How many times have you been urged to stick to the tried and true, or been told that it "will never work?"
I thought so.
Dr. Lynne Vincent, co-author of 'Outside Advantage: Can Social Rejection Fuel Creative Thought?,' published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, writes that successful creatives use rejection to their advantage.
Vincent's work is referenced by Entrepreneur magazine, which points out that when people say they value creativity what they're saying, most of the time, is they liked what happened after the fact. But because truly creative ideas are also novel ideas, it's the before-the-fact change that gives pause. Risk is uncomfortable.
As a researcher, Vince wants to know why some persevere in the face of social rejection and others don't. Entrepreneur summarizes a few of those findings in its article. One: people who persevere have the requisite knowledge and skill to reach the innovative end they have in mind.
To break the rules, you first need to understand why they're there. 'Most people aren't going to create a creative rocket if they don't know anything about rocket engines,' Vincent says. 'You have to have that foundation first.'
At the end of the day, creativity is directly tied to nonconformity - 'You can't be overwhelmingly influenced by social expectation,' Vincent says.
Read the rest of the story at Entrepreneur. Vincent's work may be found here.
Stay curious.
Wayne
Cropped image: 
Some rights reserved by Mr Michael Phams