Creativity is more important than ever - so you should treat it like a skill
The very best work we produce happens when we contribute something that is new.
I wouldn't want to do anything else besides write to you here on my 26th birthday.
Today, as always, is about making you better and smarter about the work you choose to pursue.
Specifically, today I’m demystifying creativity and why it isn’t a trait exclusive to artists and geniuses.
Like anything else, it is a skill — but it’s also a choice.
Reframe how you think about creative work
The very best work we produce happens when we contribute something that is new, and something that improves upon something old.
In other words, the most fulfilling stuff we can pursue is creative work.
And while innate ability can help, talent is in no way the gatekeeper of this. Creativity isn’t something reserved for painters and poets.
And, it's something that's never been more important. Nearly every professional today is called upon to conjure original ideas on a regular basis.
Creativity happens in spaces as small as a tweet or as dynamic as a corporate marketing campaign or line of computer code.
But, like shooting hoops or throwing a dart, creativity is a skill — which means it can be learned.
Take me, for example. I don’t have any natural gift for storytelling, but I’ve been able to write a well-received fiction book thanks to consistent, intentional practice.
I’ve trained myself to think more creatively by accumulating a large number of hours.
Sheer volume, to many social scientists, is often what determines the difference between good and great.
(Remember the 10,000 hour rule Malcolm Gladwell popularized?)
I set out a while back with the belief I could become more creative simply by showing up. I’d sit and write to tap into my creative capacity for a few minutes each day.
On no single day did I make a tremendous output, but my progress stemmed instead from my unwillingness to miss a day.
Sharpen your axe and find your voice.
Natural creativity isn’t what determines creative success but rather the accrual of efforts over a stretch of time.
The more you create, the faster your own voice will emerge — which you can then apply to more work, in and out of the office.
No matter the medium, the aim must be that when you’re invariably called upon for an idea, you don’t second-guess yourself or defer to someone you believe is inherently “more creative.”
I don’t harp on creativity because I’m a writer, but because anyone can radically improve the work they do by refining the way you think and act.
So don’t wait for permission. It’s not about relying on artists or musicians to share their work with the world.
It’s about practicing until you realize that you have just as much to contribute as anyone else.
