“The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources”
Creativity as defined by the Merriam Webster Learner’s dictionary is the the ability to make new things or think of new ideas.
“Creative thinking involves imagining familiar things in a new light, digging below the surface to find previously undetected patterns, and finding connections among unrelated phenomena” Roger von Oech.
It is the expression of one’s thoughts, perceptions and dreams. It depicts how a person sees everything in their surrounding. From the quote “Art is a duplication of Nature” points that the Almighty has already created everything there is and hidden before our eyes; thus it is up to us as individual to unearth them. All inventions are embedded in nature and the creation process never ceases. Dr. Mensah Otabil said:
“God in His own wisdom has created everything but the challenge now is for humans to uncover them."
Creativity is inspired from both within and out; the truth is everything comes from somewhere. We are in a world of continuous recycling of ideas since all ideas have been thought of before and have their sources of inspiration. A saying attributed to Pablo Picasso:
"Good artists borrow; great artists steal."
This isn’t to say great artist encourage theft or plagiarism but admit clearly to the fact that there is nothing like a distinctive new idea. A great artist rather soaks inspiration from the environment, makes a big meal out of it and even creates something better.
Creativity is the manifestation of one’s notion, insight and dreams which show how a person sees everything in its entirety. It is hardly possible to hide the source of creativity and the way we observe things give ignition to the creative process. Truly, it wasn’t the first time a fruit had fallen from a tree but that was what made Isaac Newton ask himself why an apple will fall straight to the ground and never upward or sideways hence, the Laws of gravity.
It is very strenuous to say at what circumstance Einstein came up with this quote, but it should not be taken literally. He might have intended that creativity will lose its character of exclusivity if its source is not hidden.
Knowledge they say is power and necessary steps must be put in place to ensure it doesn’t get into the wrong hands. Organizations must always be on their guard not to let vital information on their creative process and innovative services, procedures and strategies leak to the open. These creative strategies are pivotal to the company’s survival and competitive advantage. When such information on the success of your organization becomes open, you lose your leverage and competitive edge. The company becomes porous and vulnerable to attacks of competitors.
A wise organization is always very ethical when dealing with clients. It makes sure all transactions with various clients are held in confidentiality and well respected. At Indes we treat all our clients with equal attention, confidentiality, respect and as family. All services provided are not duplicated and we make sure every brand has an impeccable identity.
In light of this, we can say that Einstein means, a great person isn't someone without sources, who creates everything by himself but one who makes the sources insignificant. That was certainly true for his work. He conducted no experiment nor ushered in any breakthrough but he didn't need to credit those others because he took up those sources and made brilliance out of them.
In view of Einstein’s quote, originality has been described as the art of concealing origins. Therefore, don't be under the delusion that most geniuses are original in their thoughts or work. Most of their ideas were derivatives of something else. Even Shakespeare wasn't completely authentic. Creativity is the mother of genius. Combining two unrelated things in unique ways brings about a product which looks brand new. Never reveal the sources of your inspirations. This one tact decides whether you are perceived as a genius or not. We all stand on the shoulders of giants thus "discovering truth by building on previous discoveries", a quote by Isaac Newton.
