Not Afraid of Snakes or Creativity? 'Creative Mindset'

A book for thinking about the next communication.
This time, we feature "The Creative Mindset: How to Awaken Your Imagination, Curiosity, and Courage" by Tom Kelly & David Kelly (Nikkei BP).

Do you consider yourself "creative"?
According to research cited in this book, 75% of people don't think so.

The groundbreaking aspect of this book is its premise that everyone, regardless of profession, is inherently "creative." Yet, far too many people have suppressed this potential due to life experiences. The book carries a powerful message: if more people could experience the joy of creativity, "the world can be changed. It can be made better."

"The world needs more creative policymakers, managers, and real estate agents."(p.25)

Moreover, this message isn't mere wishful thinking. It's backed by the authors' compelling, real-world experience: working with rigid corporate executives as clients at IDEO (a global innovation consulting firm) and collaborating with diverse graduate students in workshops at Stanford's d.school.

For instance, executives from client companies who approach IDEO reportedly start projects by unanimously declaring, "We're not creative." They often show little interest in the creative process itself during teamwork, focusing solely on the final outcome. Yet, by the project's latter stages, they stand shoulder-to-shoulder with IDEO members, intently observing their methods and actively trying to generate new ideas themselves.

Furthermore, some students who took the d.school course would return to the classroom months later, excitedly sharing, "For the first time, I feel like I'm creative," or "I can now apply creativity to any challenge." Some students even became so overcome with emotion that they started crying.

David Kelly, one of the authors and the older brother, dubbed this transformation "flipping." It aptly captures the shift from a previously rigid mindset to one where creative drive sprouts, flipping them into a different psychological state.

His brother, Tom Kelly, had previously published two bestsellers, "The Creative Company!" and "The Innovation Master!", sharing various methodologies honed at "IDEO". However, he realized anew that, even before such methodologies, the biggest obstacle to "human creativity" was the lack of confidence stemming from the belief "I am not creative." This realization led him to begin writing this book with his brother.

Therefore, the keyword of this book is, quite simply, "Creative Confidence." It's an impressive phrase that also serves as the original title.

"Believing in your own creativity is the very core of innovation." "This confidence is like a muscle. It can be strengthened and trained through effort and experience. (p.18)"

So how do you build this confidence? The authors place "overcoming fear" at the top of the list.

People lacking creative confidence often assume they lack talent or, due to unpleasant childhood experiences, harbor fears like "What if I fail?" or "What if I'm ridiculed and embarrassed?" Overcoming these fears is crucial.

The book introduces an episode about treating "snake phobia." Overcoming snake phobia requires a process called "guided habituation." This method involves not confronting the major fear all at once, but instead, under expert guidance, taking small, manageable steps one by one until you can eventually tolerate being touched by a snake. When patients overcome a phobia they thought would never go away, their entire perspective on life changes dramatically. They realize, "I have the ability to change" and "I can achieve things."

Compared to the fear of snakes, creativity should inherently be enjoyable. The author encourages us, saying that even if you lack confidence in your creativity now, gradually overcoming several fears can change your self-perception and allow your true creativity to flourish.

In the realm of creativity, the greatest hurdle is often the "fear of failure." The author advises reframing failure as essential for successful innovation and emphasizes the importance of cultivating a mindset where failure is expected.

"Society stubbornly believes that 'geniuses of creativity rarely fail.' (...) From artists like Mozart to scientists like Darwin, those with genius-level creativity also experience numerous failures. The difference is they don't use failure as an excuse to stop challenging themselves. (From pp. 66-67)"

"Ultimately, 'genius flashes' don't come because they have a higher success rate than others. It's simply because they attempt more things. (...) If you want more success, you need to prepare yourself to fail more."(p. 67)

To achieve this, he recommends creating a mindset, environment, and team where failure is acceptable, making it easier to fail repeatedly. For instance, framing your challenges as "experiments" or "games" to those around you can help you avoid feeling hurt even if you fail, or building a circle of friends with whom you can be vulnerable and ask for help when needed.

After carefully explaining how to "overcome fear," the latter half introduces various techniques for unleashing creativity. These include "thinking like a traveler," "paying relaxed attention," and "reframing the problem." As you read on, you gradually feel motivated, thinking you too can bring about some kind of change. That might be the book's greatest benefit.

Moreover, Tom Kelly, who has a Japanese wife and is a great Japanophile, states unequivocally, "Japanese people are truly creative." In a recent survey of 5,000 people across five countries (Adobe State of Create Study, 2012), when asked "Which country do you think is the most creative?", Japan took first place, beating the US by a full 10 percentage points. However, the Japanese themselves were the least likely to answer that they were the most creative.

While this may reflect the Japanese sense of modesty, it makes one wonder if now is the time for each individual to gain "Creative Confidence" and aim for an even more "Innovation-Driven Nation."

Personally, though, I feel terms like "creative" and "innovation" themselves raise the bar too high. Developing lighter words for Japanese people, like "good idea" or "aha moment," might be a viable option.

【Dentsu Inc. Modern Communication Lab】