Held Back by Originality

A belief that appears often in our community is this: all the good ideas are already taken. It sounds true, but it is not.

Listen to the blog here.

This belief limits creativity and stops progress before it starts.

Research shows the opposite. Most new work comes from recombining, reframing, or reapplying existing ideas.

Mark Runco describes this as “everyday creativity.” Teresa Amabile’s work shows that context and culture influence creativity more than individual talent. A 2024 study found that people who believe creativity can be developed are more motivated and produce more novel ideas. Recent neuroscience research shows that creativity increases when the brain’s spontaneous thought and focused attention networks work together. I've referenced all this in the footnotes.

Innovation practitioners show the same pattern. IDEO’s design thinking process builds creativity through empathy, prototyping, and iteration. Adam Grant’s research finds that successful innovators test, refine, and adjust existing ideas instead of waiting for a single breakthrough.

Dr. Paige Williams, one of our Black Belt Graduates and faculty, recently shared a video about finding her original voice as an academic. She described the difficulty of stepping beyond established research to contribute work that was both credible and authentic. Her reflection shows why the belief that “it’s all been said” is inaccurate and why personal voice remains essential in thought leadership.

Here are three ways to challenge the idea that all the good ideas are already taken.

1. Shift from originality to synthesis.  Many breakthroughs come from combining existing ideas. Look for overlaps between models or frameworks and explore what emerges. One Black Belt combined two Pink Sheets, one on leadership presence and another on productivity, to create a new keynote that resonated strongly with clients. Neuroscience supports this. Creativity improves when both associative and control networks are active.
   
   
2. Make practice your engine.
   Waiting for inspiration slows output. Consistent creation increases it. Write, test, teach, and repeat. Pink Sheets Cha Cha Cha. Research shows that people with a growth mindset about creativity are more motivated and that this motivation improves their work. Grant’s findings align with this: prolific creators produce many ideas before identifying the few that stand out. In practice, this looks like generating dozens of Pink Sheets in a quarter and discovering the one or two that become defining programs.
   
   
3. Ground in lived perspective.
Your story and context are unique. Even when others share similar ideas, your framing changes their meaning. This aligns with our model of Experience, Expertise, and Essence.

• • Experience shapes how you interpret the world.
  • Expertise is the knowledge and skill developed through practice.
  • Essence is your distinct way of being and expressing.
Together, these form a voice that cannot be replicated. Research confirms that creativity is shaped by environment and application. IDEO’s process shows that relevance grows when ideas are tested in real contexts. Some argue that recombination can lead to shallow novelty, but evidence suggests that depth comes from sustained application through your own Experience, Expertise, and Essence.

The belief that all the good ideas are gone is incorrect and limiting. Ideas evolve through people who are willing to share and refine them. Your voice matters because it combines your experience, your expertise, and your essence. That combination is always original.

Warmly,

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References:

1. Runco, M. A. (2014). Creativity: Theories and Themes: Research, Development, and Practice. 2nd ed. Elsevier.
2. Amabile, T. M. (1996). Creativity in Context. Westview Press.
3. He, W.-j., & Chiang, T.-w. (2024). Growth and fixed creative mindsets: Mediating role of creativity motivation. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1353271.
4. Beaty, R. E. (2025). Creative thinking and the balanced brain. Psychology Today.
5. Brown, T. (2009). Change by Design: How Design Thinking Creates New Alternatives for Business and Society. Harper Business.
6. Grant, A. (2016). Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World. Viking.