Jonah Lehrer explains how creativity works

Elen Lewis talks to Jonah Lehrer, author of Imagine: How Creativity Works, about how we can all be more creative

If you were to isolate one key piece of advice on creativity, what would it be?

That’s a tough question. The single most important notion in the book is that we’re all creative. It’s not only a few geniuses who get access to the muse. We can all get better at creativity, and simply knowing that frees us up and gets the ideas bubbling under the conscious mind.

Can we all be Bob Dylan?

No. That’s why he’s so famous. It’s the same with Pablo Picasso. Skills are not evenly distributed. Creativity isn’t equally shared but we can all get better at it.

What techniques do you use to unclutter your mind?

I used to have the mentality that I needed to focus and would have a triple espresso. Whereas now, I’ll go for a walk, I’ll take a bath, or I’ll find a way to relax and leave my smartphone behind.

Why did you choose to write about creativity?

I was drawn to the mystery of it. That moment of insight that arrives when you least expect it to. And yet, as soon as it arrives, you know it’s the answer. For a long time we’ve been blaming it on the muses.

So I wanted to know, how does a brain engineer these moments? But then the book spiralled out of the personal creative analysis into genes and groups and cities.

Who was the most inspiring person you met during the book research, and why?

There were lots of amazing people, but I think it was Yo Yo Ma. He is such a brilliant performer and it was a thrill watching him perform in person. He told me how nervous he gets when he steps on stage. He remains calm by thinking of Julia Child, the chef who introduced French cuisine to America. Sometimes she’d drop a whole chicken on the floor during her live shows. It was so inspiring to him the way she’d just pick it up, wipe off the crumbs and carry on. So now, he welcomes the first mistake in his performance because then he can carry on. It’s an act of expression.

It can be difficult to work creatively within a team. Any tips?

The most popular way to work creatively within a team is to brainstorm, but it doesn’t work. One rule of brainstorming is that no criticism is allowed, that imagination is meek and it will clam up.

But brainstorming holds us back and is less than the sum of its parts. Criticism leads us to come up with better ideas, more ideas, and frank and honest ideas. It’s not superficial – there has to be a good debate and then you can dig deeper.

This article featured in Market Leader, July 2012.