We live in a time where external stimuli are constantly present. The phone vibrates, the news scrolls, content flows in a torrent through the screens. It is easy to believe that this abundance of information makes us more informed, more creative, more up-to-date. But when the access to impressions never stops, we risk losing touch with our own inner driving force. And it is precisely the inner motivation that is the core of creativity, not the amount of information itself.
For creativity to arise, a state is required in which the mind is allowed to work undisturbed, without constant reactivity to external impulses. Inner motivation is born in silence. It is only when we give ourselves time to think, to really think, that we can begin to form our own ideas, and thereby also use external stimuli as triggers for new perspectives. Without this preparatory reflection, external impulses lose their creative potential and instead turn into a burden. The mind becomes tired, not from thinking, but from never having time to think clearly.
When large parts of the population are constantly in this state of mental exhaustion, it has consequences far beyond the individual. We see a growing societal problem where people find it increasingly difficult to process news, participate in nuanced conversations or form their own reflective positions. Reactions become superficial, emotionally driven and fragmented. Societies where many individuals lose the ability to thoughtfully respond also lose their collective ability to constructively change.
Amabile’s component model in context
Teresa Amabile, a professor at Harvard Business School, has formulated an influential model of creativity in which three components interact: domain-specific knowledge, creative skills and intrinsic motivation. Knowledge is the raw material we process. The creative skills are about our ability to think new things and see connections. But it is the intrinsic motivation, the desire to engage for the sake of the cause, that serves as fuel for the process.
When we are constantly driven by external rewards or distracted by the stimuli of others, this intrinsic motivation weakens. We lose touch with why we do something, we stop exploring. The result is often a superficial creativity, where ideas are produced to fit in, rather than to say something real. For Amabile’s model to work at its full power, we need to cultivate the inner drive. Something that can only happen in silence and presence.
Vygotsky’s theory of imagination and the open mind
Lev Vygotsky, one of the most important developmental psychologists of the 20th century, believed that imagination is based on real experiences. We cannot imagine freely without having building blocks to work with, and these building blocks consist of knowledge and experiences. But it is not enough to have the knowledge, it must also be transformed into experience. This only happens when the mind is open.
Learning something because it is in a book or said in a podcast is not the same as making it your own experience. For that to happen, we must process what we have heard, see it in relation to what we already know, think about it further. Imagination and creativity are not escapes from reality, they are processing it. Therefore, creative imagination requires an active and accessible mind. If the mind is constantly occupied with the next impulse, the next update, the next screen, then this processing space is closed down.
How to protect our inner creativity
We need new routines and priorities to return to the state where creativity can actually arise. It is not about completely shutting out the outside world, but about creating order in how and when we take in information. Here are some crucial steps:
- Set aside time every day without external stimuli. No noise, no screen, no conversations, just thoughts.
- Learn to recognize when the mind is tired, and give it a rest before giving it more information.
- Use external stimuli only after internal reflection. Ask yourself what you are thinking before reading what others are thinking.
Creativity is not a privilege for a few, but an opportunity that exists in all people! But it requires access to an untiring, open mind!
By nurturing our inner motivation, and protecting the silence of our thoughts, we not only create better ideas. We build a more resilient and reflective society. We build capacity for future innovations.
