Creativity

Are we born creative? Do we develop our creativity? Hmmm…

I guess it depends on who you ask.

Where do we get our creativity from? Are we all creative but some of us lose the creativity as we get older? Or maybe some of us don’t ever tap into it and think “I’m not creative”

Personally, I believe we are all creative.

I’ve been creative as far back as I can remember. I have early memories of coloring specifically in coloring books and coming up with different ways to color. I would draw as well (not very good) and my imagination, endless!! (Even now as an adult)
I can’t seem to help being creative, it’s just natural to me. My mind is constantly going and creating, imagining, etc…
I do have those moments where I don’t feel creative. Some sort of block or creative exhaustion and those moments can feel frustrating.

In school I was an average student. The only classes that peaked my interests were the creative arts and science. I would mostly daydream in my other classes. (all you creatives can relate to this)
I also took music lessons as a kid for about 3 years (more of that in a later post) Then there was dance, theater, and so on…
You get the point.
My mind always had to be stimulated with creative juices or else boredom would set in and my mind would wander. I was at my happiest when immersed in the creative arts. Us creative creatures tend to see the world through a different lens, not quite sure how or why that is, it just is. We can take the most mundane thing(s) and make it into a piece of art. We can also imagine something in our minds & make it come to life, it’s a beautiful thing.

For example, a composer will imagine a composition in their mind, hear and see every musical note and transpose it onto paper or just start playing the music.
A choreographer will imagine a dance while listening to music, seeing every carefully constructed move, it then consumes the body and a dance is born.
An artist will imagine a painting/drawing, then make it come to life on canvas. A photographer will see a picture before actually capturing it, seeing the light, angle and
frame. I can go on forever..

We don’t know when creativity is going to hit us but know when it does, we have to ride that wave! As I’m writing this I’m reminded of something I wrote years ago
probably on a Facebook post. Here it is:

Creativity fills my brain like water fills the 7 seas.
It flows through my veins like rivers emptying into lakes.
If I try to contain it, it will simply ooze out needing to be poured into the world.
When that wave of creativity hits, you have to take a surf board & ride it to the end.

They say creative people are slightly crazy…maybe so.
Maybe it’s because we go crazy when we have too many ideas & don’t know what to do with them. Or maybe it’s because we see the world differently & find beauty in the most unlikely places. Whatever it might be, I think I have to agree.

We have unique ways of expressing ourselves. We don’t necessarily have to speak to let the world know how we feel. Instead, we create & give our feelings, thoughts & experiences a beautiful face.
We are never completely satisfied with our creations, instead we are always thinking “I could have done that a little better.”
This is a never ending battle within ourselves.
We get inspired & turn around & inspire someone else, the constant circle of creativity.

Then there’s that “In the Zone” mode (you know what I’m talking about)
You get in this zone when you’re creating. The outside world does not exist to you because you are in YOUR world. Time seems to stand still. You go for hours and hours and forget to eat sometimes (I’m guilty of that)
You are simply flying and no one or nothing is going to bring you down until you decide YOU’RE satisfied.
I LOVE being in that zone!

We all go through this “uninspired” phase(s) in our lives. Creativity seems to be nonexistent and it can feel like we are suffocating. Then there is the other side of that, where we are constantly creating to the point of “exhaustion”

I can relate to both because I’ve been through both, several times. Most recently I went through this “uninspired” phase for most of 2018. Life smacked me in the face and I had to deal with some personal issues and focus on myself. Frustration definitely set in real deep. I felt like I was suffocating because I felt the need to create but had no ounce of creativity in my body. (not a good feeling)

Many years ago I went through a huge creative “exhaustion” phase. At the time I was dancing, teaching, choreographing & editing/mixing music, creating, creating, creating!!!!!!!! (and working a regular full time job) For about 6 months it was non-stop with very little time in between to eat or sleep. I reached a point where I could no longer squeeze out new and fresh ideas. I was creatively, mentally & physically exhausted!

We have to find a balance so we don’t frustrate or exhaust ourselves. We are constantly evolving as artists and humans and we must adjust accordingly. I’m getting better at it but it’s definitely a work in progress.

If you are a person that still thinks you’re not creative, let me put it in a different perspective for you. When you’re solving a problem, whatever it may be, there is a small level of creativity that goes into solving the problem. Think about it…
Or, when you’re fixing something around the house, office, etc… and you don’t have the right tools to do so, you have to get creative and come up with a temporary fix.

Creativity is always at work in small doses in our day to day lives. I hope that this has helped you in seeing the hidden creativity you have inside. Tap into it, get in the zone, go create something and inspire someone to do the same.

We artists make the world a little brighter. We can inspire others and make them smile even if it’s for a split second. To all my fellow artists out there, keep creating, evolving and sharing your art with the world!