Why Learning From The Past Harms Creativity

Time and time again we are told that children have a better imagination and creativity than us, grown-ups. And they are not always worse at solving problems!

Learning from our past experiences is something that we are all conditioned to grow with. It is not necessarily a bad thing because learning from our observations and past behaviors helps us improve, not make the same mistakes, and of course, save our lives.

However, you will realize that the most successful people in the world, got to where they are by being creative thinkers. They are able to find solutions to new problems and creating a new strategies by a combination of creative thinking and logical decisions. Why do some people, although given the same IQ and resources, are not able to produce better results? The answer is: creative thinking. (Read this: http://m.fastcompany.com/3017054/leadership-now/how-albert-einstein-steve-jobs-and-maria-popova-get-more-creative)

Thankfully, creative thinking is inbuilt in everyone one of us. As children, we have little or no ideas on how the world SHOULD work. Everything might seem to be a challenge, but if you observe children, they are not strangely not inundated with the idea of survival, whereas they are constantly relying on instincts and creative thinking to get by day by day. I can spend a long time watching my 4-year-old figure her way to get something that she wants. It might not always be the most direct way, but it is almost certainly creative.

As we grow, part of us lose the creative thinking process. We tend to fear mistakes and take less risks. The lesson here is to get out of our comfort zone and forget what we are taught, in order to solve problems. We should also slow down, take a day at a time, and stop planning so far ahead. That way, we can find more time to take in our surroundings and get creative!

Here are some awesome tips on how you can unlock back the creative mind in you:
http://creativethinking.net/articles/2012/08/23/become-a-child-again

Rachel P. is a mother, and a full-time graphic ad web designer. she enjoys making people laugh, cooking, mothering, designing and a whole host of other activities in addition to writing.