‘Creativity is social even when it does not seem to be’

How do societal misconceptions about creativity (e.g. that it is only for artists or world-changing innovators) affect people's willingness to be creative in everyday life?

If we think creativity is something just artists or other 'creatives' do, why even try? If we think creativity is an innate trait and exists only in geniuses, that changes how we live – it is hard to see ourselves as potentially creative. If we believe that creativity is only playful and fun, we will be likely to give up when we encounter inevitable obstacles. If we equate creativity with coming up with new and original ideas only, we will not realise the skill and emotional endurance that are required to transform those ideas into something tangible. And if we think that creativity is just about individual creators and their skills, we will not see the subtle ways in which enduring creativity comes from interactions with others. 

Why do people think they want to be creative but avoid it in real-life situations?

People think they want to be creative because they see the results of creativity all around them – innovative products we use every day, art and culture that enrich our lives, discoveries that improve the world around us. Our society also celebrates creativity, making it seem even more attractive and aspirational. However, creative work is full of uncertainties. Despite what the self-help industry might suggest, creativity cannot be reduced to a set of steps. And uncertainty is psychologically experienced as risk, which tends to trigger anxiety. We avoid creativity because it exposes us to risks about our social reputation and about how we will see ourselves. Only when we accept these risks and learn how to manage them, we can truly choose creativity. 

How does viewing passion as something we develop rather than discover change the way we approach our creative pursuits?

Creativity runs on passion. Those who are passionate define themselves in part by what they are passionate about (e.g., I am not just someone who happens to write, but I am a writer!) and they commit to their long-term goals. How we think about passion influences our interests and how open we are to new experiences. If we think passion is something we discover, it means it already exists, it might be dormant, and we simply have to uncover it. This kind of thinking makes us focused very narrowly; we are looking for the object of our passion and not beyond it. But if we think that passion is something that is developed through curiosity and trying new experiences, we will remain receptive to learning something new and discovering new interests. This is important because creativity thrives on broad interests and curiosity about the world, on drawing connections between ideas that others have not connected before. Once we know that passions can be developed, we feel more free to explore and to notice relevance of one of our interests for another. 

How can understanding emotions as valuable information, rather than simply good or bad, help people harness them to enhance creativity?

Emotion scientists consider emotions as information about what is going on in our minds and in the world around us. Each emotion tells us something different. Happiness says all is good, anger points to injustice, frustration says there is an obstacle and we cannot continue in the same way. Emotions are also related to our thinking. Rather than one set of emotions being good and others bad, some feelings are helpful for one task and others for another. For example, quick brainstorming is most successful in happy energised moods, while more subdued feelings make us better at critical thinking. Because creativity is fundamentally a decision-making process, any information can help it. We can use the information provided by our feelings to help us choose what to do for optimal outcomes, how to open up thinking, and which ideas to keep and which to discard. If we use the information conveyed by our emotions, sometimes we can choose to brainstorm when we are spontaneously in good moods or critically evaluate our work when feeling low, and other times we can purposefully try to get into the right mood for what we need to do. 

What makes reliable creativity possible? What is the difference between having a one hit wonder and consistent lasting creativity?

The key to reliable and repeated creativity is in its social nature. Others around us directly or indirectly influence us and help make creativity happen. People around us are a source of inspiration and new ideas, and also provide support for developing those ideas. In organisations, leaders have a disproportionate influence on whether creative work can flourish. They set the emotional tone (is it safe to share ideas without fear of consequences?), they can inspire action by allowing initiative and opportunity for growth, and they can communicate the value of creativity by rewarding it. To consistently succeed in creative work, it is crucial to develop social networks supportive of creativity and to build organisational climates for creativity. 

What advice do you have for those who struggle with fear of failure or rejection, considering that creativity requires taking risks? 

People who are truly indifferent or impervious to failure or rejection are rare. The goal of being fearless is not helpful. Rather, creativity thrives when we decide that discomfort we experience at times will not prevent us from doing it anyway. When you feel the emotional bite of anxiety and fear, remember that you are not uniquely uncomfortable and that you can persist in spite of these feelings. Even the great creators who seem bold and fearless from afar struggle. Georgia O'Keeffe said, "I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I've never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do". 

What role do social connections play in helping creativity flourish?

Creativity is social even when it does not seem to be. We are consciously or not consciously influenced by others throughout our creative process. What kinds of social connections are helpful depends on what kinds of tasks we are working on. To maximise creativity, we need to purposefully choose whom we reach out to and when. As you are first generating ideas, you should reach out to your weak ties – those with whom you are not very close and with whom you do not interact very often. Once you settle on the ideas to pursue and develop, you need to turn to those close to you. Relying only on close relationships increases the chance that you will come up with and become attached to a not very creative idea. The opposite can happen if you put your faith exclusively on weak ties: highly creative ideas can emerge, but they are less likely to be developed to their full potential because it is hard to discern what could be useful and what is not. 

How can leaders support creativity in the workplace?

Transformational leaders are able to communicate an attractive vision of organisational values and ideals, they encourage exploration, challenging assumptions, and thinking in novel ways to address problems. Empowering leaders support their workers' autonomy, encourage them to take initiative, and provide opportunities for their development. And entrepreneurial leaders urge others to rethink their current ways of approaching problems or doing their jobs and encourage them to pursue original ideas. Importantly, the actions behind each of these leadership styles are not mutually exclusive. Transformational, empowering, and entrepreneurial leaders inspire. However, the story does not end there. We do not live and work based on inspiration alone. To be fully effective, leaders have to combine these inspirational styles with acknowledging and rewarding their team members' creative ideas and accomplishments. 

What makes or breaks creativity at work? 

Creativity at work needs the right climate to thrive. Creativity flourishes in organisations that have it in their mission, where leaders support and encourage creativity, where people see the organization as willing to take risks, and when there are both resources available for creativity and rewards to acknowledge that creativity is truly valued. There is also a distinct quality of work relationships that contribute to the climate for creativity. People interact with others from a basis of psychological safety – trust that sharing ideas and even being critical when necessary, will not result in harsh criticism. Finally, the climate for creativity is one in which people see their jobs as providing a measure of autonomy, intellectual stimulation, and challenge. 

How can people start making the creativity choice today? 

The first creativity choice emerges from an internal monologue. When deciding whether to pursue a creative idea, we have three kinds of considerations. First, we look outside of ourselves and wonder about any potential negative social consequences of sharing ideas. Will people think our ideas are silly? The next consideration is about how we feel when we face the decision whether to share ideas. If we are overwhelmingly self-conscious and anxious, we are more likely to decide that it is better to be safe than original. The third consideration is crucial for daring to be creative. It is an attitude that says creativity is meaningful and valuable – so much so that it is important for our sense of who we are. Once we believe that, we become willing to accept and cope with a certain level of anxiety and potential social disapproval. If it matters that much, we are willing to deal with some stress. This does not mean you will become free of tension, but you will tolerate it and learn to manage it in the service of your creative work. 

• Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence where she currently serves as the Director of the Creativity and Emotions Lab. The Creativity Choice: The Science of Making Decisions to Turn Ideas into Action (£25, PublicAffairs) is out 5 June.