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I was reading a blog and followed a link to Metafilter, where this question was asked. Since the topic of mojo/lack of creativity and similar come up here on SCS now and then, I thought the answers might be of interest, as well as some of the other information linked up in the answers (other forums/blogs, books, etc). Entire thread is HERE.
There are some suggestions fleshing out the main idea and some that I'd not heard before, but the overall theme that I gleaned from the answers was that you just need to get in there and do the work without worrying if it's good or bad or original or whatever. Separating judgement from the activity is paramount, it would seem. Just something to consider moving into whatever comes next... Happy creating!
__________________ ~ Sue Happy for no reason...
Last edited by gregzgurl; 12-25-2020 at 07:43 AM..
Reason: add info
That chimes with a long-ago MIX from Dina which I still remember: MIX149 - Jump Start, Share Art (12/03/15) - Splitcoaststampers. Took me a while to find because I couldn't think what keywords to use to search for it.
I hope that when the site gets fixed, all the wonkiness in old posts reverts to normal.
I think you can create creativity, often by trying something completely different. If you only stamp, maybe knit or paint. If you only paint, write an essay. If you listen to music to get inspired, try writing your own song. There is a vast, untapped wealth of creativity inside everyone's brain. We need to encourage those around us to forget about the rules, let go of perfection and make something. This process may spark what will be their new "thing" or, at the very least, will help them forget about the stress of these days and lift their spirits for a minute.
I'm coming back to say that, while I appreciate the comments (and you are both reinforcing the ideas in the linked article), I was hoping more to guide everyone to the ideas and further information in the article, rather than having a discussion about the title of the thread. Much of the information there I had not heard or considered before, and there are many books and such linked up that I think would be helpful. Please take a look...
I'm still fine with discussion, just wanted to redirect back to the article - thanks!
Sue, the "article" you refer to is not an article but just another online conversation like we have here on SCS.
Back to the idea of creating creativity . . . Creativity, according to an online dictionary, is "the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of artistic work."
Using that definition, I would have to say that I'm not a creative card maker. Like many others, I'm simply a copier, a CASEr.
Practice helps but, contrary to popular belief, practice does not guarantee perfection -- or talent. For example, if I were to sing three hours a day, every day, in 10 years I'd still be a terrible singer. Well, the neighborhood dogs might like it and want to join in but their humans would hate it.
On the other hand, I do think that simply "creating" is just a matter of jumping in and doing it.
I used to write for a living, five days a week for more than a decade. I wrote when I was inspired and when I had no inspiration at all. I wrote when I hated the subject matter and even when I was sick and would rather have been at home in bed. It was all a matter of sitting down at the computer and doing the work.
__________________ Melissa59 ♥
Last edited by melissa59; 12-26-2020 at 02:04 PM..
Reason: bad formatting
I just returned an interesting book to the library that was the first thing that popped into my head when I saw this thread.
So I have to comment. Not to give definitive answers, but to spur thinking...mainly in my mind!
First the book...Big Magic.
Creativity requires one to just step out and create. A book, a card, a painting, a tune, a dance...anything. And don't be afraid to fail. Get up and do it again.
When it comes to card-making, I agree with many of the commenters on that thread you shared. It's okay to "copy" something. That way you can say, "what if I changed _____?" That's how you learn.
And there's very little out there that hasn't already been created. Creativity doesn't equal innovation (something new that no one else has already done). Just do the things that you love to do.
Other points might gel in my head later, and I'll share them later. ;)
Oh, and don't get judgmental on yourself, or think that others will be judgmental on you. I had a friend who gave me a glowing comment on the Christmas card she received from me...after my DH just "grunted" about it. I have to let go of his judgmentalism because it tears me down.
Melissa - thank you for correcting the semantics. Yes, it is a discussion rather than an article. Be that as it may, I thought that the discussion lent itself to getting us out of thinking that "creativity" had to equal "artistic" or whatever. One of my daughters thinks that she is not creative, but she comes up with menu plans and recipes that would never occur to me. Another is a customer service rep and I've overheard her on calls and she knows how to turn a phrase to defuse a situation, calm someone down, or better clarify the point needing to be made. My mother was the most creative homemaker I've ever encountered. I suppose the upshot of what I was hoping for anyone/everyone to glean from the linked conversation - and this one - is to think about creativity in a new way than we typically do.
As to originality, I've mentioned Austin Kleon's Steal Like an Artist in several threads, and will do it again now. What we consider original is most likely a new way of arranging, combining, or interpreting someone else's ideas. Even the masters painted copies of already established artists to learn the techniques and processes before they struck out on their own "original" art journey. Practice doesn't ensure that you will become a master, but it can certainly improve whatever skills you do possess...
I only skimmed some of the replies in the link, but was immediately reminded of a "test" that I was given in jr. high, which was supposed to measure creativity. The sections of the test consisted of everyday items, drawn in black and white, and we were to list as many different ways to use it as we could imagine. It had to be an actual, possible use..and realistic (no, it could turn me invisible). I felt it was more a test of engineering and designing ability than creativity per se, however.
When I was in high school, my art teacher coaxed us to be more creative and free, and less caught up in what we think a project should be, by drawing everything upside down, or by blocking the view of our paper as we drew. We would draw by seeing an item, and "feeling" the movement of our hand and pencil...but not looking at the result. Also, drawing a person''s face and body without lifting your pencil even once. Since everyone had to do it that way, it removed self-consciousness from the mix and redefined what many of us thought of as drawing. Those exercises reminded me of the suggestion in the discussion about cutting an image into squares, drawing each square and then putting the squares together in the end.
I have had some very good friends who made their living through art, and I was always impressed at how much time they put into the process. They were ALWAYS thinking of a project, or working on something. They couldn't NOT do art. I was never like that. Therefore, I am one of those who sees a design or piece, and uses it as a springboard to my own design. It's not strictly CASE'd, but it is based on someone else's idea. I do the same with sewing, cooking, card-making etc. I feel creative enough, and have a lot of fun doing it.
Karen...your comments about your art teacher reminded me of one of the ways that I taught drawing to my kids...by drawing the spaces around an object rather than drawing the object itself. It helps you to SEE what you draw rather than drawing what your brain tells you the object is and how it SHOULD look.
Yes, that would be another great approach to keep us from getting bogged down in what we think something should look like, rather than what it actually does look like. Young children tend to be more creative because they create what their mind imagines rather than getting all twisted up in what others might think about their project. Blue kitties with wings? Why not?!
Creating Creativity - Can It Be Done?
