Now, before you take this article out of context, there are so many creative people, particularly because there’s a lot that keeps them from being creative.
To be honest, the force of conformity and settling for whatever comes, is so strong that so many people have decided to fall in, instead of being creative and putting their own twist on things. However, some of the factors that have made people less creative, have also favored the creative ones.
Some people argue that creativity is in-born, but I disagree. Below are some of the main reasons why many people aren’t that creative.
1. Fear of making mistakes
This is common among young people, but especially adults. Many people have failed to make things happen because they’re afraid of failure/ making mistakes. Their reasons include;
- Fearing ridicule after failure
- Financial implications of failure
- Their own physical and mental well-being after failure
- Less belief in their ideas, that they fear failure more than they hope for success
Fear is a great detractor, and it has made many people settle for less, other than take the long route through creativity and innovation.
2. Bad environment
So many people fail to spark and channel their creativity because of their environments that don’t foster creativity and innovativeness. Examples of bad environments include;
- Societies that don’t appreciate new ideas
- Countries that don’t encourage people to be creative
- Workplaces that don’t support creativity
The environment plays a key role because almost every moral virtue you practice right now is most likely one that you found people already practicing.
3. Technological advancement
While technological advancement has boosted the creativity of many people, it turns out that this same factor has caused for some people to lose out on the creativity they would have fostered. Examples of this include;
- Addiction to video games
- Binge-watching Netflix and other video sites
- Addiction to social media
- Failure to use the internet for learning and sharing ideas
The matter of fact is, technology is a double-edged sword that depends a great deal on the way you wield it.
4. Lack of inspiration
Inspiration plays a great role in fostering the creativity of every individual. This is because the brain has to find a starting point. Some examples include;
- Taking a walk
- Traveling to a different country
- Associating with people
- Reading books
- Watching TED talks
However, some people don’t know what might inspire them or spark the creative fire inside them, so they end up not using it.
5. Financial limitations
Some ideas require a little bit of money. These days, there are very few ideas that you can start from scratch without spending some money at the beginning. Examples include;
- You can’t create an app without a computer and a consistent data connection
- A good song requires you to spend money on a good producer, a good videographer and a little on promotion
- You can’t make a good movie with just your smartphone
Due to these little expenses that have to be inevitably incurred, many people end up postponing what they really want to do – regardless of how many good ideas they have, until the “right time” comes.
6. Discouragement
The same fear that stops many people from starting doesn’t stop when you start. It sheds its skin and comes back as discouragement.
Sometimes, even a good idea might start in raw form, then you polish it along the way. However, so many people fail to continue putting their ideas to life because they have tried once or twice and failed.
In most cases, such people will quit if they aren’t lucky to have someone that can give them a pep talk at that instant.
7. Lack of passion
One of the reason people think they aren’t that smart or creative is because sometimes, they’re just doing the wrong thing. If you’re so creative as a musician, that doesn’t mean you’ll be equally creative when you become an engineer.
In areas where you’re not passionate, your brain sees a huge box and usually can’t even try to think out of it.
8. Craving stability
Creativity and innovation, if applied in business, are not the best way to go if all you’re looking for is peace and stability.
This is because creative people experience a lot of uncertainties, having too many ideas and starting with the wrong ones, etc. This makes it just safe for you to drop the creativity and settle for as little as is enough.
9. Bad association
Friends are the reason we do so many things the way we do them. This is because they indirectly set the rules by simply showing what they like and dislike.
Usually, creative people are advised to normalize spending some quality time alone to work on their craft, while they spend the rest interacting with like-minded people that will probably appreciate their ideas.
Therefore, someone who has friends that laugh at their ideas and discourage them, will soon cease ot be creative and conform.
10. Short-term reward craving
Going down the creative path isn’t as easy as the movies usually portray. It involves things like;
- Bearing with failures and trying again
- Investing in the future
- Disciplining oneself
- Studying and learning all the time
For every normal person, this is quite too much. That’s exactly why so many people give up because they don’t want their lives to pass them by.
Conclusion;
It’s not unusual for creative people to be intelligent. However, this shouldn’t make you think that every creative person is a savant. Some of them are even below the 100 mark, but more creative than geniuses. Sometimes, some people aren’t given a chance to experiment their creativity with what they love, otherwise they would have been really good.
Comments are closed.