This essay is the fourth in the series “Good Habits.” The discussion is based on my book of the same title.
Creativity is a mental process for producing ideas that are both uncommon and uncommonly good, ideas that solve problems and resolve issues. Studies show that 95 percent of us have significant creativity in early childhood, but 2 percent still have it in adulthood. Why? Because most of us are discouraged from curiosity, which is the basis of creativity. The stifling begins in childhood. When we ask our parents “why this,” “why that,” “why the other thing,” over and over, they quickly become impatient and show it. Teachers behave similarly. They discourage questions because they are on a teaching timetable and answering questions slows them down. The silencing of children is by no means new. “Children should be seen and not heard” was a common idea in the 1800s and perhaps much earlier.
Children who get such messages stifle themselves, first by not asking questions and then by not even thinking of questions to ask. In other words, they adopt the habit of simply accepting what they are told by parents, then teachers, then peers, then news sources and advertisers. In many cases, their perspective becomes incompatible with thinking creatively or, for that matter, critically or reflectively.
Fortunately, the loss of creativity needn’t be permanent. By re-stimulating our curiosity, we can develop our mental processes. Here are a few of the ways:
Probe what makes us laugh. Understanding how humor works is not only enjoyable but useful as well. Let’s look closely at three jokes by Henny Youngman.
1) “I went to visit my doctor with a sore foot. He said, ‘I’ll have you walking in an hour.’ He did. He stole my car.”
2) “I’m a light eater. As soon as it gets light, I start eating.”
3) “Some day you’ll go too far . . . and I hope you’ll stay there.”
All three begin with a fairly common statement. However, the punch line that follows each is completely unexpected and our surprise makes us laugh. There is no magic in the process. We can duplicate it by taking a familiar statement and replacing the ending with an unexpected one.
Be more curious about words. There are two kinds of vocabularies–those that we only recognize, and those and we also use. We all have far more of the first kind than the second. Accomplished writers understand that the first word that comes to mind may not be the best one to express a thought. For example, when they write the word “surprise,” and then ask themselves “might there be a better word in this case?” They then consult a thesaurus for synonyms and find “shock, revelation, amazement, astonishment.” Or when the word “argue” comes to mind, they search and find “dispute, protest, quibble, dissent, challenge, object, contest, quarrel, debate, question.” Following their example will both make us curious about words and able to express our ideas more precisely and therefore creatively.
Question TV advertisements. In recent years the number of TV ads has greatly increased. I have previously written of the time to be saved by first taping shows so we can skim through the ads. But in small doses ads can be useful stimulants for curiosity. Among the most useful questions to ask are, Why are laughing, dancing, bike riding people in the ad? How are they intended to affect me? Why are celebrities in the ad? What is the likelihood that they have been paid for their endorsements? In the case of pharmaceutical ads, Why are the warning statements so much quieter or in smaller print? How dangerous are the effects warned against? Do the products’ claimed good effects outweigh the dangers? How do medical authorities rate the product?
See frustration as a springboard to creativity. How often do we encounter products systems with flaws? These days, pretty often. Our tendency may be to grumble and live with them, or instead ask for a refund. Either way, we can put our frustration to good use by considering how the product or system could be improved. Such considerations are exactly what inventors and other problem solvers practice. And every time they use them, their curiosity is sharpened and their creativity stimulated.
Leapfrog others’ creativity. Many years ago, milk cartons were plain things. Then someone thought of adding a purpose to them by posting pictures of missing children. Millions of us said “great idea, wish I’d thought of it,” and went on about our business. Meanwhile the more creative among us pondered what other uses those plain cartons could serve.” Some of those creative people even looked beyond milk cartons and asked what new uses grocery bags, soda bottles, and other items could serve. The value of our being imperfect creatures is that no matter what any of us achieve, it can always be improved upon. And life invites each of us to join the process.
Anticipate objections to your ideas. Most of the ways mentioned above for stimulating our curiosity and thus our creativity are easily accepted. Anticipating objections to our ideas is more difficult. It is natural to regard our ideas as more sound than other people’s, if for no other reason than their familiarity to us. In the present age this limitation is enhanced by our culture’s foolish elevation of “selfism” far beyond reasonableness. This is unfortunate because understanding other peoples’ views enlarges our perspective dramatically, allowing us to see with many eyes and ears instead of only two of each. And pursuing such understanding before finalizing our ideas can make our thinking clearer, more substantive, and wiser.
Finally, if you haven’t previously seen the relationship between curiosity and creativity, the above suggestions make it clear. They also demonstrate that creativity is not solely for musicians and artists but for people in every field of study and interest.
Copyright © 2025 by Vincent Ryan Ruggiero. All rights reserved.