Creating Great Ideas without Trying
Tim Chartier
By Tim Chartier, Davidson College
The premise of this article is quite simple: let's create great ideas without trying! Does this promise sound too tempting to be true but so promising you need to step into that expanse of potential possibility? Like many sensational promises, the wording is deliberately chosen but potentially misunderstood. The key comes in the nuance of "without trying."
Often, we associate creativity with effort—sometimes frantic effort. Dr. Teresa Amabile, a social psychologist and Harvard Business School professor, studied creativity in the workplace. Her work noted that time pressure creates an impression of productivity and a sense of being very creative. The tight timeline spurs a flurry of creative thought. Yet, Amabile's research also found that "when creativity is under the gun, it usually ends up getting killed. Although time pressure may drive people to work more and get more done, and may even make them feel more creative, it actually causes them, in general, to think less creatively." So, our first key to creating great ideas without trying is to simply not put, or even force, ourselves into situations where we frantically create under time pressure with the hope of greatness.
A key to creativity is giving oneself room to explore. If we want to find a gem of insight in our thoughts, we must give ourselves time to discover. We cannot enter a dark room for the first time and walk directly to the light switch. In the same way, to truly create something novel, we must have time to innovate. However, this analogy can also be misleading. Sometimes, our creative thoughts will turn on a brilliant light that illuminates an exciting, potentially new, path forward. But, often, our ideas are more like soft lights that give limited direction. Yet that direction can lead to new horizons.
While giving oneself time (which can be difficult to schedule) and mental room to explore and experiment are potential keys to creativity, there is one that I believe can be overarching. We must reduce our fear within the process of innovation. Creativity can be imposing. Create what?
We don't know which is why we are creating. When will it be suitably created? Again, we don't know and must simply move forward. In many ways, creating comes through “doing,” which sometimes is akin to accidently plopping mental paint on a blank canvas of thought. Take 15 minutes to brainstorm. Take a moment to dream, even if only to dream into a blank stare.
Just "doing" doesn't mean greatness. No, and I believe a key lies within that lack of promise. When will we create great ideas? I don't know but they will come. We must tend to our mental garden so among the blooming ideas we might raise the perfect rose. If you walk into your mental studio wanting a masterpiece, it's likely that you will struggle. Enter your studio wanting to create and explore the world of innovative thought and you simply succeed through the effort.
In mathematics, our work often stands atop the shoulders of giants. Sometimes, your great ideas will come from the view available via the scaffolding that you created by many creative efforts. Look for the greatness in your ideas but enjoy the process of creating. Take a break from self-evaluating intellectual worth and simply let your mind dance to the syncopated rhythms of random connections. Live in the promise of great ideas as you simply give yourself time to create. In this way, innovation can lead to great ideas without trying.
Resource: https://hbr.org/2002/08/creativity-under-the-gun
Tim Chartier is a professor of mathematics and computer science at Davidson College. He also performs in mime and puppetry, has performed throughout the United States and the world, and has taught creativity workshops at numerous national performing arts conferences.