EDWARD DE BONO'S MESSAGES - 19th June 2000

Old Fashioned Ideas on Creativity!

I am continually amazed by how old-fashioned are most people's ideas about creativity. This includes people at the highest level who have to make decisions about fostering creativity. Among the many misconceptions there are the following:

1.    That creativity is a mystical talent which some people have and others do not. This is nonsense. Creativity (for ideas) is a specific thinking skill which everyone can develop. Some people will be better than others as with any skill. Creativity is thinking in a self-organising information universe with the lateral thinking tools for cutting across asymmetric patterns. No mystic about it. If we refuse to do anything about creativity then creativity has to be a talent because we are doing nothing else.

2.    That creativity is a matter of being free and brain-storming and that any attempt to systemise creativity is counter-productive. This is a misunderstanding of tools. The tools of a carpenter greatly enhance the carpenter's skill. Without such tools the carpenter could do little.

3.    That creativity depends on the right culture, climate, ambience etc. and getting this right is what matters. Certainly the right climate helps just as a desk helps with writing - but you can write without a desk.

4.    That creativity is to do with art and if you put art somewhere in the curriculum you are teaching creativity. This is dangerous nonsense because it means that creativity is not taught.  Art is one small aspect of creativity and has much to do with the power of expression, aesthetic sense etc. and not much to do with creating new ideas.

Why don't these people with such out of date views on creativity come to a seminar of mine? This goes for governments too.

Edward de Bono nmt
18th June 2000
Hobart