Five Barriers to Creativity

Sometimes we stifle our creativity by limiting the way we think. Here are five common barriers to creativity:
1) “There’s just one way to solve a problem.”
2) “I need a new and unique solution, not one that’s borrowed or adapted.”
3) “I don’t really understand the tools and materials.”
4) “I just build, without planning or visualizing.”
5) “My fears or ego interfere with creativity.”

Below are some ways to overcome these five barriers.

Barrier 1: Only One Way to Solve a Problem
When we try to solve a problem, sometimes our solution clicks and sometimes it doesn’t. When it doesn’t work, we should ask ourselves:
• Are we trying to solving the right problem? We often try to solve the first problem we see or the easiest first.

• Are we solving this problem in the right order compared with other problems? Often the right solution out of sequence is just bad as the wrong solution.
• Are we using the correct tools? If not, the solution may take much longer, or it may not be smooth or effective. You might use another tool in an unusual way to solve a problem.

Barrier 2: Our Creation Must Be All “New”
We often think our creation must be totally new. Granted, we shouldn’t violate copyrights or patents, but our work can have small pieces or qualities that have been used many times in many other works. For example, artists use and reuse the same colors and media; musicians use and reuse the same 12 notes of the chromatic scale. So, much of the creative essence lies in how elements are combined, not in finding completely “new” elements. In each art form there are countless ways to combine elements and materials. Some combinations make no sense, some are very obvious, and some fit somewhere in between, with a wide range of meanings and beauty. Our task is to find the “beautiful” combinations to build our creation.

Barrier 3: We Don’t Know Materials/Tools
If we don’t know how to use our materials or tools, we can’t be creative in the art form. (We can still appreciate how someone else uses materials and tools. I appreciate painting, but I don’t paint well.) But using tools and materials doesn’t make us creative. It opens possibilities and removes barriers, but we’re still responsible to use tools and materials wisely, with imagination. Our knowledge unlocks creativity; our wisdom unleashes it. In every art form, some artists have limited technical skills, while others have great technical
mastery. There are also art works that are:

• Not technically sound and not creative. This is the weakest kind of art.
• Technically sound but not creative. This kind of art is usually produced with much attention to detail but not enough attention to vision. The artist needs to see and try other combinations and possibilities, perhaps outside the traditional boundaries.
• Creative but not technically sound. This is typical of younger artists who see possibilities but haven’t mastered materials and tools yet. I would rather be in this situation than in the “technically sound but not creative” one.
• Creative and technically sound. This is what we strive for, remembering that technique serves creativity, not the other way around.

As artists, we strive to reach the level where we produce creative and technically sound art.

Barrier 4: We Don’t Plan or Visualize
Some think creativity is blocking out all conscious thinking and “letting it fly.” On the contrary, logical thinking is an important part in creativity. The trick is to get your brain’s logical (left) side and creative (right) side to cooperate in the creative process. When the right side says “What if we try this?” the left side can say “Here’s some stuff to help you do that...” or maybe “I don’t think our ship can handle Warp 9, Captain.”
Before you start creating, it’s important to:

• Get a basic idea of what you are creating.
• Know your audience’s expectations and your own.
• Know space/time limitations on your creation.

The amount of planning may depend on how complex the creation is and what the art form is. Usually, static art forms such as painting and sculpture need more specific planning, where you visualize details before you begin. A real-time art form such as jazz improv or impromptu speaking requires more general planning. This means you collect details about what you can do, but you make most creative decisions as you are create.

Barrier 5: We Let Fear and Ego Defeat Us
We often fear these things when we try to create:
• New or unexplored territory. Remember: new areas bring new adventure. If you’re prepared, new is good; if you’re not, new can be intimidating.
• Thoughts of failure. Small mistakes don’t cancel out the rest of our creation. Most finished works still have small imperfections; many have even suffered through corrections of major mistakes. If we err, it should be in technique, not in the ideas we convey.
• Criticism from our audience. What will the audience think? Actually, you must be solidly in touch with art, without an audience; then be ready for positive or negative feedback. Some of what they say may be wrong; some may be true but harsh; and some may be true and helpful. Screen and use audience feedback to improve your creations.

Our own egos can also block creativity. Competing for awards can focus us on arbitrary opinions instead of art. Or we can get into safe ruts, where we feel accepted and competent but where there’s no room for growth. Where art is a team effort, as in a musical group, the ego of one artist can cancel out contributions of others. To me, the truly great artist is the one who also realizes how much more could be done, then improves the creation next time.