“Creativity is an intelligence. When we respect its needs—for freedom, not knowing, beauty, a big vision, intrinsic motivation, and space—it will flourish.” 1. Creativity needs space, both internal and external – How can you give yourself internal space? If something is on your mind, take care of it before diving into new creative work. – [ Read more … ]
genius
Talented people achieve what others can’t, but genius achieves what others can’t imagine.
In his book The World as Will and Representation, Arthur Schopenhauer wrote: Talent is like the marksman who hits a target which others cannot reach; genius is like the marksman who hits a target which others cannot even see. People who are talented achieve what others can’t, but genius achieves what others can’t imagine. Genius [ Read more … ]
Breakthroughs happen when we open spaces we didn’t know existed
No matter how much we push, intend and effort, it’s clear that we don’t often have all the answers that we seek. But Something else does. We humans are brilliant when we’re aligned with Something greater than ourselves. We don’t get breakthroughs by thinking harder or better. We get breakthroughs when we open spaces we [ Read more … ]
Creative genius involves the ability to create new worlds
In an article in Newsweek “The Creativity Crisis,” Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman describe a study of people who received MacArthur genius awards. In the study, researchers discovered that MacArthur recipients spent time in their childhoods creating “paracosms,” or alternative fantasy worlds. These kids visited their fantasy worlds repeatedly, often creating their own unique languages [ Read more … ]
Metaphor provides clarity we can’t get any other way.
This is true for all of us. We valiantly search for the explanation, the description, the words. But when those words aren’t there, we unconsciously drop into another part of our brain–the part of our brain that works in metaphor. Metaphor allows us to understand and speak about things that are unknown, vague, or abstract. [ Read more … ]