Can entrepreneurs learn how to be more creative?

Yes, you read that right – at GoForth, we believe that creativity and entrepreneurship are linked, and all entrepreneurs can be creative. That’s because creativity isn’t just limited to artistic expression. Take the story of the invention of Velcro. That’s definitely a creative idea! We define creativity as the ability to view the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated things, and to find solutions.

Creativity can be expressed as combining ideas or concepts to discover unique or new connections. It means merging previously discrete ideas, concepts or forms of thought, and coming up with something new.

So, can entrepreneurs learn how to be more creative? Maybe the question should be “Can creativity be re-learned?” Many studies of creativity in children and adults show that children are more creative than adults, and as we grow up and away from the time of make-believe, we tend to think that creativity is something only a few people naturally have.

However, anyone can learn to be more creative

Creativity is a spectrum, and creative people aren’t creative in everything. Instead, they focus on a certain area of activity, a particular domain of knowledge. Psychologists now believe creativity is domain-specific — knowledge directly related to a thing you’re currently learning about.

No one can be creative without first internalizing this domain-specific knowledge, which is why a certain level of education is now believed to be essential to creativity. It’s easier to be creative in a certain area when you have a good foundation of knowledge in that domain. That’s why we believe a good, well-rounded small business education is essential for success.

Want to kick-start your creativity? Find some tips here.