People don't like creativity

In the United States, we have been taught since childhood to appreciate the achievements of inventors and thinkers — creative people whose ideas have changed our world. We honor gifted people, the greatest artists and innovators from Van Gogh to Steve Jobs. The opportunity to look at the world creatively is wealth and virtue. Now the base of vacancies and resumes are crammed with ads about hiring "people with ideas" and "creative thinkers." We are taught that our own creative potential will also be welcomed, and that if we have good ideas, we will succeed.



This is all a lie. Often overlooked is the other side of creativity: most people really can't stand it. Research confirms what many creative people have long suspected: people are biased about creative thinking , despite all their persistence in proving the opposite.

- We equate creative people with heroes, we glorify them, but in reality we only glorify the consequences of their actions,

says Barry Stowe, a Berkeley business school researcher at the University of California who specializes in creativity. Stowe notes that most people are not at risk. He calls them non-conflict people. “Although we value independence in Western cultures, it is fraught with great pressure,” he says. Such people do not like to make noise, even if they have to retreat from the truth or refuse a good idea.



Even people who say they are looking for creativity react negatively to such ideas, as confirmed in a 2011 study by the University of Pennsylvania. Uncertainty is an integral part of new ideas, and people really want to avoid it. A nationwide predilection for certainty sets people against creativity and can impair their ability to recognize creative ideas . My close friend works in a technology startup. She is a very creative and intelligent person who loves to take risks. Although the company initially hired her to solve problems, she is regularly unable to do this because no one is listening to her ideas. "I even say:" I will do my job. Just give me freedom of action, and I will do everything myself, she says, but no one agrees, so the system remains less efficient. ”

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In the documentary, the September issue of Anna Wintour systematically rejects the ideas of its creative director Grace Coddington, it would seem, only then, to assert his authority. It is habitual and often infuriates creative people. Even in the supposedly creative environment, in the departments of advertising agencies and at editorial meetings of magazines, I watched as people with the most interesting - the most "unusual" - ideas were ignored or ridiculed in favor of those who advocated for the already made decision.

- Everyone hates really awesome things.

says publicist and critic Dave Hickey. He is known for his caustic remarks about the world of art , in particular, about art education, which, in his opinion, elevates mediocrity through constant rejection of good ideas. Art is experiencing what Hickey calls the "stupid phase."



In fact, everyone I spoke with agreed on one thing — mediocre ideas are much more likely to succeed than unusual ones.

In 1995, Stowe was asked to work on a book about creativity in the corporate world. Fed up with hypocrisy around him, he called his chapter "Why no one likes creativity . " The chapter denounces the attitude of our culture to ideas and creative people:

From the point of view of decision-making style, most people are devoid of a creative ideal ... If people are not responsible for how they make decisions, they tend to look for an easy way - they do not participate in cautious reflections or adapt to the preferences of those who evaluate themselves.



Unfortunately, the place where our first creative ideas disappear is the school that really should be the most tolerant of them. Studies show that teachers are biased towards creative students , giving preference to their non-conflicting classmates who are willing to follow directions and do what they are told. Even if the children are lucky, and their ideas will begin to listen, standardized testing and other programs, for example, “No Lagging Child” and “Race for the Championship” (No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top) (a program that is diametrically opposed to creative thinking), make sure that children's minds do not take the “wrong” path , although the achievements of adults are much more closely related to creativity than to IQ. This is ridiculous, because while the children are told about the achievements of the most innovative minds of our world, their own creativity is being oppressed.

It is difficult to reconcile with such a bad state of affairs, and social rejection can be as painful as physical pain . But we have a glimmer of hope. A study by Cornell University argues that social exclusion is actually not so disastrous for the creative process and may even contribute to it . Research shows that if you suspect that you are not at ease, rejection once again confirms this conjecture. Thanks to this, creative people can stop trying to adapt to others, which will allow them to defend their interests.



Perhaps for some people the pain of rejection will be akin to pain when preparing for a marathon - this is training the mind for endurance. Studies show that you will need it. Truly creative ideas can wait a very long time for approval. The better the idea, the longer it can take. Even the works of the Nobel Prize winners were often and long rejected by their contemporaries.

Most people agree that creative individuals who have become famous are distinguished by their resilience. Although creativity is sometimes very useful, it does not bring happiness. Stowe says that a successful creative person is one "who can go against other people, while remaining impenetrable to social pressure."



Creative life is a choice. You must take responsibility for your mind and understand that people may not accept you. You must stop trying to please people, and often even to yourself.