(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese into English.)
We live in a world overflowing with information. Every day, we consume enormous amounts of it, but in doing so, we often forget to create something ourselves.
I was no different. I loved reading books, but I was only taking in information and not creating anything myself.
Because I became interested in creativity, I started thinking about how people come up with new ideas. Through my own experience, I gradually began to understand the creative process.
Before you can create something, you need to absorb a great deal of information. After that, however, you need to stop taking in new information. You need quiet time for your ideas to grow.
When I was working, I often had free time. During those moments, I stopped consuming information and started asking myself questions.
What small improvements can I make? What can I make more convenient?
As I kept asking these questions, I came up with many ideas and made many improvements. That was when I realized I had become more creative.
From this experience, I learned that creativity has two stages. First, we need to gather knowledge and experience. Then, we need to stop taking in new information and give ourselves time to think.
Japan’s history offers an interesting example.
Until the mid-19th century, Japan remained largely isolated from the rest of the world for more than 200 years. In other words, it greatly limited the amount of new information and influence coming from abroad.
During this period of isolation, many uniquely Japanese cultural traditions, such as ukiyo-e, haiku, and kabuki, were born or flourished. The foundations of modern Japanese culture were also established during this time.
Of course, Japan’s creativity did not come only from isolation. It was built on centuries of accumulated knowledge and culture. However, this period suggests that after enough input, a society may also benefit from having time to develop its own ideas.
The same pattern can be seen in the life of Isaac Newton, one of the most creative scientists in history.
When Newton was in his early twenties, the Great Plague forced the University of Cambridge to close, and he spent about 18 months studying at home. This period is now known as his Year of Wonders.
During those 18 months, Newton developed calculus, laid the foundations of the theory of universal gravitation, and made major discoveries in optics.
If a scientist achieves just one of these accomplishments in a lifetime, they are considered a genius. Yet Newton made all three breakthroughs within only 18 months.
Because of the plague, Newton could no longer live his normal university life. Instead, he spent long periods working alone, free from many of the distractions of daily academic life. He had time to think deeply and carry out his own experiments.
Newton’s Year of Wonders reminds me of the metamorphosis of a butterfly.
A caterpillar spends much of its life eating leaves and storing energy. Then it stops moving and forms a chrysalis. From the outside, it appears that nothing is happening, but inside, an extraordinary transformation is taking place. Eventually, it emerges as a butterfly.
Newton’s period of isolation was similar. Although he seemed cut off from the outside world, an extraordinary creative process was unfolding within him.
If we want to transform ourselves from caterpillars into butterflies, perhaps we also need periods when we stop constantly consuming information and give ourselves the quiet time needed for creativity to emerge.