Hey there —

How many times have you heard (or even said) this statement?

“You’re either born creative or you’re not.” 🤷

Most of us are familiar with the widespread belief that creativity is a trait found only in gifted writers, painters, filmmakers, musicians, or other “talent-based” occupations. Although research shows genetic structure can facilitate creativity, it’s not the only element at play.

That’s because…

1. Creativity is a trait — and everyone has it.

2. Creativity is also a skill you can get better at with the right practice.

Everyone is creative (no winning the genetic lottery required). 🎰 But, it’s up to us to deliberately practice creativity so it continues to flow instead of dwindling to a trickle.

“Wait, what? I was born creative but might have lost it unless I practiced?”

That’s right! This is where research done by Dr. George Land and Beth Jarman comes in. Also known as the Imaginative Thinking Test developed for NASA, the study aimed to measure creativity in children and adults.

The research showed that as people got older, their creative ability decreased. On average, adults scored a 2% on the “creativity genius” score, while 4-5-year-olds nailed it with a 98% result!

“What we concluded,” said Land, “is that non-creative behavior is learned.” And because creativity is innate, you can re-learn creative behavior through the right practices, such as:

✍️Practice: Include 20-minute breaks in your day to practice creativity, such as journaling or taking a stroll without your phone. The more you practice, the easier it’ll be to slip into that creative state.

😌Patience: On some days, you’re overflowing with brilliant ideas. On other days, every idea feels like garbage. Accept that ”bad” ideas are essential to the process, be patient with yourself, and keep refining your skillset.

Plus, creativity isn’t just artistic expression — you can be creative in many ways.

Solving a geometry problem, organizing your room, or deciding what to chef up with the three items in your fridge all require creative thinking. The best part is creativity begets creativity — the more you lean into it, the more naturally ideas will come to you.

Creativity is many things — a universal trait, skill, activity — but it is not exclusionary. You’ll never lose your potential for creativity, and with the right techniques, you can hit that 98% score you know your inner four-year-old self is capable of. 🖍

How to be happy

by Luke Prog

Do you know how to be happy? 🤨

It’s a loaded question. But, it’s one writer Luke Prog claims to have the answer to.

In this article, Prog delves into the science of happiness. While optimism, self-esteem, and extroversion are the best predictors for happiness, we can also employ a number of methods to boost it.

And once you’ve read about those, be sure to follow Prog’s advice: 👇

“Happiness will not come from reading articles on the internet. Happiness will come when you do the things research recommends.”

Read the article →

The perils of audience capture

by Gurwinder

For many creators, building an audience is an integral part of the creator journey.

But this pursuit of recognition can quickly spiral out of control.

Gurwinder, author of The Prism, calls this phenomenon “audience capture.” It’s when a creator molds their content — and, consequently, their identity — to please and retain their audience (for better or for worse).

If you’re a creator or just looking to better understand the internet ecosystem, you’ll want to read this one.

Read the article →

Loopers

by Matt Ragland

Imagine you’re about to enter a deep work session. 🧑‍💻The ideas are flowin’, caffeine is hittin’ — and now, you just need the perfect playlist.

Introducing Loopers, a playlist of crisp tracks curated by creator Matt Ragland.

It’s ideal for deep work since you can loop it (get it?), minimizing distractions to help you stay in flow. Enjoy! 🎶

Listen to some tunes →

QUESTION
I have a hard time getting up and going in the morning, I am a freshman in college and have 8am classes EVERYDAY. How can I build a habit to get the day going great? So far nothing has worked and yes, the other day I did snooze my 4 alarms for 2 hours.

— Connor H., Georgia, USA

ANSWER
Can I tell you a secret? I haven’t always been a morning person. In fact, if you met me in college we’d have way more in common than you realize.

I was always up late, procrastinated on most of my assignments and was chronically late to my 8am classes. So the first thing I’d say is… give yourself a damn break.

Once I graduated college and started working for myself I started to build a better relationship with early mornings. And that’s after I put the following three things into practice:

🤔 Get clear on your “why.” Why do you want to wake up early? Is it to work on your business, to get some extra alone time, or to meditate while the kids are still sleeping? If you’re trying to make it to your college classes, remind yourself why you signed up for them to begin with.

📝 Create a plan the night before. Most of us can’t think clearly first thing when we wake up. Our first instinct is to roll over and hit the snooze button. But if you’ve got a planned checklist for when you wake up, you’ll be much more likely to get the day started on a great note.

😴 Get enough sleep. If you find yourself chronically tired in the morning regardless of how well you prepare for your day, you’re probably not getting enough sleep. No amount of willpower is going to make you feel better than a full 8 hours of sleep.

Good luck getting to class on time! BTW, I’d also recommend starting your day with an excellent cup of coffee. My friends at Cat & Cloud are some of my favorite people that make some of my favorite coffee (and I’m not paid to say that).

— Matt

Got a question for the Slow Growth team? Click here to send it our way!

Written by Alice Lemée

Edited by Matt D'Avella & Kerstin Sheppard