CORE CREATIVITY Part 1
What me, Creative?
Creativity is life itself in the act of expanding.
It’s really funny to hear people say “I’m not creative”. Some wear this as a badge of honor — as if they don’t want to be associated with what they call those “weird creative types.” For others it’s an admission of failure, or some profound flaw in their makeup — which they wear as a badge of sympathy, but it’s really a kind of cop-out. What they don’t realize is that it’s akin to them saying “I’m not really alive”. For to live is to create. What’s that you say? “Wait a minute, dude. I’m a building porter, I haven’t created since kindergarten. There’s not a creative bone in my body.” (Actually, your bones are creative: they’re constantly making new blood cells).
It’s understandable how people come to this conclusion. After all, they see around them, especially in the mass media, examples of so-called real creative people: artists, musicians, filmmakers, dancers, writers, comedians, videographers and so on in arts and business — with whom they compare to themselves, usually negatively. “I couldn’t draw a stick figure to save my life.” Really? You mean that if you were standing on a plank over a giant vat of boiling grits and somebody handed you a pad and pencil, you couldn’t summon up enough creativity to avoid such a gruesome fate? Come on! (Oh, before I forget — drawing a stick figure can be taught, it takes no special artistic ability. Even a caveman can do it!).
But this is only one definition of creativity. There are dozens of activities we engage in daily that require some measure of creativity. From making a sandwich to asking someone out on a date to combing your hair to polishing shoes to mowing the lawn (ever try making grass patterns? it greatly relieves the boredom!). What I’m talking about is using your imagination (or imaging-ability). Stop right there! Don’t tell me you don’t have an “imagination.” Ever pick your own lotto numbers? You imagined them (imaged in your mind) before you wrote them down. Yes, that counts. Ever anticipated that great meal you’re going to have for dinner — made it so real in your mind that your mouth actually started to water? Hmm-mmm. That’s some powerful imagination you’ve got there, kiddo!
You see, we are, all of us, creative creatures (Creatures of Genius, to coin a phrase). Have you ever thought about the word “creatures”? Modern day usage means animals, insects, really beastly people, or really predictable ones (“creatures of habit”). But the dictionary lists the word’s origin in Middle English as something created. That is, we are all creations, but there’s something more — a wonderfully magical aspect: we are like that which created us in that we are also creative.
Children already know this. They naturally come up with fun games to play, and love to play “lets pretend”, and potent visualization activity if ever there were any.
This is why art education is vital, it stimulates a child’s right brain activity and gets them to creatively — a highly useful skill in science, business and life (as well as the arts).
So, it’s not about whether or not you are creative — you are! The key is to recognize and acknowledge this fact, and then learn how to tap into your already built-in creativity.
That’s coming next……
