Mistakes and Creativity

Life is like sculpting a statue from a single piece of marble. Every strike, every decision leaves an irreversible mark. That’s why we often slow down, act carefully, and try to minimize the possibility of mistakes. But if we take this approach to the extreme, the safest point is to remain motionless. So, does aiming to make no mistakes actually mean not moving at all? Is not playing better than losing?

Does the human brain genuinely fear making mistakes, or is this fear instilled in us by society? A child, when born, does not act with the anxiety of making mistakes. They learn by experimenting, failing, and questioning. They fall and get up while learning to walk, they mispronounce words before mastering speech. For them, making mistakes is part of the learning process. So, where do we lose this courage? As a child develops language skills, do they hear "no" more often than "well done"?

When we look at people who have made progress in science and art today, we see that they have the courage to make mistakes. Science advances through trial and error. A hypothesis must be falsified before a new and better theory can emerge. In art, mistakes sometimes lay the foundation for new movements. Yet in modern society, making mistakes is often seen as failure. We raise individuals who are afraid of making mistakes, and then we wonder why new ideas do not emerge.

So, how much do we alter our creative thinking through societal norms? What is the psychological basis of this phenomenon? Most people are born with an inquisitive and questioning mind, but over time, this trait is dulled. Looking at statistics, we see that a large portion of society is not inclined to change the status quo. Staying in one's comfort zone feels safer for many. But can this be changed? Absolutely. Curiosity and questioning can be cultivated later in life. Just like our muscles, our minds can develop through training.

So, should we flee from a questioning mind, or should we embrace it? If we can create a society that continues to ask bold questions, the path to progress and innovation will open up. Becoming an individual who is unafraid of mistakes, who tries, fails, but does not give up, may be one of the most crucial keys to development.

Thus, we should ask ourselves: What can I do wrong today, and what can I learn from it?