This page was translated from Dutch with AI.
The critic in your group is your best creative asset
You know the moment. You are in the shower or you are sitting in the car, and suddenly you have a great idea. Eureka. A few seconds later the first thought arrives: yes but, that will never work, because. And there the idea dies, even before it had the chance to become something.
In my creativity workshops I call that the eureka and death pattern. Everyone recognises it. And the solution is not what most people expect.
Creativity is more than anything goes
Many brainstorming sessions start with the same rule: there are no bad ideas, criticism is temporarily forbidden. It is well intended. But it sidelines the critical thinkers in the group. They sit there with crossed arms, waiting until they are finally allowed to say why it will not work. And when that moment comes, a bucket of cold water is poured over everything anyway.
Real creativity is not just diverging. It is generating ideas and looking at them critically. Not to kill them, but to select, to find the gaps, to see what else is needed. Without that second part, a brainstorm remains a fun afternoon with a flip chart full of post-its that no one ever looks at again.
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