The first is unexpected; the type that just comes to you out of nowhere; that moment when you have never been happier to have a notepad in your pocket, or a paintbrush in hand, or pieces of your art around you. Hirschman would argue that this is the best kind of creativity.
Hirschman wrote:
Creativity always comes as a surprise to us; therefore we can never count on it and we dare not believe in it until it has happened. In other words, we would not consciously engage upon tasks whose success clearly requires that creativity be forthcoming. Hence, the only way in which we can bring our creative resources fully into play is by misjudging the nature of the task, by presenting it to ourselves as more routine, simple, undemanding.
The second kind of creativity is a lot like hitting your head against the wall in hopes you will knock out a creative idea. Or, less physically painful, you toy around with different tools and dies you have at your reach until something starts looking like a creative piece of art.
I fancy this second type of creativity. It allows for frustration, it tells whether or not a person is determined and passionate or not.
And heck, if anything, I always say that some people hit their head against the wall just because it feels good when they stop. It’s a win-win situation, whether you end up creating something or not.
Stay Positive & If You Don’t Try, You Fail
Garth E. Beyer
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