Creative Thinking and the “BOX”
In our lives I’m sure we’ve all come across highly talented individuals who don’t think they are creative enough, haven’t we? You might yourselves be one of these people. It’s curious to note how this idea of creativity, so innate and simple in its nature, continues to mystify us years on end. Thinking out of the box is always way too much pressure…isn’t it?
Creativity is a concept that does not have an absolute meaning. Even after years of deliberation and research, experts still haven’t found an explanation that would universally suit the understanding of this term. And no matter how dictionaries try to define it either, this concept is always subjective to every individual and represents something different with each new perspective. This however is a really good thing, and probably the only reason the essence of creativity is still alive, even if it is not fully understood. Due to its ambiguity, creativity as a term is more accessible, at least when compared to words like design which define something more absolute. Simply put, it is easier in our heads to relate oneself as being creative, than as being a designer.
In all its essence, creativity is connected to the creation of something new, something “out of the box”. Whether it is an object, a process or even just an idea, the process involves novel thinking and the boundaries of this metaphorical box always exist. Over decades attempts have been made to understand and even measure a process for this way out, many standardized tests have been developed, design processes have been established, which basically try to tell you how to be able to re-imagine your solutions. And in all this there is the catch – creativity as we know today depends on the presumption that we are sitting inside a box. But are we?
Creativity thrives in socio cultural contexts, and therefore differs for every individual. In the past few decades however, in order to bring some order in the chaos of a warring world, we as a society have put everything in structures and have tried to categorize our understanding through labels. Arts, crafts, innovations and ideas have found their home in the label of creative thinking, thereby making all these one segment – distant and demanding – creating an illusion that creativity is an in-born talent possessed by only a select few who are good at visual representations. In order to bring order, we have created silos in which creativity cannot thrive, not for long. In order to force people to think out of the box we have actually created more boxes around us. But we now need to learn to break them.
Thinking outside the box is an effort only if you sit inside one. But if you chose to step out of this metaphorical box, you will realize the power of your own personal creativity. Take a step and break a pattern from your daily life today. Apply imagination to your mundane routine and you will feel how creative you can actually be. Start small. Brush your teeth using the unusual hand tonight. Or try to write the date on your office notes with your non-dominant hand. Or just disconnect from the digital world completely for a few hours to colour in a children’s book.
We have allowed ourselves long enough to be constrained within labels, and only we have the power to break out of them. Don’t be afraid to call yourself creative, even if it is about being creative in tying your shoelaces or brushing your teeth. Be creative. And enjoy every bit of it.
All it takes is to break out of the box.
