Creative Communication Not For Everyone
Producing interesting or compelling content is creative work. So who is able to do that? Who is creative? Let's bust a few myths - among them the most stupid one: That only some people are creative.
Fast Company's The 6 Myths Of Creativity is well worth a read, even though it's about a month old. There are implications for all kinds of creative activities - among them blogging.
I'll let you draw your own conclusions, but take a look at #5 and think about internal corporate blogging. Think about #2 and the open source culture of the blogosphere. #4 and the need for blogging policies. #3 and CEO blogging...
1. Creativity Comes From Creative Types
Wrong. "...anyone with normal intelligence is capable of doing some degree of creative work.""
2. Money Is a Creativity Motivator
Wrong. "...the handful of people who were spending a lot of time wondering about their bonuses were doing very little creative thinking."
3. Time Pressure Fuels Creativity
Wrong. "...we found a kind of time-pressure hangover -- when people were working under great pressure, their creativity went down not only on that day but the next two days as well."
4. Fear Forces Breakthroughs
Wrong. "...creativity is positively associated with joy and love and negatively associated with anger, fear, and anxiety."
5. Competition Beats Collaboration
Wrong. "The most creative teams are those that have the confidence to share and debate ideas."
6. A Streamlined Organization Is a Creative Organization
Wrong. "Creativity suffers greatly during a downsizing."