Who Says You Can't Wear Red Shoes?
Who says you can't wear red shoes?  Or chartreuse for that matter!  Have you bought into the notion that only a few select individuals in this world are creative?  Or that the only people who can act artistically are artists? If you struggle with these beliefs, recognize that you are not alone. These concepts are broadly, albeit mistakenly, held by the majority of the world’s population. Even pop culture confirms this sentiment, as evidenced, for example, in the wonderful scene in Father of the Bride 2 when George Banks, played by Steve Martin, having just been told that he is about to become a father again in midlife, yells at his OB/GYN that men his age don’t become fathers! When the doctor informs him that Picasso fathered a child in his seventies, Banks screams: “But he’s an artist! Artists can do whatever they want to do!”  

Chances are, you have grown up with the notion that intelligence—and creativity—are measured by a standardized test, like the traditional IQ test developed by Alfred Binet. When Binet came up with his test, he was actually trying to categorize schoolchildren’s potential for learning.  This test was his attempt to objectively measure comprehension, reasoning and judgment. Modern day research, however, paints quite a different story of the validity of the measurement of IQ and of creativity.  We now know, for example, that each of us possess at least seven measurable intelligences, ranging from mathematical to linguistic to musical to interpersonal, to name a few. Additionally, neuroscientists have found that intelligence is not only located in the brain but in cells that are distributed throughout the body.  

So not only are the notions of intelligence and creativity out of whack, but our comprehension of our potential falls short of the mark as well.  In short, our capacity for creativity—our brainpower—is much greater than we could ever imagine! You could learn seven facts per second, every second, for the rest of your life and still have plenty of room left over to learn even more. Pyotr Anokhin of Moscow University compared the brain to a multidimensional musical instrument that could play an infinite number of musical pieces simultaneously. In short, each of us is gifted with a birthright of virtually unlimited potential!  

So just how do we tap into our unlimited creative power?  And more significantly, how do we unleash our power of creativity out into the world so that others may benefit?