-creative, and have disastrous consequences from law enforcement and authority figures. Since creative people spend a lot of time thinking and pondering basic fundamentals they can suffer from stress, and blame themselves if something is not working well, when confused they can end up in self-punishing behaviour. Sometimes Creatives don’t abide by societal norms and end up in trouble with authority figures or law enforcement. Thus creatives spend a life of frequent social stigma because of the mindset that they possess. In many ways creativity can become counter-productive if a person is not extra careful and able to control himself and his actions, or is unable to channel his creativity in a positive manner.