TOW #6 - Does Creativty Scare You?

We're told from an early age, "Be creative!" "Let your creativity flow!" According to the text "Does Creativity Scare You?" by Oliver Burkeman, we humans are actually pretty scared of creativity, and no matter how much emphasis we put on it, we're just wired to be scared of it. But the old advice still applies - we do need creativity. Rather than let our fears take over this creativity or completely reject it, Burkeman says accept the fear that's there and try to work around it.

After introducing the idea of "fearing creativity," Burkeman includes a personal experience that others may easily feel as well to set a connection with the readers and make the readers trust him more. He says, "For many, the thought of expressing themselves creatively is frightening. (Anyway, who am I kidding? I've often felt panic at the sight of a blank page" (Burkeman 2). Although the first sentence might have brought skepticism to the readers, the second sentences lays out a situation common, relatable, and understandable to many and even establishes ethos for the writer.

Burkeman references professionals in order to show the studies that back up these ideas. He references a study done in Cornell University, which actually says that humans evolved to fear creativity, as most creative ideas seem to go beyond the limits of safety. He also references the Creativity Journal, which shows that teachers tend to dislike the more creative students unconsciously, although almost all would say that's not true. By referencing these studies, the readers can see how prevalent this fear against creativity is, which surprised me as well.

Burkeman lays out a solution to this problem of fearing creativity through analogy. Creativity is an abstract concept that's confusing to explain using hypothetical situations or theory, but he clears that out with an analogy: "I much prefer [a certain professor's] approach, treating fear like an annoying younger sibling, or a beloved though rather trying family pet. The trick, if you can do it, isn't to ignore fear, or destory it, and definitely not obey it, but to make space for it. She uses that odd but useful analogy of a road trip. Fear always comes along for the ride, and that's fine - but that doesn't mean you need to let it anywhere near the steering wheel" (6). That makes sense - we shouldn't ignore a family member, but we shouldn't let them get everything they want either. This analogy of using fear effectively in creativity clears up previous perhaps confusing statements.

We're constantly told that creativity is a virtue that we should constantly cultivate, but Burkeman argues that and says creativity is both a vice and a virtue - and suggests that maybe the biggest virtue of creativity is that it's both a vice and a virtue.