How to inspire creativity at work, home, and society (according to science)

Every once in a while, society holds up a mirror to look at its true reflection. An artist did that recently when he said in a speech:

“The arts break rules. Artists break rules. Not legal rules. But the rules of the creative process. Children do it all the time. They want to paint a green sky and yellow sea.”

“But as they get older they are told, no, no, no. The sky must be
blue. No. The sea cannot be yellow.”

This hit home for me. We’ve heard many nos in our lives. Nos from people afraid of change. Nos from territorial managers protecting their turf.

Perhaps you’re trying to find a way to turn a no into a yes.

Here’s something that might help. I’ve compiled a list of advice you can take – not the airy-fairy stuff, but tips based on scientific research – that can help you become more creative, or inspire creativity in your organization.

The list is primarily based on the book Originals: How non-conformists move the world, which I highly recommend.

If you’re ready, let’s start.

Avoid agreeable managers.

We gravitate towards the boss we can pal with. The downside is that agreeable bosses are more prone to preserving the status quo as they want to avoid conflict, research has found.

On the other hand, disagreeable bosses, as unpleasant as they sometimes are, tend to value diverse thoughts more. Another study revealed that leaders who have a history of challenging the status quo tend to appreciate new ideas more and are less threatened by inputs from others.

Read more: How one woman stood up to Steve Jobs and got promoted

Take up artistic hobbies.

Seek feedback from peers with both broad and wide knowledge.

Eliminate the myth that creativity is all about risk-taking.

Procrastinate.

Keep experimenting.

Don’t demand solutions.

Make dissent an explicit and core part of your organization’s culture.

Disguise creative ideas as trojan horses.

Don’t over-rely on data.

Don’t just prescribe rules for your kids. Explain “why.”