Anyone starting off their journey as a designer wants to ace the skill we call ‘creativity’. But what does it take to be creative? That’s the direction we lack.

It's common to hear, "You're a designer, you must be creative." or "You're a creative person, you’d make a great designer." But as a designer myself, I find these questions strange to answer. That’s because I don’t believe ‘creativity’ is a skill that only a select few are born with. And I don’t think that ‘creativity’ can be confined to just one type of job or work. A doctor can still be a creative person with the work he does. His creativity lies in how he approaches a problem. Want to see a 1 year old get creative? Give him a spoon and he will start making music out of it. That’s creativity. Just kidding (but not really)! A kid with a spoon is just trying to explore and figure out what he’s holding and what he can do with it. That basic curiosity we had as children is what helped (and helps) us explore and study everything around us as we grow.

What we refer to as ‘creativity’ is the process of using something that is meant for purpose A for something completely different (a wacky purpose X) and still getting the best outcome. Sometimes the most creative things are the result of a happy accident. Check out this link for a few examples of accidental inventions. 

So if creativity is a myth, how can you master it?

The answer to this question lies in the science of neurobiology. I’ve tried to break it down in the simplest way from my understanding.

Step 1: When someone looks at something for the first time, they create an instance in their brain. That instance is called a Stimulus.

Step 2: With time, we observe a lot of things and create a lot of these instances. And these are called stimuli.

Step 3: When we try to think or ideate or ‘get creative’, we come up with solutions by referring to this bank of stimuli for inspiration. The more stimuli the more (and better) the ideas you generate.  

This cycle looks something like this

Diving deeper, here is how you can master this invisible skill

1. Explore more 

Backed by the science of neurobiology, it is evident that we can only learn by stimulating our neurons with new experiences and creating a stimulus each time. The only obvious way to achieve this is to explore as much as you can of everything that’s out there. This will help you reimagine what you experienced when those stimuli were established, and use your imagination to generate new ideas. The tip here is to explore more of what you haven’t seen enough.

2. Master Technology

It would be an impossible mission for someone to compose music with an instrument they have never played before. What I’m trying to say here is that gaps in your technical skills will limit exploration, which inturn limits your creativity. Once you master a tool or tech, you will discover greater ways to generate ideas that you would have never even thought of before.

3. The Secret Mix

Now you know that exploring wider forms of art and expanding your technical knowledge are the foundation to mastering creativity. The next step? Mix the 2 lessons learnt above.

This mix is the key to unlocking creativity. Combining different style ideas with better tech and tool knowledge will help you master creativity. 

The Final Verdict

So is creativity a myth? No. Our definition of the word might be a bit limited. No one is born creative. Creativity is born out of how well you put your experiences to work with your imagination. When you feel a creative block, just be aware that you’re either running short of proper references or you may not have enough proficiency in the platform you're trying to create on.

Also remember that creativity is just another skill to train yourself in by revisiting references for inspiration and learning your tools. Just like anything else that’s worth the effort, this will take time. Do not rush the process, be gentle with your thoughts and get those creative juices flowing.