Dislodge: Using Creativity to Propel Us Forward

I'm a big fan of stand-up comics. Particularly the late-great Norm McDonald. On an episode of Norm's podcast, he featured David Letterman as a guest. An important note to make prior to telling this anecdote is that Norm had a sidekick on the show, Adam Eget. The latter often played the fool to generate laughs and was ultimately a significant contributor to the dynamic between him and Norm, usually him being the butt of many jokes. 

In this particular episode, Eget sets up one joke, which requires Letterman's participation. In a very nonchalant way, he begins by discussing his admiration for Letterman as a late-night television host. Then he goes in for the kill. Somehow simultaneously shamelessly and modestly, Eget asks: "where do you get your ideas from." Letterman, seemingly perplexed initially, starts to snicker. The snickering is then followed by more audible and discernable laughter (https://youtu.be/AKJtOoqTxRI) Eget has performed this joke with many guests, but what makes the joke funny exactly? 

What makes the joke funny is its absurdity (not unfamiliar territory for the Norm McDonald podcast). Where do our ideas come from? It's, in many regards, befuddlingly unanswerable. The fact that it's unanswerable almost renders it obsolete; its obsoletion being brought to the forefront and inquired about in a seemingly serious tone makes it hilarious. 

Is it obsolete, though? To me, the question of "where do" we "get" our "ideas from" is almost synonymous with another question: what is the source of our creativity? 

In this article, I'll examine the contexts from which we derive creativity and what we can do to harness more of it. This comes at a time after a global pandemic and in the midst of political turmoil and polarization. Finding new ways to adapt and live in a world in which we can thrive is a part of individual and cultural healing.

Openness to Experience

As far as personality is concerned, there seems to be one personality trait that enables creativity. In the personality index known as the Big Five (considered the most valid and reliable measurement of personality, sorry, Meyers-Briggs), openness to experience is the most commonly associated trait.

Openness to experience has six facets which include: active imagination (fantasy), aesthetic sensitivity, attentiveness to inner feelings, preference for variety (adventurousness), intellectual curiosity, and challenging authority (psychological liberalism)1. 

In applying these facets to creativity, one would need to fantasize for the purposes of imagining something that is unconventional, would have to have at least some intuitive sense of what is aesthetically pleasing vs. displeasing, and certainly need to challenge the status quo to bring forth something new, or at the very least feels new. Proclivities toward variety would undoubtedly come in handy should the aesthetics of one's creation begin to seem mundane. Intellectual curiosity could be helpful as one searches for deeper truths or new aesthetics to inform creative output. 

While identification of inner feelings could undoubtedly be useful, I don't believe it to be an absolute necessity, as we are all familiar enough, at least in some regard, with the "mad artist" archetype, working through feelings in the context of their respective medium in order to, unconsciously or consciously, protect themselves and others from projecting their discomfort onto any bystander. Their insanity matches their genius, as many historians point out. 

Creativity, however, could be employed to shift an identified feeling, let's say sadness, into contentment through a practice known as mental flexibility, which is the ability to change thought patterns in more adaptive ways. In fact, creative people have an increased capacity to do this. They paradoxically shift their thinking from the onset of their creative pursuit to reach the proverbial point B in the most conducive manner. For this reason, it should be stated that not all creative endeavors are emotionally laborious events. While the "mad artist" archetype is undoubtedly recognizable, it is not a prerequisite for being a creative individual. 

Of the Big Five personality traits (which also include conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism), openness to experiences is considered to be the most genetically heritable.2 If you're born into a family of creatives, you could very well be a creative person yourself.

Hope is not lost for those who seek to flex and enhance their creative muscles. It's been found if you live in a coastal city vs. more centralized and rural states, you likely are higher in openness to experience.3 While certainly this could be attributed to genetic factors, meaning that you come from a family born in a more urban area or you moved to a metropolitan area (likely because you're already high in the personality trait), there is also a chance that urban areas evoke a sense of economic competitiveness which can instigate one to think more creatively to thrive in that particular environment—something to consider.

For those of us, though, who seek to rejuvenate or find our creative muscle, it can be daunting when considering how to make this more of a reality for ourselves. From which point, particularly if we feel completely uninspired, do we begin? 

