FIRST STEP OF CREATIVITY– BE ABSTRACT BY WILL SARDI

To be creative, one must be abstract.

Growing up, I never fit into a specific social group. I had jock friends from my years of football and wrestling, I had nerd friends from my classes and clubs, and I had friends who only liked to party. I shared some things in common with each of these groups, but not enough to fully fit in with any of them. I didn’t conform with any of these groups because I was different than them.

I recently read that Steve Jobs was the same way in high school. He was described as being “part brain, part hippy,” being too intellectual for the hippies but not nerdy enough to be called a nerd.

It’s important to never conform to others because it restricts your creative potential. Changing yourself to “fit in” changes your brain structure, making you not think as creatively. Being abstract leads to innovation.