Over the past 45 years, I have written and published over 175 books for adults and children. Sometimes the number surprises me because I didn’t plan on becoming a writer.
Early on in my career, I realized that being a successful author wasn’t just about writing compelling stories. I had to be a sponge, read a lot and broaden my perspective.
Following Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’ quote that “creativity is all about connecting things,” I gave myself permission to follow my interests wherever they took me.
To this end, I have written on topics as diverse as marine biology, interviewing, teaching, creativity, baseball, archeology, American history, resume writing, tsunamis, and nocturnal creatures.
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In my latest book: “Looking for the old ones,” about the longest-lasting Trees in the United States, I became involved in the study of tree rings and social psychology. And I have so many more ideas that I would like to pursue.
These are the four creativity Principles that have served me well for over four decades.
1. There is no “right” answer
I was a professor of education for almost 30 years.
So many of us, teachers and students alike, have been taught to believe that there is only one right answer to every problem. That’s simply not true. Rarely did we have the opportunity to consider a variety of possible solutions to an intellectual challenge.
That’s a problem in itself, because as inventor and author Roger von Oech says, “If you think there’s only one right answer, you’ll stop looking once you find one.”
You need to give yourself space to imagine all the possibilities.
Recently, I invited participants in a creativity workshop I was leading to come up with as many different uses for a paper clip as they could in five minutes. They came up with 57 ideas, including an inexpensive nose ring, an ear cleaner, a lock picking device, a mini fishing rod, a bookmark, an ant spear, a cheese cube holder and a tie clip, among others.
Focusing on the “one right answer” mentality forces us into a “don’t take any chances” mindset. But creativity is a continuous generation of options – rarely a search for solitary answers. I, too, constantly look for diverse approaches and perspectives in my writing.
2. Allow yourself to make mistakes
The most creative people tend to suffer the most failures.
James Dyson created 5,126 unusable prototypes before the Dyson vacuum cleaner was invented. Thomas Edison spent over two years improving his light bulb. When asked about this period of trial and error, answered he remarked“I got a lot of results! I know several thousand things that don’t work.”
When I wrote In Search of the Ancients, I worked through 21 separate drafts over the course of 12 months. I didn’t feel discouraged by the errors that I knew would be in these drafts. Instead, I saw it as an opportunity to make changes and improvements.
For me, the process itself is part of the joy of the experience.
Remember that creativity is not about perfection. Searching for the perfect idea severely limits your thinking and expression.
3. The more curious you are, the more creative you can become
The most creative people I know are able to remember and harness a childlike sense of wonder about the world.
Curiosity is an active consideration of the possible. It is the catalyst for questions, and questions drive us to seek and think about the unknown. It opens our minds so we can explore the unexplored and create the unexpected.
My most recent book was inspired by the realization that bristlecone pines have lived continuously in the White Mountains of California for more than 4,000 years. I needed to know immediately how they could survive as long as.
I tracked down scientific papers, experienced the trees first hand, and consulted with a number of dendrochronology experts.
When I started the process, I didn’t expect that my research would result in a book. But my curiosity has always been the foundation and driver of my creativity.
4. Believe you have creative potential
We all have creative potential, just like we did as children. Unfortunately, our natural creativity diminishes over time.
The most creative people I know understand that creativity isn’t about pleasing everyone. If you want people to approve of your work, then you are not creative. You are simply confirming their preconceived ideas about what you should do. Hence there is no idea, only 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 IQ – and that traditional schooling often forces students to memorize the unimportant, to dwell on the unnecessary remembering and thinking about that is insignificant. As a result, we rarely have the opportunity to create anything, only to vomit.
True creativity is about being comfortable in chaos. With each book, I view writing as a journey through something I’ve never experienced before. It is a celebration of the unknown, and we are all capable of it.
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 non-fiction books, including “From Sizzle to Sizzle: The Hidden Forces Killing Your Creativity and How to Overcome Them“Two-Minute Habits: Small Habits, Dynamic Creativity,” and his latest “In Search of the Old Ones: An Odyssey Among Ancient Trees.“Keep following him LinkedIn.
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