What is the interconnectedness between creativity and wisdom? Creativity is when an individual uses their imagination to create something that wasn’t there before. Brené Brown talks a lot about creativity. She believes that “unused creativity is not benign. It metastasizes. It turns into grief, rage, judgment, sorrow, shame.” In other words, Brown thinks that if you don’t use your creativity it not only goes to waste but it turns into negative, self-destructive feelings.
Find yourself judging people around you instead of being happy for them, feeling sorry for yourself because others seem to be doing better, are happier, more successful than you? Experiencing shame and guilt? Maybe the issue is that you are not taking advantage of and channeling your creativity.
Creativity is something very personal, and as such it empowers and releases the “true you” – the you that is not conditioned by the expectations, judgments and comparisons with others. Creativity helps you in your self-discovery and autonomy. Being creative is a way of discovering your unique capacities and then putting these personal skills at the service of others! This way, creativity leads to growth, skills building and ultimately also validation by others.
Let’s turn to wisdom; we define wisdom as the mindful application of what is true or right. Wisdom also means having experience, knowledge and good judgment. If creativity is fundamentally a process of discovery, then wisdom is the process of deciding the meaning and value of such discoveries. Creativity is using personal imagination and resourcefulness to address personal and group goals, wisdom on the other hand judges the impact and outcome of creativity on the individual and others around.
Being creative and wise requires effort by the way! Creativity and wisdom are mutually reinforcing processes. Think of some famous painters, sculptors or inventors. As they experimented with and honed their creative skills, they often became wiser and more mature individuals in the process.
Sounds daunting? Don’t over think it or believe that creativity needs to lead to master pieces! The process matters more than the outcome! Fact is that creativity and wisdom go hand in hand, therefore don’t waste time, and start doing something creative. If Brene Brown is right, it will make you happier – and wiser.
Perhaps your creative side is something as simple as drawing. If that’s your current creative option start to channel your creativity into the area that comes naturally, then gradually begin to challenge yourself to try something new.
To further develop your creativity, you must persist and keep on going when you come across challenges. Rest assured that your creativity will naturally manifest once you start practicing. You will gradually grow wiser also because wisdom grows when you make mistakes and when the outcome of your process is something different from what you had imagined. Wisdom also grows when you realize that something others make look easy, is in fact quite difficult. Wisdom grows when individuals are required to remain composed, disciplined and persistent in being creative while subject to scrutiny, criticism and maybe unwanted opinions from others.
Creativity and wisdom are hard, but both are uniquely human traits that exemplify our noble nature. They are gems of human capacity. Through them, individuals and societies have risen above themselves, and have created and discovered new ideas and truths. Wisdom cannot emerge without a creative process, and creativity cannot be sustained and will lack positive impact without wisdom. Embark upon, and enjoy the process! Share your gems!