Creative Intelligence
Albert Einstein is often credited for saying, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” Apparently, the author of this quote is actually not Einstein, but an anonymous source. What Einstein did say is, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited, imagination encircles the world.” Even though Einstein did not author the quote about creativity being a type of intelligence, I do believe creativity is a type of intelligence you need to nurture in yourself and others. Just like emotional intelligence, body intelligence, and social intelligence have been acclaimed as new forms of intelligence beyond your IQ, I would argue creative intelligence is another type of intelligence you need to foster.
When I was a young adult I always viewed myself as someone who was creatively challenged. I decided my brother who received a bachelor of fine arts and is a talented painter was creative. I believed my mom who plays the piano by ear and is a gifted musician, who has taught music and sung in operas, was deserving of being called a creative type. Now as an older adult I am learning that while I may not be a talented musician or painter, I am creative in a multitude of ways, whether through writing, cultivating a yoga or meditation sequence, or practicing creativity in the therapeutic techniques I choose for a client.
I am convinced that it is dangerous to tell yourself the story that you are not creative. This keeps you in a story or box of being uncreative and how you identify yourself informs how you see yourself and how others see you. Additionally, if you view yourself as lacking imagination, it will keep you from tending to your innate creativity.
One point I want to offer is that it is important to remember creativity can look different for each one of us and even might be rooted in our personality types. Recently on the podcast I co-host called Enneagram+ Yoga, Kat Smith and I talked with a local yoga teacher and coach, Lauren Richardson, about how different personality types might exercise creativity in diverse ways. For example:
The Enneagram 1, the Reformer, who pursues justice and righteousness in the world, might create a march or event in the community to heighten awareness about an issue they feel passionate about. For example, the owner of The Hive on Lookout Mountain, Kate Fuller, is a self-proclaimed Enneagram 1 and for the past 2 years she has organized the Hive Hustle, a 5K race and one-mile fun run, to benefit several schools located on Lookout Mountain.
The Enneagram 2, the Giver, who is generous and relational, may create a scrapbook for a friend or buy a creative and sentimental gift they know their friend would love.
The Enneagram 3, the Achiever, who is image conscious and hardworking, might imaginatively decorate a beautiful space in their home.
The Enneagram 4, the Individualist, is artistic and deep, and therefore might write a moving poem or song that makes you feel something in your heart space.
The Enneagram 5, the Observer, is curious and inventive and may create a cool video game or they might engineer a car part that helps your automobile run more efficiently.
The Enneagram 6, the Loyalist, is responsible and a team player, and because they are good at cultivating places for others to belong, they might create a nurturing support group for spouses grieving a loved one.
The Enneagram 7, the Enthusiast, is adventurous and visionary, and they might create a new business or an epic itinerary for a vacation.
The Enneagram 8, The Leader, is powerful and resourceful and because they are likely to be a manager in their company, they may implement inventive ideas in the workplace that help their company thrive and grow.
The Enneagram 9, The Peacemaker, is easy-going and cooperative. Since they like to work with others they may enjoy collaborative creative projects with colleagues or due to their tendency to be an epic story teller, they may create a intriguing story they share through the written word or at a story-telling festival.
If the Enneagram personality typing system is not your cup of tea, my larger point here is that creativity is something you can exercise in a multitude of ways and your personality may inform the types of creativity you are drawn towards.
Mary Oliver once said, “The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.” You may not feel called to a vocation that you identify as a creative type of work, but I do think it is important to ponder whether you are nurturing your own creativity and giving it the power and time it deserves. Mary Oliver’s poetry also reminds me that solitude is often the birthplace of creativity. Her poems often invite you to move towards a practice of solitude, mindfulness, self-reflection, and the awareness of your feelings and bodily sensations. These practices will inspire your creativity.
You may wonder where you can nurture your creativity. While there are many places in this area to do this, I highly recommend, The Chattery, which offer adult education classes both virtually and in person on the Southside in Chattanooga. They offer a multitude of classes including: yoga, crocheting, voice acting, baking, drawing, mixed media, writing, painting, photography, bartending, sewing, podcasting, forest-bathing, paper-making, belly-dancing, ceramics, soap-making, and so much more.
If you want to set an intention with me to recommit to the practice of creative intelligence, I invite you to meditate on these questions that I hope will motivate you to attend to this important part of you.
What are the places in your life that inspire creativity?
Who are the people in your life who nurture your creativity?
How are you already engaging in creativity?
What are some new or previous creative practices you want to explore?
Your act of creativity might be journaling, gardening, adult coloring, a wood-working project, a culinary dish, or an innovative idea for a project at work. But an idea need not be artistic to count as creative. Life invites us daily to acts of ingenuity. Try not to compare your creativity to other people in your life as a means of undermining your own creative abilities. You are a creative being and you are hardwired for creativity.
Maya Angelou once said, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” So keep nurturing the creativity inside of you and it will grow and become something beautiful. The creativity in me sees and honors the creativity in you!
A version of this article was originally published in The Lookout Mountain Mirror. www.mountainmirror.com
