Artists or not - The 5 Barriers to Creativity

Ok, take your shoes off, lets talk.

To be "creative",  it often takes a ton of effort, but maybe not the kind of effort you think. Why is it always hard to start a project for school or work? Maybe it's because creativity takes a lot of effort right out of the gate, but it's worth it at the end. It's this effort you put into being creative that allows you to break through any thresholds that are holding you back. Without this effort, you will never know how much creativity can really help you.

I'm serious!

Creativity is like a little worker in your brain that is in charge of all things novel or original. 

That little worker is your brainstormer and idea generator, without it you are extremely limited. This worker can be used with anything, but it has to get to its work station! There are barriers your worker has to get through before it can start working. The only difference between someone who is creative and someone who claims not to be creative is their willingness to help their workers through these barriers. Once you are there, once you feel that creative momentum building, it's easy to maintain it. It's getting there that is the most difficult part.

What are the creative thresholds or barriers we have to get our little worker through? Here's a list!

1. There's only one solution to every problem

FALSE! There's a mindset creative people switch on when they are wanting originality. You have to train yourself to think there is always more then one answer to every question. Even though the obvious solution is probably correct, it's important for you to spend some time searching for more. This is against everything school has taught you with their multiple choice questions on tests and their teachers fishing for one answer to all of their questions.

Sometimes it's hard to force yourself into the mindset of uncertainty, but welcome to creativity's favorite arena!  Studies show there is a bias against creativity (inability to recognize it) when someone is uncomfortable with this mindset of more then one answer. The study states, "This bias against creativity interferes with participants ability to recognize a creative idea.  [There is a] concealed barrier that creative actors may face as they attempt to gain acceptance for their novel ideas."

Don't freak out that you won't get an idea or find the right solutions, it's important that you are confident in the process of walking through uncertainty in order to find the perfect and original idea. Once you get going you start to generate more ideas and solutions that you can handle. That is a good problem for you to have!

2. Visualizing success

Have you ever been obsessed with a work assignment or an art project? If not, you should try it! It's almost like you can see the end and how it affects you and everyone else when it's done. When someone dumb enough tells you it's impossible, your vision of completion is so strong you can work through the criticism. That vision of what it can be is what takes over your thoughts and motivates you.

Often times creative people see things as they will be or can be, not what they are. 


When trying to help your worker over this hurdle, it's important you don't give a deaf ear to critics. They can help you see angles you couldn't see before. However, you need to make sure your vision of the ultimate goal is continually being built upon and not crumbling due to the critics. 

3. Lack of courage

Have some guts to push your idea into reality! I imagine some of the best paintings were never painted, the most persuasive papers were never written, and the most profound business venture were never suggested because the artist, writer, or business person let the thought drift away without writing it down or putting a few hours into it. Courage to act on ideas and to stand out from the norm is key to unlocking creativity. 

Apple is a great example of a computer company who was looked down upon for starting something fresh and new from the norm ( the PC). It took determination and courage to get through the beginning hardships but man were the payoffs worth it!

4. Embracing Failure

When searching for more then one answer and having courage in just acting on your ideas, you must expect some trips and falls. One of my favorite quotes is from Leo Burnett (one of the most creative men in the advertising industry) who said, "To swear off making mistakes is easy. All you have to do is swear off having ideas."

We all know Thomas Edison said while inventing the light bulb he had never failed, but only found 10,000 ways that won't work. Was he just defiant? Or had he embraced the process of creativity? We should all emulate Edison if we want to be creative. 

5. The "why" mindset 

Most of the effort required to be creative happens in the mind. Your mind needs to be willing to look at situations, problems, or a blank canvas with an amount of openness. However, have you ever tried to think of nothing?

 It's not the most productive pursuit. So instead of clearing the mind, you need to train it to ask the right questions. Be busy with the right things. It's almost like you are filling your brain with a bunch of receivers trying to catch the creative ideas floating around. The best kind of receivers or questions to fill your mind with are the why questions.

For example, if a new privately owned business was trying to market correctly their new products, they should be asking questions like:

Why would a consumer buy my product? Why aren't they buying my product? Why do they buy my competitor's product? Why does my product stand out among competitors? 

It's simple, just adding the word "why" in front of all your questions, but in doing so you are training your brain to function creatively. When you have that mindset you are better able to recognize creative thoughts. 

There are other hurdles and barriers that keep someone from being creative, however these are the bigger ones. Your little worker will find its way in and you'll be surprised how much it can do! Try these out the next time you are faced with a project or stuck on something with work. Simply put: 

Creativity comes to those willing to run the first hundred yards of a mile long idea.