Do I need to be creative to succeed in engineering?

I never considered myself to be creative until I spent time as a Continuous Improvement Engineer. My favorite part about being an engineer is solving problems. The types of problems that I solve in Continuous Improvement require creative solutions that start with challenging the assumptions associated with the problem. Is it really too hard to make that person/process/thing change? Are there other ways to interpret the system requirements? Is that impediment still an impediment if we try this new route? I would think of creativity as a way of thinking rather than an attribute that you own; that way, sometimes you have a creative mindset and sometimes you do not, but YOU are not "lacking creativity". 

Engineering takes much more than the classical interpretation of "creativity." First and foremost, you need to be a problem solver and a critical thinker! Oftentimes, we may think that the way we need to be creative is in the engineering of a solution itself, but this may not always be the case. Sometimes, we need to take a creative approach to explaining the problem or solution to a new audience, or maybe we need to think of new ways that we can invigorate our co-workers through team-building events, or perhaps we need to figure out a way for certain parts to weigh less or cost less. Creativity comes in all forms and is also something that comes with experience. I believe that you can learn how to be creative, so don't worry if you don't consider yourself "creative" at this very moment. As you go through your schooling, you'll learn the foundations of engineering that will make you ready to hit the ground running in industry or in additional graduate school. As you navigate through your career, you will solve different problems and work with many individuals that have varying perspectives on how to tackle that challenge at hand. All of these experiences cumulate into knowledge that helps you take on your next challenge. Your unique knowledge and way of thinking is your creativity.

The best part about creativity is that it doesn’t mean you have to think up a brand new idea that someone has never thought of before. Sometimes, creativity means taking something you learned somewhere else and applying it to the current problem at hand.

For example, the sewing principle of creating a dart (when fabric is folded and sewn to provide shape to a garment – Google “sewing a dart”) was taken and applied to carbon fiber composite manufacturing used on rockets, airplanes, and cars where it’s difficult to take a flat piece of cloth and drape it over a curve.

Another example of creativity is how the Apollo spacecraft’s flight computer was made. The very powerful guidance computer was used to calculate the course to the moon in real time and also controlled the many physical components of the spacecraft all without using any power. The Core Rope Memory, also known as Little Old Lady (LOL) Memory was constructed by women weaving the 1s and 0s that made up the code of this computer. The idea of knitting a computer seems crazy but is very creative!

Ways to improve on your creativity is to broaden your knowledge and horizons. Learn about things that interest you, even if they’re not STEM-related: learn to sail a boat, play a sport, or even learn how to knit. You never know when this outside knowledge will be handy.

Great question! Although many students view creativity as a fixed character trait (you either are creative or you are not), researchers have demonstrated that all humans are born with the innate capability for creativity. Unsurprisingly, this ability is diminished if not nurtured and practiced. Because creativity may not be emphasized in school, particularly in the context of a STEM course, many students begin to believe they are not creative – but this isn’t true! They are creative, and we just have to work on bringing that back out.

Recently, researchers, teachers, and neuroscientists have developed methods to reawaken human creativity and eliminate psychological blocks that restrict divergent thinking and hinder innovation. The results of these studies show that innate creative thinking and expression, properly fostered, can help develop students, and particularly, engineers, into 21st century innovators. For example, at the University of Missouri, we have built on this framework to develop an evidence-based framework for undergraduate engineering education that integrates proven, theatre-based creativity training with existing curriculum.

So, yes, the future of engineering demands a creative workforce, because creativity drives innovation, and innovation drives the economy. Fortunately, we have the tools to re-awaken creativity and teach students how to be innovators while we teach them how to be engineers! If this is your primary concern, look for programs that teach innovation as a fundamental part of their program, or look to join classes or groups where you can practice those creative thinking and expression skills (the arts, for example). I know you’ll find that, with a little practice, you can resolve this worry and go on to be an innovator. Good luck!

I believe creativity is in every human being. The fact that some people may seem more creative than others could be due to a lot of factors. For example, how passionate, knowledgeable, and experienced a person is/feels on a given subject. If you feel passionate about a subject, you will enjoy spending time working on that, which will give you knowledge and experience. With these qualities you will be able to innovate and show creativity on a given task without even thinking about it. Problem-solving is all about being creative. You need to find the best solution possible to a particular problem, which translates into finding a reliable, cost-effective, and time-effective solution. The answer to this will not always be obvious and therefore you will need to think outside of the box to solve your problem, and by doing that you are being creative.

Now to answer your question, I think it is wrong to think you are "not creative enough" because I do not think this is true for anybody. There are qualities that you will develop over time and by being exposed to real work. The only deal-breakers in engineering are lack of passion, energy, and eagerness to learn.

I have never thought of myself as a creative person. I never build anything (unless I’m required to, for a class, for example), take apart anything, or create anything physical (other than meals or repairing holes in clothing). I enjoy viewing others’ artwork, and I might doodle something small and repetitive while taking notes. But that’s not particularly creative. However, when you and I are asked to write an essay for a class or for a journal, we are being creative. When we describe what we have learned from evaluating data or reviewing others’ findings, we are being creative.

I also am fortunate to always have a lot of questions, about how the world works and how to make things function better (like transportation systems and car emissions). So I try to answer those questions, with my students, and then we write our findings up for others to read. Thanks to that simple activity, in response to important and looming questions, most people think of me as very creative.