Suggestions

My first suggestion is to embrace fantasy as a part of your life. Fantasy, often labeled as daydreaming, instigates the grandiose question of "what if"? When one fantasizes, you are actively engaging the imagination of what it would look like if you were to do something ranging from slightly to radically different outside of etiquette, morals, values, ethics, and norms for your behavior. 

Fantasy is how the comic develops their punchline by imagining themselves delivering it to an audience, being received with rapturous laughter. Fantasy is employed when the head coach discusses a play to fool the other team's defense into scoring a goal during a football game. Fantasy is the actor's ability to develop a character through speech and body language. Fantasy is probably what you're engaging in if you are thinking about something other than the content you're reading in this text (sorry if I'm boring you, but at least you're finding a creative way to keep yourself entertained)

Also, fantasy can be a defense mechanism that prevents you from acting upon aggressive impulses. An example of this would be fantasizing about bashing the car windows of someone who parked too close to you in a parking garage, preventing you from entering your vehicle, with a baseball bat. Enacting this fantasy would likely lead to unfavorable consequences; however, you can at least enjoy the revenge imagery you sought in your mind. 

Fantasy can help you imagine worlds where characters live, or you find yourself in more favorable circumstances than what your present reality exhibits. In these types of innocuous cases, it's essential to act upon them. Write that novel you've been toying with for some time now. Start that business that you suspect could be a lucrative endeavor. 

If you refrain from enacting your fantasies, you risk living in these worlds you create in their most extreme form. Pathologically this can look like schizophrenia; fantasy at this point morphs into vivid hallucinations or delusions as a way to escape from the harshness of reality. In addition, fantasies of unbridled success that aren't backed up by any form of achievement, let alone an attempt at manifesting these fantasies as a reality, are a characteristic of narcissistic personality disorder. As a good precautionary note, it's best to enact fantasies, ensuring they're neither a harm to yourself nor others.

This brings us to the next way to enhance your creativity: entering the unknown. As nebulous as it may seem, the unknown is your ticket to escaping your life's day-to-day, mundane and monotonous aspects. All it takes is stepping outside your comfort zone to engage in something that does not fit within your everyday lexicon. 

Travel somewhere new, go to a gallery opening, see a show you know nothing about, read a book on a subject you're unfamiliar with, or drive to or from work on a different route. Entering the unknown involves a certain level of risk; you may not like what you find or experience. Regardless, you learn something about yourself, others, or the experience. Learning is a huge component of creativity. Believing you know what an experience will be like despite not having engaged in something similar prior is the belief of someone who lacks imagination. 

Entering the unknown is the first step of the monomyth, otherwise known as the "hero's journey." The monomyth is the archetypal narrative that the hero takes, descending into the unknown to conquer whatever lies beneath. It usually involves facing a hard truth about one's self to emerge victorious, particularly if an aspect of self or identity is sacrificed to incorporate something novel or new to help guide you out of your descent and ideally help you thrive in moving forward with your life. 

Classic Hollywood examples are littered everywhere, utilizing this format due to its universal nature. Think of the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Matrix, and Hunger Games series. The monomyth is a story that is seemingly as old as time itself.

Considering iconic heroes, in particular, ones that you feel you can personally identify with or various aspects of their journeys, you can help lay the road map for the beginning stages of your quest, as far as self-discovery is concerned. Generalizing and de-escalating the stakes of your favorite version of the monomyth can assist you in legitimizing and reducing any anxiety in getting your start.

This brings us to our third solution: accept that whatever you may have discovered through entering the unknown may have already been unearthed by someone else. 

While something may present as unconventional or original to you, and you are aware that others know about it, it does not mean it isn't worth treasuring or sharing with others. In other words, don't undermine the uniqueness that is inherent in your narrative. Devaluing this is a devaluation of your experience as a whole. It is also quite possible that others may find elements of your wanderings quite helpful and potentially transformative. 

For example, let's say you have an idea for a business that has been executed similarly, by someone else, in some way, shape, or form. Your idea is not quite the same as how you consider operationalizing things. Do you keep this information to yourself or share it with others? The only way you'll honestly know whether the idea has any sort of gravitas is by sharing it with others and listening to the feedback. 

