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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Creative Confidence summary
Tom and David Kelley
Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All
21 mins
Topics
Table of Contents
Creative Confidence
Summary of 9 key ideas
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Key idea 1 of 9
Creativity is about all kinds of imaginative innovation, not just genius masterpieces.
What is creativity? Is it daubing breathtaking paintings, sculpting Greek icons out of marble slabs or writing sonorous music?
Great creativity sometimes finds its expression in the fine arts, but it actually has a much broader application. Creativity means simply using your imagination to create something new.
This broader definition embraces many different aspects of creative work that otherwise go unseen. Not only does it include the work of artists, but also the work of more analytical types, like CEOs or computer programmers.
Indeed, these analytical types express their creativity whenever they make something new: for example, when the computer programer creates a novel web interface, or the CEO develops a new business strategy.
When we employ this broader definition of creativity, we discover that we are all born to be creative.
As young children, we finger-painted and danced around the room. We built tree houses with our own hands and found interesting solutions to the problems we faced.
Unfortunately, as we grow older, many of us stop acting out our creativity. However, we never actually lose the ability altogether.
In fact, you can think of your creativity as a muscle that you can train and use to find innovative solutions to problems.
Even if you haven’t flexed this muscle for a while, it only takes a bit of training and hard work before you can make it strong again.
Just look at the magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI) technician Doug Mietz – very much the analytic type. He struggled to find ways to make children feel safe when they were being scanned in one of these intimidating machines, but with the help of the authors, he was able to train his creative muscle in order to find a solution.
His imaginative solution involved completely changing the look and designs of these clinical machines to something adventurous, like a pirate ship or a UFO. The kids then saw the experience of getting scanned as an exciting adventure rather than something dreadful.
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What is Creative Confidence about?
Creative Confidence shows us the amazing value and impact that creativity has in our everyday lives. In fact, being able to think creatively can increase your happiness and success in both your professional and personal spheres. Luckily, artists and musicians don’t have a monopoly on creativity. With the right techniques and mind-set, anyone can think creatively.
Best quote from Creative Confidence
Theres no word in the Tibetan language for creativity. The closest translation is natural.
—Tom and David Kelley
Who should read Creative Confidence?
- Anybody interested in the process of innovation
- Anybody who wants to rekindle their own creative energy
- Anybody who wants to change the world for the better
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