‘I am very motivated by frustration’: A Yale creativity expert on how to turn your ideas into action

Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, a senior research scientist at Yale School of Medicine's Center for Emotional Intelligence, has spent over two decades studying creative individuals and their processes. She frames creativity around strength and vulnerabilities, focusing on how personality and processes feed into creative acts or ideas. Pringle's research explores the process of self-regulation in creativity, which involves making oneself take action on an idea. She notes that creativity has both fun and hard aspects, including encountering obstacles and dealing with frustration. Pringle is motivated by frustration and seeks to answer questions that haven't been asked before. She highlights the importance of following up on ideas and overcoming psychological barriers, such as fear of risk and self-doubt. Pringle believes that creativity skills and attitudes can be learned, and that it's not necessary to be born with them. She also emphasizes the social aspect of creativity, citing the example of Pinterest founder Ben Silbermann. Pringle debunks common misconceptions about creativity, including the idea that first ideas are always the most creative and that creativity requires full freedom of action. She suggests that recognizing constraints and using strategies to overcome creative blocks can help individuals tap into their creative potential.