| A Fragment of Thought on Creativity Posted: 16 Oct 2008 10:47 AM CDT It has long been a belief of mine that each and every one of us is creative. And that the hardest thing is to convince people that yes they are creative...they just haven't given themselves a chance, or as many of us, are to hard on themselves. Sometimes we have a tendency to think that if something doesn't come easily or quickly...if we try our hand at something new and we "don't get it", on the first few tries, well then we're just not creative and can't do that. We give up, move on, all the while telling ourselves and others...oh I don't have a creative bone in my body.
Sometimes this belief that you are not creative is more a matter of preconceived ideas of what is considered being "creative". It's interesting that children never have this fear. Watch them at play as they invent imaginary friends or invent games that only they know how to play. Hand them a box of crayons and a piece of paper. Soon they will be telling you a wonderful enthusiastic story about what their drawing is all about. Even if all you see are scribbles.
I've said it before and I will continue to say it. Creativity is a mind-set. And attitude. More so than skill or talent. Creativity comes in many shapes and forms. When it comes to being creative so many of us, as we grow older, seem to lose our child like spontaneity and sense of fun. We become more concerned about our notions of, is it right or wrong, or feeling embarrassed or frustrated if we try something new and don't achieve perfection on the first few tries. Be gentle on yourself....if there is something you truly want to learn to do, don't give up on it after a few tries with the familiar, "Oh I don't have a creative bone in my body". Give yourself a chance. Embrace each mistake as a moment of learning.
I do not remember where I heard this but many years ago I heard about spirit points. The conversation was about mistakes and perfection. A spirit point is a mistake purposely put into a piece of work to keep us humble and remind us that only God is perfect. Perfection is not the elimination of imperfection but the ability to learn to incorporate imperfection into our life. I know I myself am still learning this.
Want to try something creative? Then set youself one rule on whatever you choose to attempt. No negativity. Allow youself to feel free to explore, to experiment, to make mistakes with no fear of ridicule or feelings of failure.
Embrace your mistakes! :-)
xoxo
Gail |
