Everyone can be creative
I feel sad when I hear people describe themselves as not creative.
As we grow up, we become conditioned to go straight to analysis. A lot of adulting requires us to analyse and discard options quickly, and that is a really important skill. But it can develop at the cost of that inquisitive exploration that characterises childhood.
Edward de Bono liked to use the term lateral thinking, a term he coined, as it describes a process. And anyone can follow a process.
We still need traditional (or what de Bono called vertical) thinking to make use of the new ideas, of course. In his book “Lateral Thinking”, he said, “You cannot dig a hole in a different place by digging the same hole deeper. Vertical thinking is used to dig the same hole deeper. Lateral thinking is used to dig the hole in a different place.”
He strongly believed that anyone can develop skill in lateral thinking by using its techniques in a deliberate and practical way. It demystifies the process of creativity, by allowing us to liberate ourselves from old ideas and stimulate new ones.
So, if you think you’re not creative, think again. You may seriously surprise yourself by starting to think laterally, instead.