Are Some People Just Born Creative?

In his book THE MYTHS OF CREATIVITY, David Burkus takes a number of “truths” about creativity to task. One of those truths is the concept that some people are born creative, while other people do not inherit the alleged creativity gene.Burkus points out that this myth is damaging in at least two ways. First, it encourages people to pigeon hole themselves into one category: creative or non-creative. Someone who can paint well may come to believe that they do not have the analytical abilities to be an accountant. Someone who is comfortable with numbers may come to believe that a career in the arts is beyond their range. And so we see people self-selecting into the “creative” category or the “suit “category”. The myth that there is a creative breed encourages us all to choose to limit our potential, regardless of whether or not we view ourselves as one of the chosen few.And the truth is, no matter what metric is used or test administered, we have yet to define what makes one person creative and one person less so. There are no genetic markers for creativity, and no defining personality characteristics. Both of which suggest that creativity is not determined by nature, but by environment.A second way the myth is damaging is on the organizational level. As we self-select into “suits” and “creatives,” we stove-pipe our potential. Lawyers and accountants are taught to do things the way they have always been done – creative and innovative problem solving skills become secondary to a grasp of precedent and generally accepted principles. Conversely, creatives rarely learn the business skills necessary to assume leadership roles which require oversight of business personnel and procedures. And so, as the individuals suffer, so does the organization, by the imposition of limits in the way each individual can contribute to the whole. Writes Burkus:“Every organization wanting to stay competitive in an innovation-driven economy needs creativity from every one of its people. We need innovative ideas too much to seek them out from only those of a certain, imaginary breed.”Burkus does provide some examples of companies which are organized around the principle that everyone has creative abilities. Companies such as W.L. Gore & Associates and Semco have thrived by flattening hierarchical business models, eliminating the distinction between creative and suits, and encouraging every employee to be creative by allowing every employee by pursue their own projects and take leadership roles.So, in the post-industrial innovation economy, we all need to stop asking ourselves whether or not we were born creative, and start asking ourselves whether or not we are contributing to our fullest potential.