Results from a recent Gallup Poll show that the world is in a decade-long downward trajectory. Those polled in 2021 felt unhappier and even more stressed than in the previous year when the Covid-19 pandemic threw the world off kilter.
In 2020, when the pandemic began, people around the world were jolted by the realization that life wasn’t going to continue as before. Many became anxious or depressed, not knowing how to adjust to the new reality. As the poll shows, people’s anxiety continued into 2021. But instead of continuing in this spiral of stress, it’s time to look for innovative ways to meet today’s challenges.
As author, ethnobotanist, and philosopher Terence McKenna stated, “You are an explorer, and you represent our species, and the greatest good you can do is to bring back a new idea — because our world is in danger by the absence of good ideas. And so, to whatever degree any one of us can bring back a small piece of the picture and contribute it to the building of the new paradigm, then we participate in the redemption of the human spirit.”
Tapping into our creativity can help us navigate this time of transition and allow us to create new visions. But first, we must debunk five myths about creativity that can keep us from accessing our wellspring of innovation.
Myth #1: Creatives are lazy and lack discipline. With almost no exception, the highly creative people I’ve met and worked with are the opposite of lazy and undisciplined. They pick up an instrument or a paintbrush, get themselves to the dance studio, set appointments to collaborate with others, and persevere at generating ideas until something comes to them. Many have a regular mindfulness practice that quiets the chatter of the analytical brain and awakens the parts of the brain involved in creativity. You might say that when they seem to be doing nothing, they’re actually doing something very important — working with their mind state to prime themselves to experience high levels of creativity.
Myth #2: Creatives are depressed, mentally unstable, or both. It’s true that some creatives, like Vincent Van Gough, have struggled with depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. But studies show no direct connection between these psychological disorders and creativity. In fact, they demonstrate that creative people are less likely to be mentally ill than people who are out of touch with their creativity. However, for those who do have an emotional/mental disorder, a mindfulness practice can be extremely helpful in managing it.
Myth #3: You lose your creative ability as you get older. Many people subscribe to the idea that we automatically lose creativity as we get older. But what about those late bloomers who hit their creative stride after midlife? Frank McCourt, who taught English in high schools and technical colleges, wrote his first book, Angela’s Ashes, when he was in his mid-sixties. The memoir about his impoverished upbringing in Ireland went on to win a Pulitzer Prize and became an acclaimed feature film. No one should think it’s not possible to become highly creative, whatever their age. Recognize that creative people may require you to develop and sustain habits of thinking differently, which you, too, can choose to do at any age.
Myth #4: A child’s imagination needs to be deprioritized in order be successful as an adult. It’s unfortunate that myths about young people needing to focus their attention on “practical” matters keep so many from accessing and maintaining their creative abilities. That marvelous sense of freedom to create that you had as a child is something that you can get back. If you feel you didn’t really have it, you can discover it now — even into your one-hundreds. It’s available to you and everyone. From a brain plasticity perspective, closed doors can spring open in the pursuit of creativity, but for this to happen you must let go of old notions that were drilled into you. Imagination is underrated. I’ve seen it become the key to moving past devastating losses and into a new state of happiness, well-being, and satisfaction.
Myth #5: Groups or teams can’t be creative unless they’re in a room together. Some believe that people must come together, such as in offices, for the creative juices to flow and be put to use. A better way to think about the current mix of working in offices and remotely is to recognize that even if workers are able to return to offices completely at some point (many workers hated this type of setup anyway), there may be an advantage to changing how teams work together remotely and in a physical space. After all, video conferencing wasn’t on anyone’s radar twenty years ago, but now we can’t imagine life without it.
Don’t let misconceptions about creatives and creativity stop you from exploring your inventive and imaginative abilities. The world needs your creative ideas to add to this new paradigm.
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Written by Dr. Ronald Alexander
Ronald A. Alexander, PhD, is the author of the new book, Core Creativity: The Mindful Way to Unlock Your Creative Self (Rowman & Littlefield, June 21, 2022), upon which this article is based. He is a creativity coach, consultant, and mind-body psychotherapist. He has a private psychotherapy and executive coaching practice in Santa Monica, California. He’s the executive director of the OpenMind® Training Program that offers personal and professional training programs in mindfulness-based therapies, transformational leadership and meditation. He is also the author of the highly acclaimed book, Wise Mind, Open Mind: Finding Purpose and Meaning in Times of Crisis, Loss, and Change (2008). Learn more at www.CoreCreativity.com.
