The Creative Gap
“There’s room for everybody on the planet to be creative and conscious if you are your own person. If you’re trying to be like somebody else, then there isn’t.”
Just think of the fantastic things humans have invented. They range from electricity, writing, the steam engine, bicycles, cars and antibiotics to the mobile phone, the world wide web, flight, the microscope, mathematics and soap… to name but a few. Each one of them would have gone through an iterative creative process like the one that developed, and constantly improved, the printing press.
Being creative is in our soul. It’s in our nature to solve the most challenging problems and pursue the most daunting opportunities. From the discovery of penicillin to putting a man on the moon, we have achieved some stunning things. The exciting news is that we can only get more creative, and that leads to further innovation.
The last few years have been a terrible time because of COVID-19. As I write this chapter, the World Health Organization reports that more than 6.2 million individuals worldwide have died of the virus. The sorrow, pain and misery of each victim’s death has caused their family and friends has been truly horrific. And, all evidence seems to indicate, the pandemic will continue to wreak havoc over the coming months and years.
Back in 2020, through all of the despair, there became a glimmer of light at the end of this very dark tunnel. In December of that year, a 90-year-old woman, Margaret Keenan, was the first person on earth to receive the new COVID vaccine. What is remarkable about this is that it normally takes 10 years to develop, test, approve and distribute a vaccine, at an average cost of some £500 million or more. There are normally four stages:
1. Research / drug discovery (2-5 years)
2. Pre-clinical trials (2 years)
3. Clinical development
Phase 1: Is it safe? (1-2 years)
Phase 2: Does it activate an immune response? (2-3 years)
Phase 3: Does it protect against the disease? (2-4 years)
4. Regulatory review and approval (1-2 years)
The vaccine that Margaret received went through this entire process in a single year. So, how did the scientists who worked on creating a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine pull it together so quickly?
That success is in large part attributable to new vaccine technologies being used for the first time. Immunologists were being innovative by doing things in a slightly different way, which proved to be faster and safer than the traditional method of creating a vaccine. And, mobilisation against a new pandemic should be even quicker next time, because scientists have subsequently developed even more innovative ways to create and roll out new vaccines… and the innovation will continue.
Through creative thinking coupled with innovation, the COVID vaccine and follow-up boosters have saved countless lives. That is the power of creative thinking in action.
So, here is the million-dollar question: If we can solve massive problems like this, why don’t we put creativity at the centre of everything we do in life? By doing that, we can open up our imagination to brilliant things, create groundbreaking technologies and solve vexing business challenges. The potential benefits are endless.
But, here is the nub of the problem: We don’t put creativity at the centre of what we do because of
Us!
If you asked 100 people whether they’re creative, how many would say yes? Well, in 2012, the Silicon Valley software firm Adobe surveyed 5,000 people the US, UK, Germany, France and Japan on that question. Their findings were published a report titled ‘Global Creativity Gap.’According to the findings, the vast majority of people around the world know creativity is crucial to economic expansion, the development of society and their personal growth. Yet, only one in four actually feel they’re living up to their creative potential. Why the discrepancy? Let’s explore the key findings.
Creativity is important: The study found that 80% of those surveyed believe creativity is key to economic growth and 64% feel it is valuable to society. And, 75% thought that being creative enables them to make a difference in their own lives, while another two-thirds believe it helps them make a difference in the lives of others. In a world in which innovation drives the economy, and more people than ever have the opportunity to be creative, this is not surprising. That’s good news, but there’s a huge gap in terms of creative application.
Creativity is not happening anywhere near as often as it could or should. While 80% of respondents felt we all have the potential to be creative, they also stated that they spend only a third of their time being creative, and only 25% felt they were living up to their creative potential.
Now, imagine if we can move that 25% figure up to 50%. Think what we could achieve — things like the fantastic, world-changing innovations we've already discussed in this chapter. More importantly, what to others might seem like small innovations could for you could be life-altering. Surely it is time or everyone to put on their creative hats.
The results could be amazing.
This extract is taken from Neil Francis’s new book, ‘’The Creative Thinking Book – how to ignite and boost your creativity’’, which will be published on 29th September. It can be pre-ordered from this website, https://www.neil-francis.com/shop-1/p/the-creative-thinking-book, any other good book shops or Amazon.
www.neil-francis.com