This process involves a profound sense of vulnerability as it means potentially subjecting yourself to the gauntlet of criticism and, in a more optimistic sense, subjecting yourself to praise, encouragement, and community. 

Ultimately, allowing yourself the grace to increase your levels of self-awareness and further your conceptualization of the world, despite others' reactions, is a worthy endeavor.

Shifting gears, let's consider your reflection process. Alone time is something that can be quite useful. Solitude allows you to focus on what you're learning or what you have learned. It's not to say that being an extrovert isn't useful; however, taking your interactions with the world and providing yourself with the space to engage in an intentional reflective process helps you identify meaningful changes or the onset (or denouement) of a life transformation. 

In addition, solitude can assist you in differentiating between collective identities and the self—meaning you understand, with clarity, what groups of people or the world at large think vs. what you personally think and feel. Alone time can help delineate thoughts that are your own and those that you've adopted from others.4 

Being alone doesn't necessarily mean loneliness. You could feel lonely in a sea of people or be alone and feel deeply connected with those around you. Loneliness is merely a state of consciousness, impermanent and largely dependent upon mood. 

So, don't fret if you're unaccustomed to having more alone time, it can be a wonderful learning experience. Understanding why you're averse to being alone can be enlightening in itself, which can typically only be discovered in a state of isolation. Sometimes through the darkness of our private thoughts, there can be ample light, illuminating pathways forward we did not consider previously. 

Lastly, it's essential to value your sense of pessimism so that you can use it to inform your optimism. Sounds paradoxical, doesn't it?

The best ideas come from people who can identify a problem (pessimism) and develop unique ways of solving it (optimism)—frustrated that something doesn't work or isn't making your life any easier? No problem. You can come up with a solution yourself. 

Hitting a snag in whatever you're attempting to achieve, throwing your hands up in defeat, and retreating to a place that places little to no emphasis on creative problem solving is not a good place to be long term, although it can happen to the best of us. It's alright to feel hopeless or downtrodden from time to time, but if you perpetually feel this way, you're likely stuck within the confines of your own rigid thought patterns. 

When this occurs, reference some of what I've discussed in this article. Fantasize about being the hero who can triumph over any difficulty. Not only does it feel empowering to do so, but you may just find the answer you've been seeking.

When uncomfortable feelings emerge, perhaps from present frustrations or even unsatisfying memories, it's vital to reappraise how you judge these events. Hindsight is often 20/20, as they say. Additionally, see if you can look at what's happened to you recently and find something valuable that allows you to grow. 

In attempting to do so, it can be helpful to consider the importance of having gratitude for your suffering. Not that you should seek out suffering to increase the propensity for more eureka moments. Instead, consider the familiar old colloquialism: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. As retired as the phrase itself is, a profound psychological truth exists within it that can help build resilience and even post-traumatic growth. 

Again, as stated earlier when discussing the monomyth, sacrifice often accompanies growth. Out with the old narrative or way of thinking and in with the new, as long as it is conducive to increasing your ability for self-discovery and enhancing your quality of living. 

While some of these solutions may seem easier to be said than done, that's somewhat the point. Creativity doesn't always seamlessly flow through even the most creative individuals. Many creatives, whether they are cognizant of this or not, cultivate and nurture the conditions that enable them to continue boosting their creative output. Everyone experiences blockages from time to time, and utilizing some of the solutions provided above can assist in generating movement even when you feel stuck. Albeit, one must admit and accept that they are stuck before one can dislodge from their present emplacement.

Endnotes

1.  Costa, P. T., and McCrae, R. R. (1992). The NEO Inventories. Psychological Assessment Resources, 223–250. 

2.  Bouchard, T.J., Jr. and McGue, M. (2003), Genetic and environmental influences on human psychological differences. J. Neurobiol., 54: 4-45. https://doi.org/10.1002/neu.10160

3.  Simon, S. (2008, September 24). The United States of mind: Researchers identify regional personality traits across America. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 23, 2022, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122211987961064719?mod=yhoofront

4.  Kaufman, S. B., & Gregoire, C. (2016). Solitude. In Wired to create: Unraveling the mysteries of the creative mind (pp. 45–57). essay, Perigee Books.