Why freaks create more creative ideas and how they do it

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

Geniuses who make breakthrough discoveries are always weird, if only a little. There are legends about the antics of Salvador Dali, the lifestyle of Nikola Tesla was different from the "norm", Oscar Wilde provoked society with one of his looks. Talented people come across as freaks for a reason: strange decisions help create. And this can be learned.

What is the most valuable ability? Ability to see innovation.

See who has been blowing up the market in recent decades: Uber, Airbnb, Amazon. At first glance, the idea of starting these companies seemed crazy.

Who would have thought that the largest real estate company would have no property? That one of the most popular carriers won't buy transport and hire drivers? A few years ago, a person who suggests this would have been put on a straitjacket.

It doesn't matter what you do: write, build, develop. The status quo kills any innovation. That's why it's so important to be a freak.

Non-conformism, innovation … Whatever you call such ideas, they will always run counter to the established opinion. Being a freak means looking at things differently, comparing facts and drawing conclusions that are usually not obvious.

The other does not always mean the best. But the best is always different.

Jessica Hagy illustrator

Why it works

Psychologists say that unexpected and new situations are easier to remember.

Science says more about this effect, but it boils down to this: "unusual" events lead to the release of dopamine (a neurotransmitter associated with motivation) in the brain region responsible for exploring, processing and storing new sensory impressions. This dopamine release not only fuels research interest, but also creates a link with long-term memory.

That is, our brain physically remembers everything strange and atypical.

If the idea does not challenge, but only confirms what is already known, the public will devalue it, although it recognizes the truth.

Murray S. Davis

Strange ideas not only linger in the memory, they also turn out to be more valuable than those that only confirm common truths.

Key moment

So you have to go against all social norms and against yourself in order to gain recognition?

Of course not. In the end, well-known ideas became generally accepted for a reason.

Every day, a huge amount of information enters the brain, so we have developed filters that help us evaluate new data and decide which ones are important.

A Google study that new visitors evaluate a site's functionality and aesthetics in 0.02–0.05 fractions of a second. In the time it takes to blink, the brain receives information, filters it, and decides whether it is important or not.

There is the idea of easy learning: common and common elements are easier to process because we have used them before. They seem simple to us.

If you are faced with a large number of atypical or difficult elements, the brain receives a signal that the task before you is too difficult and it is better not to take on it. The key to remembering information is balancing old and new.

Why freaks began to be appreciated

The out-of-the-box perspective has been appreciated and companies are eager to embrace new ideas.

Here are two examples:

• Online retailer Zappos includes the question, "How do you rate your uncommonness on a scale of 1-10?" In every interview.
• Method gives employees homework: write an essay on the topic "What to do to keep the company strange?"

Oscar Wilde (who was definitely weird and creative) said:

Imagination imitates. Creates a critical spirit.

Copying is safe. It allows you to hide behind approved ideas, but it also draws you into the trap of mediocrity. Only being open to everything that is different and unusual allows you to create outstanding work.

When you're looking for inspiration, try raising a weird person in you.

How to generate creative ideas

1. Adopt an inner freak

Psychologists recently linked the idea of cognitive disinhibition with creativity.

Cognitive disinhibition is the inability to ignore information that is unimportant to current goals. If we go back to those filters that help sort out sensory information, it turns out that they also prevent us from reaching the moment of enlightenment.

While this ability depends in part on genetics, there are proven ways to let seemingly unimportant information into consciousness: daydream, let your thoughts float freely, take walks.

Once you relax and the filters turn off, a good idea will take its place in your head.

2. Amplify Lady Gaga's effect

In the 1930s, the German psychologist Hedwig von Restorff discovered that we can remember extraordinary things more easily.

For example, here is a list of words in front of you: apple, car, tomato, dog, rock, banana, pencil, Lady Gaga, helicopter, cat, cheese.

What do you remember? Tomato?

In the context of the list, Lady Gaga stands out like a footprint in the snow, she is atypical compared to the listed items.

Strange and unusual things are remembered the easier the more the background is.

But it is worth overdoing it with everything "not so", and the unique idea will be lost in the bright garbage. The balance between familiar and new is a guarantee that your work will be noticed.

3. Shut up your inner critic

Self-censorship is the main barrier to implementing a memorable idea. Instead of diving into the creative process, we figure out how to stay within familiar boundaries by asking ourselves:

• Will people laugh at my idea?
• Will others be unhappy with what we say?

Self-censorship means deliberately giving up your real self. And accepting your wonderful features plays a significant role in pumping creativity.

It doesn't take much to learn to accept this crazy theory. There is much more to forget.

Isaac Asimov

When you find yourself criticizing yourself again, think about why this is happening. And do not at all what you intended.

4. Look for connections between strange things

When (Steve Jobs) was asked how he finds ideas, the Apple founder said, "Creativity is just making connections between things."

Truly creative ideas are inseparable from divergent thinking, which can find connections where others cannot see them.

The more sources you use, the more amazing thoughts will come to your mind.

Robert Sutton, a professor at Stanford University, consulted a software company. When it was necessary to find ideas for work, he advised taking two packs of cards. On one to write down technologies, on the other - production resources. Then shuffle each of the packs and pull out one card from different piles, trying to find connections. And write down ideas.

5. Love the ups and downs. Only passivity is punishable

To create the best, you have to accept the strangest idea. Especially one that runs counter to conventional wisdom.

When things get weird, weird ones take over.

Hunter S. Thompson

People whose ideas we admire have lost more often than they won. To understand whether your unexpected idea will work or not, you need to constantly check and test it.

Let your differences become your calling card. And remember that all innovations and trends start with crazy ideas.