Please do not worry that you must create something very new. Most creation I see emerges from existing ideas and experiences, and will be very natural for you. You will take tools you have learned in your classes (like statistics or calculus) or out in practice (e.g., buildings you have seen during your travels) and create new knowledge using new data or solving engineering problems using existing data. That work is very valuable and considered creative!

The phenomenon of creativity is not limited to art production, nor is it a superpower that allows you to be extremely imaginative. I would offer that solving math problems is an “art” in itself. Sure it takes analytical thought but there are often multiple solutions to a single math problem. Coming up with new ways to solve a math problem indeed involves a form of creative or innovative thinking in my opinion. Don’t be discouraged. Engineers come in all forms and with various skills, and those differences make us better.

Engineering is such a broad field, it takes all types of different people to truly find the solution to a problem. Within my own field of architecture and engineering, there are more technically minded engineers, engineers who are gifted in business development and finding new projects and new clients, as well as those that are better on the construction site and out in the field. Without each of these people, we could not design, construct, and operate new buildings. There is room for you, even if you don't consider yourself the most creative type!

Yes, you do need to be creative to be a good engineer; being creative is simply the art of being imaginative and resourceful. Sometimes the best solution evolves after looking at a problem from different angles, including unconventional ones – this is what a problem-solver does. An engineer is a problem-solver, so if you are good problem-solver then you are already creative, already inventive, already inspired – and undoubtedly will make a great engineer.

There are all types of creativity. Creativity is about seeing things differently than others. This takes practice! How you practice is to start coming up with many ideas to little problems. Step one is to find problems that occur in your life and write them down for a week. The pickup line at school is a disaster, the lunch line takes too long, my desk does not have enough places to store all my tools to be a student, etc. Then pick one and then brainstorm using a new technique like mind mapping. Also say all the ideas out loud! No editing. All these things help you practice and build confidence. As you practice, you will realize you do come up with ideas and not just one!

My engineering creativity comes from seeing data differently! The numbers and process speaks answers to me. It also took practice and experience to help this along!

The answer is NO, it is not a deal breaker. There are jobs in the field of engineering where you can apply Math and purely problem solving. For example, working as a Stress Engineer. I have women colleagues here in the Philippines that work in the said field. Everyday, they do the math and hand calculations to make their stress reports.

Being creative though is a skill. You can gain it through experience and continuous learning. So you don’t have to worry if you feel that you are not creative today. You’ll see the progress to yourself if you will give yourself a chance and step out of your comfort zone and embrace your weakness. Best of luck!

Problem solving is creative – coming up with solutions requires coming up with ideas that are outside the box. Personally, I’m good at music and no other art. But I am good at figuring out how to solve various problems simultaneously. For instance, in designing a hospital, the architect wants it to be visually inviting. The acoustician (me) wants it to be soothing and to provide speech intelligibility and privacy. Mechanical engineers are trying to figure out how to get the right kind of air, water, medical gases, etc. to the right spot in the right amount, plus worrying about infection control and smoke containment. Radiologists are afraid that vibrations from people walking or other equipment will mess up their images. And everyone needs to convince the customer to accept the solution. There is a LOT of creativity required to figure out how to balance all these competing requirements!

So – this may be a different idea of creative than you are used to.

Good engineers solve problems, so we need to learn how to do this in our chosen sub-discipline. Creativity can be important for engineers involved in research and development, but not necessary for normal engineering tasks. Although I believe creativity can be developed. It can be looking at a problem in different ways. In engineering, creativity is not the same as for the arts (painting, writing, etc..). If you like math and problem solving, then engineering is for you.

Feeling uncreative is not necessarily a dealbreaker at this point, but creativity is necessary for many types of engineering. There are some tricks to thinking creatively though! Ask questions about the details of the problem and how the solution will or should meet the need/demand – know the requirements vs. the targets. Knowing how far to maneuver within possible options will help generate creative options to pursue or develop further. Asking questions or searching for answers is again important in staying apprised of what all the possible options are – even engineers with exceptional expertise still never know all the answers all the time, but part of the job is being comfortable working together from collective knowledge.

You can practice creative problem solving by organizing things in your own household! Can you identify a messy closet or unorganized kitchen to tackle? Think about what the problem is, what the requirements are for your “customer” (i.e., your family members or yourself; Do you want to improve accessibility of items based on where appliances are installed, or how you get dressed in the morning to create a smoother process flow? Is there a budget to stay within?), and do a little online research on all the different methods of storage/organization (doesn’t have to be purchases), weighing the merits of each. Select your final option based on how important the criteria are and what the merits are of each option, without resorting to assigning numbers, which would only give you a purely analytical decision. Small exercises like that when you identify problems could help build your comfort level or skill in creative problem solving.

After the pandemic, universities will also start resuming engineering summer camps for middle school and high school students where you can practice thinking creatively in real-world engineering challenges, often while staying in free lodging on campus!

Most engineering projects are done by teams, and the creativity of solutions depends on the individuals who make up the team. By working together with people with different skills, backgrounds, and perspectives, teams of engineers are more creative than individual engineers. Creativity is also a skill that can get better with practice.

The short answer is no. Many engineers succeed by being technically competent. Being "creative" will come with experience and confidence that you will develop throughout school and your career. And who says you are not creative?!? Throughout your career you will become more confident and creativity will come.

I am not considered creative in the area of arts but the fun in solving technical problems can be an area of creativity that is not obvious. When in school I never thought of myself as creative but now as an older adult can see how creativity can be expressed in many ways. Creative thinking can be how you find more than one process to solving a geometry problem or understanding chemistry processes and how they might apply to other situations.