Balancing on Creativity
Posted: July 5th, 2011, 8:11 am
How does one live a creative life? Is it important to be creative? What is creativity? Questions I find myself asking this morning. I mean, some days are just bursting with creativity and others, I can barely fathom what that even means.
The dictionary defines creativity as:
cre·a·tiv·i·ty
/ˌkrieɪˈtɪvɪti, ˌkriə-/ Show Spelled[kree-ey-tiv-i-tee, kree-uh-]
–noun
1.
the state or quality of being creative.
2.
the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination: the need for creativity in modern industry; creativity in the performing arts.
3.
the process by which one utilizes creative ability: Extensive reading stimulated his creativity.
Not sure that I agree to or even understand the standard definition. To me, creativity is like zen, it is a way of life. To live a creative life one must be open to any and every moment and perhaps that is what is meant by "transcend traditional ideas..." but I am still not clear on this.
Albert Einstein famously said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge" and you may be a genius but unless you are able to make real your ideas, your theories, your imaginings then all of that smart stuff is for naught. I think people that don't use their creativity must be very boring indeed. Creativity is making it real, making, writing, playing something outside of your interior thoughts and ideas. In being creative, you must get out of your comfort zones and stretch yourself. Then it becomes satisfying when you do create because you have stretched yourself into the unknown.
When I talk about creativity then it follows that I get into definitions of what art is. Now as everyone knows, art is just not a beautiful creation. No, not at all, art can be ugly and disturbing and kick you in the ass when you behold it, read it or hear it. Or it can be a creation that bores the viewer, the listener to tears. When someone creates by rote, a paint by numbers kind of creation then where is the creativity? Art should move you, stir something inside of you or at least that is what I think. We all have our likes and dislikes when it comes to art and creations but we should know what inspires or moves us if we are to know ourselves.
Now, do you think that creativity is an expectation? I expect myself to be creative, to create something, whether it is a meal, a rock garden, a display of my herbs at the Farmers Market, a story I tell, a way of appearing and dressing myself, all of these and more are a reflection of my creativity. If you expect to be creative, you are. And when creativity is at a low ebb, I allow myself a vacation of sorts from doing anything creative and just observing which always inspires more creativity.
Where does all this creativity come from? For myself it comes from two things, being alone and contemplation and being with others and participation. You need solitude and silence sometimes to be creative, to let those juices well up and bubble into what you create. And don't ever tell me (and many people do) that you are "not creative" because I don't buy it, everyone, all humans have the ability to be creative. (It really is what separates us from all other beings.) In the silence and solitude I (and you) are able to reach inside and pull out an idea and make it real or at least attempt to make it real. Of course, I am not always successful at the attempt but the attempting itself may inspire you to try a different path that you haven't considered before.
Participation, being with others is important, in fact just as important as being in solitude when creating. Singing in a choir or playing in a drum circle or getting together with friends to cook or having a lesson in some craft or going on a hike with a partner, all of these type of things inspires creativity. Creativity in others inspires creativity in oneself. When you watch children play with each other, or give children materials to create something with, they have no boundaries in their creativity (unless one sets them i.e. "draw between the lines.") As children, we were able to create fantasy worlds, make music that entertained us like singing a silly song, draw a picture and all without criticism, without self criticism, we just created and were satisfied. Our participation in creative activities with others will inspire more and more creativity in ourselves.
Finding that child that we are, were, is important in the act of creation. To let go, to just be in the process of creating and not judging what it is that we create. And to be satisfied in the act of creation and not just the end product. So, being creative, living a creative life is truly simple and it should be. Inspiration is everywhere if you just quiet yourself and observe, if you just let it flow and not dam it up with self doubt. Be like a child and create for the joy of creating, for the satisfaction of making a fantasy real. Balance your solitude with participation and creativity will happen.
