If someone asked you how to be creative, what would your answer be? Creativity is not something for the privileged few. We all have the ability to create, but creativity is a matter of how you see yourself.
Creativity is the use of imagination, involving originality and functionality. However, it is more than that. Creativity results from genetics and experience, with experience being the prominent factor. Albert Einstein said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
Importance of Creativity
Art, in its many forms, is not the definition of creativity, which plays a crucial role in every aspect of life. Creativity is one of the most complex subjects to understand, yet it is something we all have in varying degrees.
My second daughter and I joked that all the creativity in our family went into the eldest daughter. I don’t have the gifts my eldest daughter has, but that doesn’t make me less creative.
Creativity is looking at problems and solving them with innovation. Mothers do this every day, and it becomes a lifelong habit. You use your creative abilities without even thinking about it.
Explosion of Knowledge
Everyone thought the industrial revolution was world shaking, but we live in one of the biggest revolutions humanity has experienced. There was a time when it took years for fashion fads to catch up with countries outside America. Not any longer. The world has shrunk through instant communication. What they whisper in the bedroom goes worldwide in a matter of moments.
We live in the era of exploding knowledge. What was okay yesterday may prove wrong tomorrow in this tsunami of knowledge. The key is to expand your horizons. Don’t watch the same old television shows. Explore some documentaries. Meet new people. Discover new worlds on Google. There’s an entire universe out there waiting to be explored.
Unique Creativity
A person’s creativity is as unique as their individuality. You don’t need to copy anyone else, and there are many divergent thinkers who bypass tradition, looking for solutions outside the norm.
Eddison didn’t get up one morning and suddenly produce a light bulb. From 1878 to 1880, Edison and his associates worked on at least three thousand different theories, trying to develop an efficient incandescent lamp.
We operate on the ‘shoulders’ of what others have achieved. Budding artists learn by spending hours copying the Masters. As an author, I need to read works by renowned authors, as they inspire me. Only a closed mind ignores the creative side.
Creativity’s Enemy
Creativity’s enemy is tradition. “My mother always did it that way.” Your mother didn’t have the opportunities, or technology you have. You don’t boil the copper to do your weekly wash. Ha! You don’t know what a copper is. Even Google had difficulty with that one.
Creativity unblocks old habits and challenges set patterns of thinking. Creativity is a mixture of inspiration, imagination, knowledge and the desire to achieve.
Before you mix butter and sugar together, you imagine eating the delicious cream sponge. It all starts in the imagination and mind. Yet, the person who is good at baking a cream sponge is probably hopeless at scones. Just as well, we are all individual, or the world would be full of scones.
How to be Creative and the Mind
How to be creative starts in the mind, and your imagination is the only limit. Einstein first dreamed of creating an electric light bulb, or any of his other inventions. I had to dream of becoming an author before I wrote the first word and it is something that gives me pleasure.
With the knowledge explosion, there is no longer any need for expensive encyclopaedias, or the excuse, “I don’t know how to do that”. Google and sites like YouTube are a great aid to creativity. Be willing to try something new. A jigsaw puzzle is built one piece at a time. So it is with creativity. You won’t be a master first off.
It’s not a matter of a high IQ, but being a smart thinker. Not all the instructions Google gives are clear, but keep searching. Often, it’s a case of asking the right question. You also need to discern what is ‘fake news’ and beware of computer scams.
Creativity is Innovation
One bright spark suggested that to be creative, you need to welcome boredom and reduce multitasking in order to produce results. Sounds like a jail sentence, not the freedom to create. Creativity is innovation without constraints. Only rebellious kids shout “I’m bored! I’m bored!”
Creative people often have a child-like view of things. Think of a child discussing his dad. “My dad can do anything.” To that child, nothing is impossible. There might be a few barriers, but barriers are challenges to make you discover another way. It’s like a roadblock or a detour. You can still reach your destination, but it may take a little longer.
How to be Creative with Dedication
Creativity takes hard work and the desire and dedication to succeed. A creative person will gnaw at a problem like a dog gnawing on a bone. Creative ideas often come when your mind is on something else, or in the middle of the night. A pen and pad are my constant companion.
Don’t quit at the first obstacle, mistake, or failure. Thomas Edison filed 1,093 patents and was one of the world’s most prolific inventors. How many of his inventions can you name?
How to be Creative and Vulnerable
As a creative person, you need to be vulnerable enough to make a mistake and start again and ignore criticism. Learn to laugh at yourself, as laughter is the greatest healer there id. Life is too short to be serious all the time, so value your sense of humour.
The arch enemy of creativity is “I couldn’t do that!” How do you know, unless you give it a go? Don’t let fear rule or define you.
Conclusion: YOU Are Creative
I could say much more about creativity, but I trust this has inspired you to have a go. There are new horizons out there waiting for you to explore and you are never ‘too old’. I started serious writing when I was in my 70s and am thoroughly enjoying myself. My first book will be out soon and it’s a sci-fi for 10-12-year-olds. How to be creative is to know there are no limitations.
I started this post simply because they asked me, “How to be creative?” I will leave you with a Barbra Streisand quote: “You have to discover you, what you do and trust it. You don’t need to mimic anyone.”
You are unique and might enjoy the adventures of Granny, (one of our friends). Talk to us about what you are going to do next. Let us add your story to Whispering Encouragement.
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