Misconceptions on Creativity

Who says creativity and organization can't get along?

You've probably heard the phrase: "Creative minds are rarely tidy." This phrase reinforces the stereotype of creative's distaste for tidiness and conjures the image of the chaotic art studio where magic happens as a result of the disorder. Like any broad statement, taken at face value, it can create some meaningful misconceptions. Let's look at a few.

Creative vs. non-creative

Is there such a thing as a non-creative mind? Spoiler alert. There isn't. Creativity, at its core, is problem-solving. That's what the brain does best to keep us alive. So, if you have a brain, you can be creative. There is plenty to unpack here, but an important distinction is that we wrongly refer to creatives as those making a living out of their artistic talents. But those in accounting, finance or engineering, still need to be, and indeed are, creative. So it's more helpful to think of creativity as an activity and not as a state of being. Even the so-called "creative minds" are not always so, and they don't approach everything in life with that thinking.

Universal vs. individual.

I don't know about you, but I am a big fan of quotes. I love a good quote. A great quote can sometimes be an accurate approximation of the truth. But we need to keep in mind that they are still generalizations. Broad generalizations are catchy. That's their whole purpose. But because of that, they tend to become universal rules. And that's a bias. For example, I consider myself a person that does a lot of creative work, yet I am a tidy person. But anyone with this bias would walk into my house and think that I am not very creative because everything, well, almost everything, is neatly in order. I am willing to bet that many of you fall in a broad spectrum on the amount of creative activity and tidiness, which leads me to the third point.

Correlation vs. causation.

As I mentioned previously, these statements can have some truth to them. That's how they were born, by an individual or a group of people observing the behavior. Even if it were the case that creative minds are rarely tidy, we tend to confuse correlation with causation. Thus, we may interpret this to mean that messiness or lack of tidiness makes people creative. But there is no evidence to support that statement. Again, those engaged in creative activities extend along a messy-tidy spectrum. Some work better in one environment than others, but that doesn't mean that is the cause of our creativity.

Organized vs. tidy.

If you've ever been frustrated by not being able to maintain things in order or by the constant complaints from your partner, parents, or roommate that you are unorganized, here is an important point, and one of the biggest misconceptions related to creative activity. Organization and tidiness are not the same things. Organized doesn't mean neat. If you are one of those taken by the Marie Kondo craze, you might be falling into this trap. Tidy focuses on the aesthetic aspect and its visual appeal. Order tends to follow specific rules which, for the most part, are just cultural norms. Navigate her website, and you will see the aesthetical proposal. However, that's not organization. I think of organizing to reduce the friction in the flow of activities and avoid inefficiencies. You can be highly organized yet untidy. Organized is a process, tidy is a state. Now, I am not saying order and organization aren't related. Order can sometimes help with organization. What I am saying is that they are solving different issues. If you are highly involved in creative activity, your priority should be organization, not tidiness.

If you are one of those untidy "creative minds," embrace it. Or don't. After all, it is not tidy but organized that matters. And yes, creative activity and organization go hand-in-hand. You may already have a process, even if it doesn't feel like it. You were probably focusing on the wrong thing.

PS. Free webinar on unleashing creativity while staying organized