The genius inside. How to develop creativity and become a genius

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Geniuses are not born, but become. With this phrase, we are used to inspiring those who are almost ready to give up on the way to the goal. But honestly, do you yourself believe it? Geniuses - are they chosen individuals with changes in the genome, or are they ordinary people who have worked hard? Let's figure it out.

Paco was five years old when his father first gave him a guitar. Subsequently, the father forced the boy to play 12 hours a day. He wanted to be sure that his son would become a professional musician. And he became. Paco de Lucia is considered one of the best flamenco guitarists in the world with a different style of playing.

Was Paco de Lucia a genius? Definitely. Was he born this way? He himself answered this question in one of:

If I had not been born in my father's house, I would have been nothing. I don't believe in spontaneous genius.

The genius of Paco was not made by divine intervention or a malfunction in the genome, but, rather, by the father's desire to make the child such and, possibly, deprive him of childhood. It's the same with Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh, David Hockney and others.

Genius is another habit

The opinion that genius is inherent in a person from birth is wrong. As it is written in "", genius is the highest level of intellectual or creative functioning of an individual, which manifests itself in outstanding scientific discoveries or philosophical concepts, technological inventions, social transformations and the creation of works of art.

That is, genius is the skill to create something new and outstanding, which means that it can be conventionally called creativity of the highest level.

The author of the book, Tina Seelig, has devoted several years to the study of genius. She believes it's never too late to start learning creativity. According to her, all genius people are united by several stereotyped habits. Most often, genius people have developed two skills:

1. Ability to combine unrelated ideas.
2. Ability to go beyond the usual thoughts.

A good example of combining unrelated ideas is a device. It is a mixture of an alarm clock and a bacon fryer. 10 minutes before the wake-up time, the fryer will automatically turn on and you will wake up to the smell of freshly fried bacon. More often than not, such devices are more like an idiot's invention. However, they can be useful for people who need to get up early, but who cannot force themselves to do it with the help of a whip. But they can with the help of a gingerbread. Or bacon.

Sometimes unrelated ideas united by someone become catalysts for cardinal changes in our life. The idea of connecting a phone and a screen gave birth to the first multimedia mobile phones. The symbiosis of batteries and cars gave life to electric vehicles.

The second skill is determined by how well you can think outside the box and see things from an unfamiliar point of view. Bespoke, a denture company, is a good example of this.

Before Bespoke, prosthetics were viewed only as an opportunity to replace a removed limb. The company was the first to decide to combine medicine and beauty and create fashionable prostheses. Together with the fashion houses, the first batch of prostheses was developed, which subsequently awaited success. Buyers have repeatedly said that Bespoke dentures are much more comfortable to wear. By combining two, at first glance, completely different areas, the company was able to create a new successful product. Can we say that he changed the world? He changed the lives of dozens of people who were able to wear prostheses and not be ashamed of it. So yes.

Brainstorm and the process of coming up with ideas

The brainstorming method is ambiguous. Someone thinks it is a good tool for solving problems, others think differently. Nevertheless, many geniuses have used this technique in its various forms. Tina Seelig identified several similarities:

1. Space is important for brainstorming. Best of all is a spacious room with plenty of surfaces for writing ideas down.
2. The number of people is no more than eight. So everyone will have enough time to express their thoughts.
3. It is a good idea to invite people who are distantly involved in the discussion. They see the problem from other angles.

An important stage in coming up with an idea is mistakes. It is unlikely that they like at least someone, but this is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, mistakes are inevitable, whether you like it or not. But on the other hand, mistakes are an opportunity to learn and even get inspired for dramatic changes in life.

Mistakes are an integral part of creativity. They lead to something better. Instagram, for example, was born out of the Burbn project. Kevin Systrom - the founder of Instagram - was going to do something like Foursquare in the browser. Understanding your mistake and finding the best alternative allowed you to create one of the most popular social networks in the world.

How not to give up on the path to genius

The problem with errors is that they are not isolated. You can be wrong dozens of times in a row. You can be wrong for five years. You can be wrong all your life and only come to the right decision in the end. These are the most pessimistic outcomes, but they can also become reality.

Neurosurgeon John Adler devoted 12 years of his life to developing a radiotherapy system capable of removing tumors not only in the brain, but also in other parts of the body. In the 1980s, he was laughed at by the medical community, who did not believe in the success of the venture. In 1992, Adler, together with the Schonberg brothers, developed a cyberknife. Did Adler change the world? Undoubtedly. But it took him 12 years to do this. To move towards the goal for so long is not an easy task.

It is difficult to advise something that will help you not to give up on the way to the goal. Seelig offers several techniques:

1. Turn the creative process into a game.
2. Find accomplices.
3. Believe that the solution will come sooner or later.

It seems to me that none of these methods stand up to scrutiny. They make life easier, but let's be honest: if you are fed up with the process itself, they won't be much use. Therefore, if you do not want to move on in anything, then quit. But before that, answer the question: "Can you live with this further?"

Conclusion

The British scientist has done a lot of research and was able to prove that creativity is associated with biological change in only 15% of cases. This means, first of all, that the banal phrase “Geniuses are not born, geniuses are made” is true.

Knowing this and having the desire to become a genius, you need to roll up your sleeves, choose a path, and start working. How long? Unknown. You may need to work 12 hours a day for decades to become as genius in your field as Paco de Lucia was. Perhaps less.

Anyone can potentially become creative and genius. By developing and improving skills, working hard and crossing the threshold that 90% of people cannot overcome, you can become special. After all, this is what distinguishes geniuses from the rest - the ability to overcome oneself when others give up.