There is a deep art to the work you do. No matter the form, no matter the specialism, your artistry and creativity are crucial for meaningful work.

Creativity, I believe, is a function of the Artist within us—the archetypal character that makes something from nothing. We all have it inside. It’s what connects us to our innate creative power.

Unfortunately, many of us are trained out of it, or even worse, don’t believe we have it to start with!

How we kill creative genius

There’s a fascinating study done by NASA in the 60s, exploring levels of creativity and innovation in people (they wanted to hire more creative engineers). For some reason, they used the same test on a bunch of kids, to see how they’d do. What they found was amazing.

98% of these 5-year-olds scored as “creative geniuses”. The highest level in their model.

But as they retested them over time, the creativity level steadily declined, until as adults less than 2% of those same people scored as creative geniuses.

This of course begs the question: what the fuck happened in between?

Well, school happened. And our assimilation into the culture that designed the schools.

At school, we’re taught that work consists of a series of tasks which are put in front of us. We must complete the task, which means “getting it right”. The list of sums, or the drawing of a flower. We know it’s complete, and we got it right when the teacher says so.

In my school, this was literally built into the workflow. When I was done with my task, I would get up, walk across to the teacher’s desk, and show her what I’d done. She would then check it and tell me if it was right or not.

We are trained to take tests – the object of which is to get the right answer. The right answers according to whom? The people who make the test of course.

“OK children. This morning we’re all going to make Mother’s Day cards.”

We’re shown how to make a correct Mother’s Day card, which involves lots of reds and pinks, flowers and hearts. This is demonstrated to us through the materials we’re given to make these cards. You guessed it – red and pink paper, and pictures of flowers and hearts. The text for the inside of the card is displayed on the board so everyone can see.

We know we passed the test when the teacher says, “ah that’s lovely”. We know we failed if she says, “that’s very ‘interesting’, but you were supposed to put hearts and flowers on it”.

And so, day after day, year after year, we spend our childhoods being indoctrinated into the idea that life is about getting the right answers on the test.

This is how we kill our creative genius.

Creativity comes from the Artist inside

Creativity does not want to be assessed according to right or wrong, it’s trying to get outside the box that the test came in.

There is no “right form” for a piece of writing. There is no “correct” way to make up a story.

Our creativity comes from the spirit of an archetype—the Artist—something we all possess inside. It was there when we were 5 years old. It’s still there now. And it contains the deep code that allows you to reach beyond the known world and create things you didn’t know you could make.

This capacity is particularly important for us as entrepreneurs (people who make a business from the things they’re both good at and called by). For it is the Artist in us that expresses our deep creative power.

The growth of a business involves the forging of new pathways. It means doing things you’ve never done before.

And you’re here in life to do something that’s never been done before. Not the way you do it. And without the Artist inside, it’s almost impossible to find the path.

So often we’re shamed in the creative act as children, and we learn to bury the Artist inside. As adults on our career pathway, we’re usually taught that art is “outside the business scope”.

But it’s always here.

It’s inside you right now. It’s the part of you that knows how to just make something, without a clear idea of what you’ll end up with. This is the magic of the Artist archetype—to channel things from beyond you into forms that surprise even you.

The art that we create touches others, moving them through some indefinable sense of beauty. And it teaches us to see something new, even though the thing is often hard to name.

Following the creative impulse

Are you conscious of the Artist in you? Do you recognize your own artistry?

Maybe you read these words and think “I’m not an artist”. This is common, and understandable. But it’s not actually true. You are an Artist—you possess this archetypal power. But perhaps it is not fully activated. Or it’s sitting dormant, waiting for you to wake it up.

What ‘crazy’ idea wants to come through you? What’s the idea you’re already holding, of something you want to make?

Perhaps it’s a teaching program on a topic you feel really moved by, but don’t know how to structure. Perhaps you want to write something or sculpt something. Maybe you want to create a strategic plan for your business. There is an art to all of these things.

The Artist is moved to create. You feel it in your body—a feeling of excitement, fear and possibility.

Can you feel the impulse? It’s in there somewhere, fizzing with glee, hoping you’ll pick it up and run with it. It may be subtle. You may need to quieten and still yourself to be able to feel it.

The thing with art is, you don’t know where you’re going to end up. And it’s easy therefore to dismiss the impulse as impractical or silly.

That’s our cultural code still at work, telling you to get back to the “right” work with the “right” answers.

Creativity doesn’t follow this code. It’s taking you somewhere much more surprising.

Trust the impulse. Follow it. See what comes out. See what you create.

You don’t have to act on every single one! But if you act on none, you will never find out how creative you really are.

If you’re feeling courageous, you could even tune in right now. Actually take a moment, and tune in…

Feel your own body. Notice the sensation of the impulse. Then ask yourself “what do I feel moved to create?” And see what shows up.

What’s the thing you want to make?

Feel it. It has life energy. If you want, you can ride the impulse and see where it takes you. This is the creative power that the Artist gives you.

 

This is part of a series of articles about the Artist, the Merchant, and the Seeker—core archetypes that underpin entrepreneurial work.

My book on these archetypes will be published this Spring.