Robert “Bob” Sternberg believes that “creative people are ones who buy low and sell high in the world of ideas. In other words, they defy the crowd by generating ideas that tend to be unpopular at the time they are first proposed; then they convince others of the worth of their ideas; then they move on to their next unpopular idea.” His theory is based on the notion that creativity is a form of leadership.

This raises a great debate – are creative-thinkers leaders?

Another school of thought believes that reasonable men/women adapt to the world, where unreasonable men/women believe that the world adapts to them, thus most progress is made by unreasonable men/women.

Are creative thinkers unreasonable?

Yet another school of thought is that greatness or creativity is earned / learned while others have greatness / creativity thrust upon them; be it “god given” or through DNA (i.e. your parents were creative)

Are you born with “it”, blessed with “it” or do you learn “it”.

These are the ideas and concepts that plague the creative thinker - artists, designers, writers, poets, musicians, etc. Where does my creativity come from? What do I do with these thoughts, ideas. concepts, etc.? Why don’t they see what I’m seeing? Am I crazy? Some of us constantly question the unsteady stream of creative thought that we are blessed / cursed with while others just “go with it”. But I do believe that we, as creative thinkers, need to occasionally take a second and think about some of these concepts.

When presenting a new idea, I think it’s healthy to reevaluate your creative output based on the “leadership” concept. Does this design motivate someone to do something? Does this song change the way someone might see their world? Did I change humanity with that new logo design? Probably not but you get the idea. It’s healthy to reevaluate yourself as a “creative leader” and not just limit yourself to a category – i.e. painter, designer, poet, etc. Push yourself. Lead, don’t follow and try to sell your idea. Stick to “it” if you believe in “it”. Be prepared to stand alone at times.

“Think outside of the box”. I hate that statement. It’s a shortcut to thinking. What is the “box”? Who made the “box”? I don’t trust adults that 1.) wear school rings and 2.) anyone that says, “think outside of the box” and generally, that statement is made by someone wearing a class ring with a big, red “gem” in the middle of it. I know what the statement is trying to convey – that yes, please come up with a new concept – attempt to dazzle us with your fresh perspective. But in the true fashion of creativity, (or the true creativity of fashion) there is no box. Those that adapt to the world believe that there is a box. Actually, they’re probably all box makers. Unreasonable people don’t believe in boxes and all of that jive. So, don’t worry about thinking inside of, behind or under the box. Just create. It’s OK to be unreasonable.

Where does creative thought come from? Is it learned? Can it be grown, cultivated? Does a higher power or deity bless a few, not-so-humble people here on planet Earth with creative thought? I leave this one up for debate. My opinion is that it’s a bit of both. If I can categorize myself as a creative thinker, I believe that my creativity was “natural” and then later developed or learned through training and trial-and-error. I can come up with creative ideas or images and when asked what my inspiration or thought process was, I come up blank. I honestly have no idea where some of my thoughts come from. And if I try to think “too hard” about any given creative endeavor, generally that idea or image is crap and headed for the waste paper basket. Most of my “quality” work just appears and unfortunately, this bitch doesn’t know its 4 a.m. and I need my sleep. But again, where are these ideas coming from? Who turns them on for me and then who turns them off… and can I pay them to stop doing that?

It’s a good exercise to reflect on creative development and who you are as a creative person. It’s healthy to debate and question some of these concepts but when it comes to creating, don’t think… just do. Stop staring at the blank piece of paper, white canvas or blank computer screen. Just make that first line. Write that first word. Generally, that leap off of the proverbial creative cliff will bring on the next word and the next shape. And soon the guy with the Class of ’89 ring will pat you on the back and hand you another box.