Pressure & Creativity

"When creativity is under the gun... it usually ends up getting killed!" - Harvard Business Review
www.BillCrawfordPhD.com

I think we have all experienced the challenge of trying to be creative while under pressure, only to find that we can't seem to access the new ideas and new perspectives we need. The reason for this has to do with how our brain processes information.

For example, when we are "under the gun," meaning that we have to produce something in a short amount of time, or with someone looking over our shoulder, what often gets triggered is our fear of not getting it done, or not meeting expectations. Unfortunately, this triggers the part of our brain responsible for a fear-based response, and we find ourselves worrying or feeling paralyzed... in other words, the opposite of creativity.

This then triggers even more worry and fear that the project will never be done on time or be "good enough," and we can easily find ourselves trapped in a cycle of stress and worry that, of course, continues to "kill" our creativity.

The reason this is such a common experience is that many of us have been taught to use our fear of failure to motivate ourselves to succeed. As kids we were taught to study and make good grades out of fear of making bad grades. We were told not to procrastinate because trying to do things at the last minute was a recipe for failure. Basically, the message was that if we didn't do what we were supposed to do, and in a way others approved of, bad things would happen.

For many, this perspective has led to what is referred to as "the bag lady syndrome," which sounds something like: "Oh no, if I don't get this done on time and in a way that is satisfactory to my boss, I will be fired. I will then lose my spouse, my house, I will become a bag lady, someone will steal my bag,...and I will Die!"

Therefore, we need to understand that if we want to access our creativity, we must tap into some motivation other than fear of failure. It is very possible that we may not have as much time as we would like, or that we may still be in the process of learning a new skill, program, behavior, etc. However, if creativity (meaning coming up with something new and meaningful is our goal) then we must be willing to generate some excitement about what we are doing, or at least look forward to enjoying the process.

This can be done by relaxing versus becoming tense, experimenting and making mistakes rather than needing everything to be perfect, and generally allowing the creative process to take over and take us where it will. Authors speak of this often when they say that a character or a plot twist surprised them, or that they don't know how their story will end.

Therefore, if you find yourself feeling pressured to be creative by a shortage of time, a boss, or just some old, learned, fear of failure, I encourage you to shift your focus from the problem to the solution, or from what will happen if you fail, to images of how you can make the experience more enjoyable and meaningful. The truth is, there is no gun and no one is going to die:-)

[fuxan]

After thinking it over, I have started to treat my tasks like fun games (on purpose of course).

For some reason, this helps me clear my mind from all the deadlines and people with their hair on fire.

In a game, I feel a sense of award and ownership for pushing the limit and finding interesting solutions.