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Ponderings: Creativity ~ What is it and how do you express it?

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Times Square by Peggy
Times Square - Peggy

โ€œYou can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.โ€

โ€• Maya Angelou

This week's pondering question is: What is creativity and how do you express it?

To me, creativity is a gift. Something unique and special inside me that bubbles up a dream or imagining which I can turn into a reality. Taking the slightest glimmer of inspiration, I can use words, a camera or art supplies to express my emotions at that time. I also find cooking and baking to be wonderfully creative outlet, making a fabulous holiday meal is an art to me. While I may not be an artist in the true sense of the word, I feel that my creativity helps to define me everyday and enriches my life with new layers of depth.

โ€œCreativity is a continual surprise.โ€
โ€• Ray Bradbury

Thoughts from Cary Branscum:

Cary
Cary

 

 

Matter and energy is neither created or destroyed. Creativity is fresh unique combinations of what already is, in new ways, forms, or application. I nurture creativity by turning ideas around, ask oddball questions, do free association, and just plain try new stuff. It's fun and surprising!

โ€œThe true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.โ€
โ€• Albert Einstein

Thoughts fromย Shayla Fitzpatrick:

Shayla - Collage
Shayla - Collage

The Oxford Universal Dictionary defines creative as “have the quality of creating; of or pertaining to creation; orginative, productive. ” Now that isn't a very specific definition for creative but it gives you a good idea of the word if you know what creative means. If you want to know what it means it is: to bring into being or to form out of nothing.

To form out of nothing – this has to be my favorite out of all of the definitions. Think of that saying instead of create. Oh ya, I am just forming something out of nothing. That's what people who create something do. Literally form something out of nothing.

Now how I am creative is an interesting question. I am creative though everything that I do, my clothing, my writing, my doodles on the sides of paper in school. I express my creativity in everything I can because that's who I am and that's what everyone should do: express themselves through their creativity.

Thoughts from Paul Biedermann:

Paul - Cartooning
Paul - Cartooning

In my world, creativity is less an inspired state and more like a faucet that is turned on at will. Deadlines have a way of doing that to you.

Waiting for inspiration to hit is a fallacy that neither I nor my clients can afford to do. And really, traditional fine arts are not much different โ€” galleries have artists produce what they think will sell best, music labels have musicians target specific markets with formulas they know will produce a sensation, and so on. Most people make a distinction between โ€œfineโ€ art and โ€œcommercialโ€ art, myself included. But itโ€™s not as clear as one may think. Throughout history, artists, even those considered some of the most inspired artists in history, were frequently motivated by means other than pure inspiration.

Charles Dickens was paid by the word which led to some pretty long books. If you asked Michelangelo about the Sistine Chapel, he would have told you that working for the Pope is no picnic. The Beatleโ€™s wrote โ€œswimming poolsโ€ as they fantasized about what the next big hit would buy.

Art has been influenced by commerce since the dawn of time. I am sure a talented โ€œcave artistโ€ became a hot commodity and was soon asked to decorate other peopleโ€™s caves, perhaps for a few extra shells or brontosaurus burgers. ๐Ÿ™‚

The point is, creativity may begin with a sense of purity, but it is pretty much lost as soon as money is involved. The line between fine art and commercial art is a blurry one. And thatโ€™s OK.

In my own world these days, what is my โ€œpurestโ€ form of creativity? I would have to say itโ€™s when I am doodling and just scribbling whatever comes out. There are no clients and no money at stake. Far different than my more serious design work, it is a release and focuses my mind on the tasks at hand. To each his own, and that is what pure creativity is really about.

โ€œMy future starts when I wake up every morning. Every day I find something creative to do with my life.โ€
โ€• Miles Davis

Thoughts from Carl Sorvino:

So my most excellent friend @PegFitzpatrick asked me to write a post about creativity. Of course I agreed, but in thinking on it, maybe I really didn't understand what it was I'd agreed to. You see, my issue is that I'm not really sure I know what creativity is. Yea I know I'm a Creative Director but really, I'm not sure. I think it's different strokes for different folks as well. What I think it is and what you think it is may not be what it IS. You dig? I mean I could give you a Webster definition but I know that's not what the Pegsta was looking for. So I'm just going to jump into to this and start with what I think I creativity can BE. Now you make think that's the same thing but it's not. Not at all.

You see creativity can be sweaty. And stressful. And long. Waiting around for inspiration is work. It can be a labor of love but it could also just be a labor. It's days can be long and tedious. It's night's, short and breathless. It can suck your life through a straw but, put you back together better than you were before. It can be poetry. it can be music. It's “A-ha!” andย  “Eureka!” and “Holy crap…I think I've got it.”

