I always wondered if creativity gene or artistic gene is passed down from my parents. To give you a bit of my family background, my parents are both artists. My mom was a graphic designer before she quit her job to take care of us and my dad is a sculptor/ artist. There is not an exact definition of my dad’s works, but I hope the visuals help.
Anyhow, what I wanted to discuss here was the possibility of me getting artistic gene from my parents. I always thought I lacked creativity. From when I was young, I struggled when it came to situations where I had to use creativity to produce some invention or a unique idea. I always asked my parents why I don’t have any artistic sense when my parents and other members in my family are artists. My mom briefly assured me that I have a good art skill, but I knew myself that I lacked creativity compared to others. I preferred to follow instructions and copy the exact layout rather than create something new from scratch or explore different variations of the original product. However, without even confirming if creativity is a genetic thing, I always lightly blamed my parents for giving my no creativity.
When I actually did some research behind the artistic/ creativity gene, I found a research study conducted on twins to conclude the genetic influences in creativity. The data from Netherlands Twin Register suggests that there is a high level of heritability for creative writing with 0.83. In more broader aspects of art such as acting and painting showed 0.56 level of heritability. This research was interesting yet because it was based on self-report measures, it can not be taken as a credible source. Despite the seemingly unsuccessful search, I encountered a very meaningful message: to be creative in life, just make it a priority.
