Tobias Tinker, contributing writer for one of my favorite blogs, Lateral Action, recently wrote about the two myths about creativity that hinder some people’s ability to create. The first is the idea of the “Creative Genius”, or someone who spends most of their time and energy just living life, and from time to time creates something perfectly artistic. The other myth is that of the “Tortured Artist”, who lives most his life in pain and his creative ability is only realized once it’s too late for him to enjoy the attention.
Read the kick ass article here.
Tobias goes on to pose that often we put too much pressure on our creativity, like we are constantly battling against it. And while time, distractions, and lack of motivation keep us from being inspired sometimes, we create out of want. I am guilty of thinking of my creativity as “the big bad demon” sometimes. Failure and the fear of it are something I constantly struggle with, and I’m working on allowing my creativity (writing) to take on a mind of its own. Blogging has been great for that.
So I think we must continue to learn and experience and foster a healthy mindset for creating; read a lot, carry a pen and paper (or drawing pad) around with you, try to look at situations and scenery from the outside, always keep your creative side in check, and be ready to recognize art in the ordinary. But also remember that we create because we want to, and that making less-than-perfect art is part of the process.
Something else I try to exercise is acceptance – accepting what is and recognizing it as such. When you accept what is, you take away a lot of the power and don’t torture yourself about what could be.
So draw down the wall of expectations, and allow yourself to accept that your creativity may be less than perfect occasionally; learn from the process, and become a wiser creator.
Everyone fails. The most successful people fail faster. You get feedback more quickly on what works and what doesn’t, and your ideas evolve more rapidly with the best parts surviving to the next generation.