It can be a shining instant or a long burning flame. It can be an essence.ย  A moment. A spark. It can power your mental, physical, spiritual, intellectual and emotional worlds. It can create unity between them. It can satisfy. Aggravate. Confuse. Bemuse and annoy. It can be your safest haven and your hottest hell. If it grabs hold of you it will inject itself until it runs breathlessly through your veins filling you with life but emaciate you as you continually hunger with need. It can be tick and tock and banging my head against a rock. It's up all night. It skips lunch. It obsesses. It seeks perfection. It begs for harmony. It's pain. It's tears. It's laughter. It's joy. It's more and more and more and more.

It's elusive but when found, can be endless. And it's found where never expected. In a pile of Lego's. A sharpened pencil. A bus ride home. In love. In hate. In a bowl of alphabet soup. I've found it in a diner at 4am. At my mother's house on a Sunday, eating spaghetti. While watching a front load dryer spin round and round. I've found it in Vegas, Paris, New York, in the bathroom at Maxwell's in Hoboken. I've found it in an alley when I was homeless with no money and no prospects…wait. I made that up. Sorry I couldn't help myself. I got carried away ๐Ÿ˜‰

So maybe I do know a little bit about a little bit of something. But still, I'm looking everyday. Learning. Seeking. Finding creativity. Maybe you'll find it too, if you look and keep looking. Maybe, you'll even find a little in this post. Maybe

How does creativity impact your life and how do you express it?

Article by Peg Fitzpatrick

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8 Comments

  1. Creativity is the spice of life to me. Creativity wakes me up in the mornings when my mind is whirling with new ideas. Creativity keeps me up at night when I have to jot down a new idea or run to the computer to try it out. Creativity makes life fun!

    1. I agree Bruce! Reminds me of last week when you said you couldn’t sleep because you had too many ideas. I love how creativity bubbles over into different areas and makes everything that much better.
      Cheers for that!!
      Positively,

      Peggy

  2. Interesting – we do talk about the tools and tech (you know I do) but how you use them is the important aspect. Creativity and individuality are what make the end process of using the tools different for each person. ย Even something as cut & dry as a spreadsheet can have a creative spin with color coordination and use of formulas.
    Thanks for your thoughts here and with the post!Peggy

  3. Being creative also means being different, and being different isn’t always popular. Being truly creative is showing the world just how creative you are, even when you know the world may not appreciate your type of creativity. Creativity comes with it’s highs and lows. Sometimes being creative makes you the one everyone wants to be friends with, and tell others they know you. Other times being creative makes you the one left alone and stared at because of being so different. Creative means being called brilliant, weird, cool, unique, attention seeking, crazy, fantastic, strange, wonderful, unbelievable, one of a kind, exciting and popular, and I’ve been called all of them. I think it’s interesting that when creativity is misunderstood, such as the girl in high school that had a mowhawk… it can be a lonely place. But been your creativity makes others more popular because they know you… You suddenly become widely accepted. I’ve been fortunate to write, play guitar and sing, so mostly, I’ve seen the positives of being creative. But there are still always those people who don’t like what you create, and you just have to accept that. Then there are those that hate you simply because you are creative and they are not… I don’t have the time or energy to worry about those people. So to me… being creative also means being daring, courageous, determined, strong, and confident. In summation… “Don’t ever allow someone tell you that you can’t do something”, “Keep On Keep’n On”, “Dare to be Different”, “Don’t be Afraid to be Yourself”, and “Be an Individual”. Thanks for reading – Dave May @davemay40 On Twitter.

    1. Love your thoughts Dave – especially this:ย ย “Creative means being called brilliant, weird, cool, unique, attention seeking, crazy, fantastic, strange, wonderful, unbelievable, one of a kind, exciting and popular, and I’ve been called all of them.” Why does society find the need to label people?ย 
      Thanks for sharing!
      Peggy

  4. For me, creativity is freedom.ย  Creativity helps me achieve whatever I want to.ย  In fact, creativity also helps me decide what awesome things it is I want to achieve in the first place.ย  Creative thinking is realising that anything and everything is possible, then acting on that belief.

    1. Right on Ryan! I love that your creativity helps you decide your awesomeness – love your fabulous attitude!
      This is beautiful “Creative thinking is realising that anything and everything is possible, then acting on that belief.”ย Cheers!Peggy

  5. Nice Marc – you are right, I am sure that everyone has creative aspects to them. That is why I felt it was an interesting question to ask because I wondered what others felt about it and how they expressed it.
    Thanks!
    Peggy

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