"I decided to start anew, to strip away what I had been taught." ~ Georgia O'Keeffe
"I can always be distracted by love, but eventually I get horny for my creativity." ~ Gilda Radner
"Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity." ~ Charles Mingus
The dictionary defines creativity as:
cre·a·tiv·i·ty
/ˌkrieɪˈtɪvɪti, ˌkriə-/ Show Spelled[kree-ey-tiv-i-tee, kree-uh-]
–noun
1.
the state or quality of being creative.
2.
the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination: the need for creativity in modern industry; creativity in the performing arts.
3.
the process by which one utilizes creative ability: Extensive reading stimulated his creativity.
Not sure that I agree to or even understand the standard definition. To me, creativity is like zen, it is a way of life. To live a creative life one must be open to any and every moment and perhaps that is what is meant by "transcend traditional ideas..." but I am still not clear on this.
Albert Einstein famously said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge" and you may be a genius but unless you are able to make real your ideas, your theories, your imaginings then all of that smart stuff is for naught. I think people that don't use their creativity must be very boring indeed. Creativity is making it real, making, writing, playing something outside of your interior thoughts and ideas. In being creative, you must get out of your comfort zones and stretch yourself. Then it becomes satisfying when you do create because you have stretched yourself into the unknown.
When I talk about creativity then it follows that I get into definitions of what art is. Now as everyone knows, art is just not a beautiful creation. No, not at all, art can be ugly and disturbing and kick you in the ass when you behold it, read it or hear it. Or it can be a creation that bores the viewer, the listener to tears. When someone creates by rote, a paint by numbers kind of creation then where is the creativity? Art should move you, stir something inside of you or at least that is what I think. We all have our likes and dislikes when it comes to art and creations but we should know what inspires or moves us if we are to know ourselves.
Now, do you think that creativity is an expectation? I expect myself to be creative, to create something, whether it is a meal, a rock garden, a display of my herbs at the Farmers Market, a story I tell, a way of appearing and dressing myself, all of these and more are a reflection of my creativity. If you expect to be creative, you are. And when creativity is at a low ebb, I allow myself a vacation of sorts from doing anything creative and just observing which always inspires more creativity.
Where does all this creativity come from? For myself it comes from two things, being alone and contemplation and being with others and participation. You need solitude and silence sometimes to be creative, to let those juices well up and bubble into what you create. And don't ever tell me (and many people do) that you are "not creative" because I don't buy it, everyone, all humans have the ability to be creative. (It really is what separates us from all other beings.) In the silence and solitude I (and you) are able to reach inside and pull out an idea and make it real or at least attempt to make it real. Of course, I am not always successful at the attempt but the attempting itself may inspire you to try a different path that you haven't considered before.
Participation, being with others is important, in fact just as important as being in solitude when creating. Singing in a choir or playing in a drum circle or getting together with friends to cook or having a lesson in some craft or going on a hike with a partner, all of these type of things inspires creativity. Creativity in others inspires creativity in oneself. When you watch children play with each other, or give children materials to create something with, they have no boundaries in their creativity (unless one sets them i.e. "draw between the lines.") As children, we were able to create fantasy worlds, make music that entertained us like singing a silly song, draw a picture and all without criticism, without self criticism, we just created and were satisfied. Our participation in creative activities with others will inspire more and more creativity in ourselves.
Finding that child that we are, were, is important in the act of creation. To let go, to just be in the process of creating and not judging what it is that we create. And to be satisfied in the act of creation and not just the end product. So, being creative, living a creative life is truly simple and it should be. Inspiration is everywhere if you just quiet yourself and observe, if you just let it flow and not dam it up with self doubt. Be like a child and create for the joy of creating, for the satisfaction of making a fantasy real. Balance your solitude with participation and creativity will happen.
"I decided to start anew, to strip away what I had been taught." ~ Georgia O'Keeffe
"I can always be distracted by love, but eventually I get horny for my creativity." ~ Gilda Radner
"Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity." ~ Charles Mingus