Creativity hacks: reading the obituaries & avoiding "the passion trap"
- sciart0
- May 10
- 1 min read
Excerpt from 1st link: "I’ve been reading the obituaries for as long as I can remember. At first glance, they might seem like little more than a collection of dates and accomplishments. But for me, they’ve become a wellspring of creativity — each one a glimpse into a life I never would’ve imagined. And as decades of creativity research suggest, the most original ideas often come from the most unlikely sources.
That’s why one popular piece of advice for boosting creativity is to learn something new every day. But here’s the catch: This only works if that new information is very different from what’s already in your head. This is where most of our modern habits fall short. Internet searches, for instance, give you information that’s related to what you already know, or information that you’re already interested in. So, how do you escape that loop and stumble upon something unexpected, something you didn’t even know to look for? The obituaries, obviously — but I’ll come back to that."
Regarding the 2nd link:
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Passion is most powerful when developed through exploration and openness to new experiences, rather than treated as a fixed trait.
Viewing passion as something to be developed broadens interests and enhances creativity.
While passion can drive performance and fulfillment, unchecked obsessive passion may lead to burnout and harm well-being.