The 15 barriers to creativity, explained

Creativity is understood as the ability to create something new, whether in the form of ideas, objects, art, political ideologies, and a long etcetera.

Creative thinking is something that is generally seen as something positive and a gift for those who have it very developed, however, there are many ways in which it can be impeded.

There are many barriers to creativity, which make original ideas never come to light. Below are the 15 most common ones and some ways that they can be dealt with.

• Related article: "What is creativity? Are we all "potential geniuses"?"

The 15 barriers to creativity

There are many ways to obstruct creative thinking or prevent something new from being brought from the world of imagination to the The real world, however, are the following 15 most common ways to prevent or hinder the process from occurring creative.

1. Lack of time

Like all things in this world, the creative process takes time.

First you have to have a moment of calm in which you can start your mind, then you have to take your time to mold the idea, make its improvements and discard its possible defects and, later, materialize it. For example, if we want to paint a picture, we will first need to think about what we want to do, then with more carefully, we will make a sketch of what we want to paint, in this case, an autumn landscape.

Then we are painting, making the elements of the painting and, while we are painting, we will also have new ideas and improvise some aspects of the painting.

2. Lack of selfesteem

Lack of self-esteem is often the main factor that kills creativity. It may happen that you are very original and have very good ideas, but this is never materialized because they are believed to be bad occurrences.

Whether you have already had ideas or not yet, what you have to do is let your imagination flow, waiting for people to judge the ideas for what they are, not by who has made them.

• You may be interested: "10 keys to increase your self-esteem in 30 days"

3. Everything is made up

Many people, when it comes to trying something new, are discouraged because they conclude that everything is already invented. It is true that there are as many ideas as there are stars in the sky, but this does not mean that none of them can be improved.

Sometimes a small modification can make a big difference between the new and the old. There is always something that can be reformulated or improved.

4. Fear of failure

Nobody likes to be wrong, but the truth is that If you don't already try, failure is assured.

Trying to do new and different things is always a risk, since there are no guarantees that people will understand our vision of the world or that the idea that we originally saw as very innovative in the end turns out to be something little convincing.

If we think about it in depth, What is the risk of trying something new and that in the end it does not work? If it works, then great, but if not, we still benefit from learning a valuable lesson that will help us to try other options.

A message from this point should be clear: any creative process is risky, because there is some uncertainty. If there were no such uncertainty, that is, the results were already known, what would there be again to offer the world?

5. Perfectionism

We can always improve what we have done, but sometimes trying to make what we have done perfect can spoil a good idea and also waste our time. Perfection is, on many occasions, the enemy of the good.

• You may be interested: "Dysfunctional perfectionism: causes, symptoms and treatment"

6. Inability to self-criticize

In the same way that you do not have to be afraid of failure, you must be critical of what you do. Taking for granted that what has been created is undoubtedly good and that others are wrong it is a great limit to creativity.

First, because he is not motivated to have new ideas, and second, because he may be defending a idea that is not seen as something creative, either because it has been done before or because it is simply bad.

The defects of what has been done must be detected and, based on them, reformulated what has been done. This activates the creative process, since we constantly try to improve ourselves, promoting divergent thinking.

7. Rigid rules

The rules are fundamental for life in society, in addition to serving to comfort us by knowing that there is a code of conduct and laws that guarantee us rights and obligations. They generate a safe zone.

However, there are other types of norms, which vary from individual to individual, and which can greatly limit our actions, especially when they are related to the novelty. They are the rules not given.

Terms of rigid beliefs and automatic behaviors can be defined that, to change them, some effort is necessary. An example of this would be always going to work on the subway, always wearing the same type of clothes, not trying vegan food ...

The rules not given can affect all aspects of the person and, although it is not something pathological in itself, it limits a lot to be original. Creativity arises when these unwritten rules are broken.

But breaking them is not so easy, because they are invisible, that is, they are automated behaviors that are done unconsciously. To break them, it is first necessary to consider why to do things as they are being done.

