Does Intelligence Equal Creativity?

January 28, 2014 Michelle Griep

I've misplaced my smarty pants. Spring cleaning is just around the corner, so they'll probably surface when I purge out my closet, but until then, how in the world will I work on the next great American novel? Don't I have to be smart to be creative?

Not necessarily.

The key to creativity is using the intellect you have--smarty pants or not--to produce ideas. There are 3 ways to go about this. . .

#1. Live a little.
Expose yourself to as many different experiences in life as possible. No, I'm not handing you a credit card to charge your way to renowned world traveler. I'm just saying attend that free workshop on American Sign Language. Engage in the introductory Krav Maga lesson. Taste that sample of aged camel milk cheese at the co-op.

"A mind that can find connections between the seemingly unconnected can access its vast network of ideas and impressions and detect even faint links that can then be amplified to recognize a broader significance, if such a significance exists. Insight may seem to come from nowhere, but really, it comes from somewhere quite specific: from the [brain] attic and the processing that has been taking place while you've been busy doing other things."

~ Maria Konnikova, Harvard psychologist and writer

You don't need more schooling or natural intelligence. You just need to have more experiences.

#2. Think about those experiences.
What's the good of trying new things if you don't take the time to process them? What did you feel like? How did it sound? Smell? Replay the event over and over in your mind a few times to not only "own" the experience but also embed it for later recall. What's the point?

This little exercise strengthens related connections in your brain, making that knowledge more readily available when you need it, like say brainstorming a new plot twist or character development.

#3. Remember: there's always more than one solution.
Evaluate more than one possibility for any given situation. You don't have to be an Einstein for this. In fact, be as all-out crazy as his hair. How will you know if the best conclusion for a scene ending or motivation for a hero is the best one if you've not evaluated other options?

When it comes to creativity, the more time and effort you devote to experiences and thinking, the more prone you'll be to dream up something uber spectacular--and it won't matter what kind of pants you're wearing.