After reading some of my writing, my mom sent me an e-mail praising my creativity and said, “you certainly didn’t get that from me!” That got me wondering about where creativity comes from. Is it nature or nurture? I started reading about the topic. Various articles argued that environment is the bigger factor in creative output. Others contended it was heredity. The issue is quite complex, so the simple answer is that it is a mixture of heredity and environment. Everyone is or has the potential to become creative at some level.
I haven’t been able to pinpoint the creative hereditary line in my family, but I can see that my environment may have played a big role in developing the creativity that led me to become a writer.
Growing up, I was encouraged to use my imagination and creative abilities on many levels: playing make believe, making up dance routines, writing stories, playing piano, singing, appreciating the natural world, learning new languages, and traveling.
It’s been shown that doing creative things on a regular basis and having new experiences all contributes to creativity. Based on this, if you don’t think you are a creative person there’s no need to despair. “The more you experience new things, the more neural connections you’re strengthening in your brain. The stronger those connections become, the easier it will be to come up with new, creative ideas when you need them most.” (Quote from https://creativesomething.net/post/37636440407/how-experiences-influence-creativity).