A creative block can last hours or years. When inspiration seems just out of reach sometimes an examination of top creative minds will put you back on a successful path. Top creative minds in economics, journalism, psychology and the arts find inspiration in unlikely places. Here’s a look at some of the leading minds in our world who look for inspiration in the last place you’d think possible.
Malcolm Gladwell
Gladwell is one of the most creative and innovative journalists on the planet. He spent years as a newspaper reporter for the Washington Post before he was a staff writer for The New Yorker. Now his books such as “Outliers,” “Blink,” and “David and Goliath” are likely ones you’ve seen on bookshelves at bookstores and friend’s homes alike.
Gladwell’s podcast, “Revisionist History,” a podcast of the overlooked or misunderstood, is now in its third season. In it, Gladwell addresses people, documents, and historical events he believes deserve more attention. In turn, this has led him to a sincere love of law reviews. In episode one of season three, he says, “Here’s a profession trained to find meaning in the particular and the arcane, to make the implausible plausible, to defend the indefensible. I mean, how are those not the perfect ingredients for a good read?”
For Malcolm Gladwell, the beauty is in the details and ambiguity. Law reviews are not what many would consider a good read but Gladwell looks closer than most, and where others might find a long, dry, overly complicated examination of semicolons used in the United States Constitution, Malcolm sees the real world consequences. He dives deep. He gets technical. This is what makes a Malcolm Gladwell story so immersive. He approaches the issue from the present day but also hypothesizes what this issue could mean in the future. This example is a reminder that sometimes, inspiration doesn’t mean a change in focus, but simply a deeper search for the hidden meaning.
Joshua Ramo
Joshua Cooper Ramo is a leading mind in economic growth and technological advancement. Ramo believes inspiration can be found in the form of those who constantly deal with high stress and become resilient to it. Where most people see a financial downturn that throws economies around the world into recessions, Ramo sees a hollowed subset of professionals uniquely hardened to survive in instances such as this: hedge-fund managers. “It was at that point where I really started saying to myself, ‘Okay, something is deeply flawed in our system,'” Ramo said in an interview with The New Yorker. Not only did he recognize the flaws, but he also perceived that, perhaps, the answers society seek take the form of those who would otherwise be seen as part of the problem. This example is a reminder that the answer to problems can often be found nearby if only approached from a different angle.
Dan Ariely
Dan Ariely is a psychologist, author, and a professor at Duke University in behavioral economics. Ariely, in his TED Talk “What makes us feel good about our work?” addresses the simplistic and flawed way in which labor forces around the world are treated. People in the workforce are typically treated as though their wage is the one and only reward. It is not difficult to know this is a flawed view of what makes work fulfilling. Ariely posits: If monetary compensation were the only rewarding factor of our work what would be the point of mountain climbing? With this analogy, he delves deep into the pride people take from work. He redefines purpose of difficult tasks and success of projects that benefit only those who spend time on them. This serves as a reminder that inspiration comes from purpose and the meaning our work ultimately has.
The three examples above serve as reminders that inspiration can be found in the overlooked details, approaching a problem from a different perspective, or redefining what has value. While creative blocks are inevitable from time to time, there are a host of like-minded creatives with profound stories that can guide you back to the path of your creative endeavors.