8. Holding on to the first idea that pops up

It often happens that, if a good idea is found or it happens that the first thought ended up being successful, then no need to change it and try new things.

It is good to consider that first idea, but the possible improvements that it requires should not be ignored or other options of doing things that can turn out to be much more beneficial than the idea original.

You should always aspire to more, never stay stuck in the same place, no matter how good the results have been.

9. Difficulty isolating

This barrier of creativity prevents the appearance of lateral thinking, and it could be translated in mundane language with the expression "a tree does not let us see the forest."

Not being able to isolate a specific problem from the rest or from the context in which it has been formulated can be an aspect that hinders the search for new alternatives.

People tend to classify things, giving them an order that, by default, we can hardly change.

If you want to be creative, you should try to separate the elements in order to give them a new organization or relate them to other aspects that, normally, no relationship would be found.

10. The obvious is the obvious

Normally, people simplify reality and do not ask ourselves certain questions. There are aspects of our day-to-day life that have always been experienced in a specific way, so doubting them is unthinkable.

However, it must be understood that what is understood as the obvious is, in truth, a social construct. Each thing has been assigned a function, but this does not mean that it cannot be given other uses.

Although not questioning the obvious things in life can indicate a normal and healthy mind with a well-organized thinking style, it can also imply some creative limitation.

For example, an old chair can be seen as something that was used to sit down but no longer works, or, with With a little imagination, it can be turned into a comfortable and fun swing with a couple of ropes and a cushion.

If you want to be creative, don't take things for granted. Everything supports a new function.

11. Difficulty relating remote ideas

Creativity lies in finding previously unseen relationships of two or more concepts. That is why it is very important to understand that two aspects that apparently may seem very little related, can be exploited in such a way as to result in a totally transgressive.

It is normal that we try to associate two aspects that are closely related to the naked eye, but you must make an effort and try to go a little further to acquire a more holistic view of reality.

Going to the furthest distance can be a very good way to avoid blockages, since you have a greater number of creative possibilities.

12. Lack of motivation

Lack of motivation and will to carry out something new is a great enemy of creativity. There are people who have a great mind, which is a generator of great ideas but, due to the laziness of those who have it, they never materialize.

In addition, if you are not curious and interested in the world around you, where will the questions come from that will make you question the pre-established reality?

To be creative you must have great conviction, doubt everything and draw your strength from anywhere to offer the world a new way of doing things.

13. Paralysis by analysis

When it comes to being original, it is always advisable to try to see what has been done before, to see how it can be improved and avoid repeating something that has already been created.

However, sometimes, this search becomes too extensive, overwhelming the creative genius and being bombarded with hundreds of ideas, each one more original than the last.

When trying to get things out of them, the mind is blocked by making a great effort to select and analyze it, giving yourself creative paralysis.

The best way to avoid this is to select specific sources of information and forget about the rest. It is true that there will be the risk, unlikely, of being able to repeat an idea already made, however the creative process will begin.

14. Envy

Many people are jealous of those who show different, innovative and clearly creative thinking. Thus, through certainly toxic behavior, they can make us not feel bad for having believed that we could be different.

Envy can be very evil, knocking all our most original ideas to the ground. That is why, to avoid it, we must be convinced of our vision of the world and try to materialize it.

15. Consumerism

It may seem somewhat far-fetched, but the truth is that population consumption trends have defined what is understood as a good idea and a bad idea.

This forces companies and their employees to work within certain limits, without allowing themselves to step outside the lines or else you are taking too much risk.

Productivity takes precedence over any factor, which can be a great stress load for workers, who find that they do not have the freedom to express themselves. In turn, they are fatigued, which also inhibits creative thinking.

Bibliographic references:

• Csikszenmihalyi, M. (1998). Creativity. Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. Paidos. Barcelona.
• De-Bono, E. (1999). Creative thinking. The power of lateral thinking for the creation of new ideas. Mexico. Editorial Paidós Plural.
• Mitjáns, M. TO. (1995). Creativity, Personality and Education. Havana. Editorial Pueblo y Educación.