I’ve written over 175 books: My Best Ways to Create
Over the past 45 years, I have written and published more than 175 books for adults and children. Since I don’t set out to be an author, sometimes the number surprises me.
Early in my career, I realized that being a successful writer is not just about crafting compelling stories. I needed to be a sponge, read widely and broaden my horizons.
Embracing the quote from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, “creativity is just putting things together,” I let my interests follow wherever they took me.
To that end, I’ve written about topics as diverse as marine biology, job interviews, teaching, creativity, baseball, archeology, American history, resume writing, tsunamis, and nocturnal creatures.
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In my latest book, “In Search of the Old Ones,” about the longest-lived Trees in the United States, I began studying tree rings and social psychology. And I still have a lot of ideas that I’m excited to implement.
These are the four creativity principles that have served me well for four decades.
1. There is no “right” answer
I have been an education professor for nearly 30 years.
As teachers and students alike, many of us have been taught to believe that there is only one correct answer to every problem. This is simply not true. Rarely have we been offered the opportunity to consider so many potential solutions to any given intellectual problem.
That’s a problem in itself, because inventor and author Roger von Oech says, “If you think you have only one right answer, you’ll stop looking.”
You have to give yourself space to imagine all the possibilities.
I recently invited participants to a creative workshop where I led them to create as many different uses as possible for a paper clip in five minutes. They came up with 57 ideas, including a cheap nose ring, ear cleaner, lock picker, mini fishing rod, bookmark, ant spear, cheese cube holder and tie clip, among others.
Focusing on a one-right-answer mindset forces us into a “take-no-risk” mindset. But creativity is a continuous generation of choices—rarely a search for a single answer. In my writing, I am always looking for different approaches and perspectives.
2. Give yourself permission to make mistakes
The most creative people fail the most.
James Dyson created 5126 non-functional prototypes Before Dyson invented the vacuum cleaner. Thomas Edison spent more than two years perfecting his light bulb. When asked about this period of trial and error, noted“I’ve gotten a lot of results! I know a few thousand things that won’t work.”
In Search of the Old Ones, I went through 21 separate drafts over 12 months. I wasn’t discouraged by the mistakes I knew would happen in these drafts. Instead, I saw it as an opportunity to make changes and improvements.
The process itself is part of the joy of the experience for me.
Remember that creativity is not about perfection. Searching for the perfect idea severely limits your thinking as well as your expression.
3. The more curious you are, the more creative you can be
The most creative people I know can recall a childlike sense of wonder about the world.
Curiosity is the active consideration of what is possible. It is a catalyst for questioning, and questioning prompts us to seek the unknown and consider the unknown. It opens our minds so that we can explore the unexplored and create the unexpected.
My latest book was inspired by learning that Bristlecone Pines have lived continuously in the White Mountains of California for over 4,000 years. I immediately had to know how they managed to survive so long.
I tracked down scientific articles, went to study trees first-hand, and contacted a number of dendrochronology experts.
When I started the process, I did not expect to receive a book from my research. But my curiosity has always been the foundation and driving force of my creativity.
4. Believe in your creative potential
We all have creative potential, just like in childhood. Often, our natural creativity unfortunately declines over time.
The most creative people I know understand that creativity is not about pleasing everyone. If you want people to like what you’re doing, then you’re not creative. You are simply confirming their preconceived notions of what you should do. After all, there is no imagination, just confirmation.
As a professional educator for over half a century, I have come to the conclusion that creativity has nothing to do with IQ either – and that traditional education often forces students to memorize the trivial, remember the unnecessary, and consider the essentials. unimportant. As a result, we rarely have the opportunity to create, we only regurgitate.
True creativity is being comfortable in chaos. I see writing in each book as a journey into something I’ve never experienced before. It’s a celebration of the unknown, and we’re all capable of it.
Anthony D. Fredericks, Ed.D., is professor emeritus of education at York College of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Today’s Psychology Creative views blogs and has written over 100 non-fiction books.From Fizzle to Sizzle: The Hidden Forces That Crush Your Creativity and How to Overcome Them“Two minute habits: small habits, dynamic creativity,” and his last “In Search of the Ancients: An Odyssey Among the Ancient Trees.“Follow him LinkedIn.
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