Creativity
Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m just not a creative person”? Perhaps you’ve even said it yourself. While the statement is common, we’ve come to find that people often mistake creativity and artistry and using the wrong word can cause us to sell ourselves short.
Creativity is defined as the use of imagination or original ideas. Artistry is defined as a creative skill or ability. We admit, the words are similar, but they are not perfect synonyms.
Based on its definition, imagination and original ideas are the keys to creativity. Everyone has an imagination, and everyone can come up with original ideas. We often sell ourselves short in the creativity department because we compare our imagination to the many brilliant minds of famous inventors and leaders who have affected the course of history. Very few of us would compare ourselves to the amazingly creative mind of the late Steve Jobs, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have the capability to imagine a new and better solution for the task at hand—it just takes a little practice.
Artistry, meanwhile, is based on skill and ability. Some folks are incredible painters and sculptors. Many of us have a hard time drawing a stick figure of ourselves. While we can improve our artistic abilities with practice, artistry has more to do with natural skill or ability.
So, when we say we’re “not creative”, we are probably misusing the word. We are all creative—but it might be more fitting to say we’re “not artistic”.
At Neck Up, we believe that everyone is a creative person. We are not all creative in the same ways, but each of us has an imagination that is unlike any other. Tapping into that imaginative ability can be a little tricky at first, but it can be accessed easily with a little bit of practice.
Tom Monahan’s book “The Do-It-Yourself Lobotomy” is a fantastic resource that can help you unlock your imagination. The steps in this book will make it simpler for you to transition into a creative thinking process, and Monahan’s style of writing will empower you to make his concepts work for you immediately.
We also enjoy drawing on our real-world experiences and the continual challenges we face to remain meaningfully creative for our clients on a daily basis. If you’d like to hear some ideas or share your success story, please reach out to us. We’d love to hear from you!
Neck Up Leadership brings together three nationally recognized leadership curriculums into one single source to help you get further faster on your leadership journey. Learn more at neckupleaders.com.
