My secondary school was a bit old-fashioned in how it categorised students into easy-to-manage groups. For instance, it was generally the view that girls were ‘better’ at languages and the arts. In contrast, boys were ‘more logical’ and ‘suited’ to the sciences and maths. I was among those boys, convinced that - because of my gender and ability to press the right buttons on a calculator - my future lay in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). I vividly remember an awkward meeting with a ‘careers advisor.’ After a short questionnaire, he basically told me to focus on the sciences, which I did... because I enjoyed them. Exactly how much this enjoyment had been prompted by the school’s biases is up for debate.
25 years on, it is clear that these ‘traditional’ views were not based in reality. A huge effort to encourage girls into STEM subjects is gradually turning the tide. It is also clear that cold hard logic is not the only ability needed to work in STEM subjects. For example, a problem with a preheater will often require the imagination to ask a new question, rather than crunching the numbers to find a more accurate answer to the ‘wrong question.’
Regardless of whether the creativity is directed at singing or cement, the ‘creative’ / ‘non-creative’ divide seems to have a hold on the public conscience. How many people, when asked, assert that they simply ‘cannot’ sing, dance, draw or write creatively? It’s quite a few... Maybe they tried long ago and found it too hard. Maybe they’re embarrassed. Maybe, like me, they were told that they are ‘just too logical.’
We now know that the ‘creative’ / ‘non-creative’ dichotomy is false. It is more accurate to think of creativity as a spectrum, a bit like athletic ability.1 Some people are naturally more adept than others at certain physical movements, but almost everyone can train to reach their individual potential. The same is true of being creative. While there are a few hyper-creatives (the Usain Bolts of creativity), most people are somewhere in the middle. There are no ‘creative’ or ‘non-creative’ people, just those who use their creative skills and those who don’t.
The process of becoming more creative can be taught. Anyone can practice being creative in their chosen area and they will find that they enjoy it. This is because creative tasks enable us to exercise problem-solving, which releases dopamine. The first, and most important, step is to remove the mental block that tells someone they ‘aren’t creative.’ Then they choose an outlet... be it drawing, playing an instrument, singing, dancing... whatever they think they will enjoy... and get those neurons firing.
A common fear is that the resultant drawing, poem, or song will be of a low quality. It may well be, but that’s not the point. The value is in the doing more than the end result. The process of creating something new brings numerous benefits, regardless of the quality.2 This includes increased happiness, improved mental health and lower stress levels, higher self esteem - and all of the associated health benefits that come with that. There is a virtuous cycle here, as increased well-being also promotes greater creativity. Nobody else even needs to see or hear the output for the process to be effective, so embarassment can be avoided. Results will improve with time too. After all, practice makes perfect!
Another good way to become more creative is to reduce smartphone use, which has been shown to reduce well-being and mental health.3 Invasive social media platforms are literally designed to prevent boredom by filling every waking moment with entertainment. It is for this reason that smartphones are accused of ‘killing creativity.’ Creative activities have been shown to be highly effective at reducing screen time by replacing the dopamine ‘hit’ associated with the repeated use of social media.
Back to school... after going down the sciences path, I became increasingly aware that creativity and the sciences were not incompatible. I moved increasingly towards the communication side of my chosen discipline, and thence to publishing with Global Cement Magazine, where I still enjoy using my ‘logical science brain’ to interrogate authors and their claims. However, one of the most enjoyable aspects of my job is writing The Last Word. It always gets the creative juices flowing...
1. https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/creativity.
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10911317.
3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8622754.
