Imitation - the Cornerstone of Creativity

Look at the image: a child mimics an adult, or a monkey copies a human gesture. We often dismiss this act of imitation as mere copying, even as something unoriginal. But what if that instinct – the one we’ve been taught to suppress – is actually the engine driving your team’s next creative breakthrough? We misunderstand the role imitation plays in our learning, our society, and our development of creativity.

Stefan Leijnen and Liane Gabora, social scientists at the University of British Columbia, built a model to simulate how ideas spread. They found creative solutions only take hold if others adopt them. Imitators, it turns out, are crucial for passing successful strategies across generations.

Leijnen and Gabora also discovered a surprising balance: to maximize creativity’s benefits in society, no more than 30% of people should focus on creating. The rest imitate. This isn’t about stifling innovation; it’s about efficient knowledge transfer.

Many founders believe creativity is a fixed trait, something you either have or don’t. They’re wrong. Like any skill, you can learn and develop creativity. But how?

Bandura’s Social Learning Theory states we learn by observing others’ behavior, their attitudes, and the outcomes. Yale University researchers found imitation is a primary way children – and adults – learn what to do. It’s how we map new actions.

When learning something new, people often over-imitate. They copy steps exactly, even when they know a more efficient path exists. Judith Harris’s research on tribal societies backs this up: imitation is our natural learning default.

“Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing,” said Salvador Dalí. The problem reversal technique, a creativity tool, argues that true creativity stems from fully understanding a concept. Lao-tzu put it simply: “To lead, one must follow.”

Think of it: founders read biographies of successful leaders to reverse-engineer their paths. Writers dissect great works. Frank Stella, the American painter, put it plainly: “One learns about painting by looking at and imitating other painters.”

If you want to develop your own creative edge, start by imitating. Read creativity techniques. Copy the processes that worked for others. You’ll eventually find a method that fits, or even build your own.

Mere imitation and repetition don’t spark innovation on their own. But they build skills. They transmit knowledge across generations. And from that foundation, true creativity emerges.