Have You Ever Faked Creativity (Be Honest)?
Have You Ever Faked Creativity (Be Honest)?

We all know great ideas are elusive at times.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

Have you ever faked creativity?

Go on, be honest. We all know creativity is elusive at times.

You can set the right mood with music, lighting and comfortable seating. Yet despite all the coaxing, inspiration fails to strike.

It’s maddening, right?

Whether you’re a writer, artist or designer, there is a natural ebb and flow to any creative process. Sometimes you feel stuck or uninspired. Other times the ideas flow freely.

I work in a creative industry. Everyday I am expected to come up with ideas and insight on demand. Some days I am more creative than others. When I am less inspired, I dig deep. I rely on my technical training to push through blocks. Yet deep down I may not be satisfied with the quality of my output.

Deep down I know when I am faking creativity.

No one knows for sure how creativity works.

Everyone knows the left-brain versus right-brain thinking. This type of binary brain theory is considered overly simplistic and passé by neurological experts.

New brain theory suggests creativity occurs when the brain connects between three different networks.

When we daydream or brainstorm we use our brain’s default network. When we carry out complex problem solving we use our executive control network. The salience network detects environmental stimuli and switches between the other two networks.

It’s the synchrony between these three large-scale brain networks that seems to be important for creativity — Roger Beaty, Neuroscientist

In other words: people who think more flexibly and come up with creative ideas may be better able to engage regions of the brain that typically don’t work together.

Is it possible to spark brain connectivity to boost our creativity?

Now that is the multi-million-dollar question!

We are scratching the surface of the possibilities of brain science. Will we determine if brain network connectivity can be modified or improved? And if so, would that impact or enable us to be more creative?

Only time will tell.

For now when creativity stagnates, your best bet is to — trust in your process. My creative process based on design thinking is outlined in this article below.

Thank you for reading!
['Lucy King']
['Life Lessons', 'Self Improvement', 'Creativity', 'Ideas', 'Design']