© October 2010 by Fabienne Lopez
For those of us born in the late 50s and early 60s, the upcoming Venus Retrograde in Scorpio period (from October 8 through November 18, 2010) will have the Goddess of Love conjunct our natal Neptune (between 27° of Libra through 13° of Scorpio.)
During this transit, our creativity can be truly inspired. The combination of Venus and Neptune gives us the ability to visualize ideas in our minds and translate what we see into physical reality.
This is also a period to review and reflect what is preventing inspiration.
As a way to approach this issue, I have compiled the 5 most common creativity myths.
Which of these myths do you buy into? And which myths are you ready to bust?
Myth#1 Creativity Can Only Come From Creative Types
There’s this common perception that only some people are creative, and that most aren’t. That’s simply not true. The fact is, almost all of the research in this field shows that anyone with normal intelligence is capable of doing some degree of creativity.
Human beings have evolved an intrinsic capacity for creative thinking. It just needs proper nurturing. Deciding that you are creative and giving yourself permission to be creative is half the battle.
Myth#2 Money as a Creativity Motivator
On a practical level, money does instigate action, which can initiate a sequence of events that lead to creative thinking. Motivation for creativity is multi-faceted and the desire for more money may be one facet of it for some people. But the drive for money just doesn’t reside as high up on the values list as many of us have come to believe. Actually other things drive people’s creative actions. It turns out, people are most creative when they genuinely care about their work and they’re stretching their skills.
Myth#3 Deadlines Fuel Creativity
Research has shown that people were the least creative when they were fighting the clock. Time pressure often stifles creativity because people can’t deeply engage with the problem.
Creativity actually requires an incubation period; people need time to soak in a problem and let the ideas bubble up without being distracted by time constraints.
Myth#4 Fear is the Mother of Breakthroughs
There’s this widespread notion that fear, sadness and depression are the hallmark of highly creative writers and artists.
Research found that creativity is associated with joy and love. There’s a kind of virtuous cycle. When people are excited about their work, there’s a better chance that they’ll make a cognitive association that incubates overnight and shows up as a creative idea the next day. One day’s happiness often predicts the next day’s creativity.
I agree. I feel most creative when I am happy and “full of myself.”
Myth#5 Competition Beats Collaboration
There’s a widespread belief that competition fosters creativity. This has been invalidated by the research. Creativity takes a hit when people compete instead of collaborate. Conversely, collaboration multiplies the power of coming up with innovative ideas.
At a core level, creativity is most free flowing when it is engaged in a work that benefits the most people or serves a high ideal or group vision.
Personally, myth #1 and myth #4 are the ones I have most trouble with. I still doubt my creative potential. Each time, I fall into the trap, I feel sad, depressed and less creative.
But then I look back at all the posts I’ve written in the last year, and I realize, that despite my doubts, depression, and fears, I am creative.
What have you done that points to your creativity in the world?
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Photos credits: Flickr Creative Commons
