Creativity Is Not Always What You Think It Is

creativity
noun [ U ], us /ˌkri·eɪˈtɪv·ɪ·t̬i, ˌkri·ə-/
the ability to produce original and unusual ideas, or to make something new or imaginative.

 

We go round and round on this word — at least in this blog — without sometimes taking a look at what is entails.

I took my granddaughter to an “Enchanted Paint and Play” workshop in a nearby town. It was a little group of girls making magic wands and painting a picture and talk of fairies and all that fun. She loved it. At the same time I wandered into a health and wellness shop (owner of next door fairy painting session).

This shop offered massages and facials and salt spas and a few shelves of wonderful wares. I started talking to the only person there, a spa person who took me on a tour of the place. We talked energy and spirit and massages and my upcoming  craft show and all that dances around in that world. It was a moment of creativity. 

Last night I reflected responses and thoughts from those who say they have no creativity. And I thought — how wrong you are.

“I don’t sew. I don’t paint. I don’t crochet. I don’t do pottery.”

That’s not what being creative is all about.

I mean, yes, creative people look for outlets for their inner glow of energy. They write books and crochet blankets and and do diamond paintings. But there are other ways to be creative. Simple ways you may never thought of. And we all can do it.

Do you take walks in the woods? What a relaxing atmosphere. Enough to imagine centaurs and Bigfoot right around the curve of the path. Old trees and gnarly branches can conjure up people and entities not seen by mortal man. Look for them. Smile at them.

Cooking is often a chore rather than experience. You can change that. Even hot dogs and beans can be uniquely arranged on a plate. Experiment with tastes and spices — even if you state you don’t get “creative” about daily edibles. Read about a foreign cuisine. Watch cooking shows and try new recipes. 

What about arranging plants in the garden? Every garden could use pruning and arranging. Even some research. Learn unique techniques and share them.

Write. Not the Great American Novel — try a poem. A diary. A blog. Make lists to stimulate your thoughts.  Record your thoughts and draw a little stick person doing the action of the day. 

Get into music. You don’t have to play the piano or guitar to appreciate those who do. Do a little homework. Find out what an arpeggio and riff and a bailador is.  Learn what an adagio or a rondo or fugue is in classical music and see if you can identify them in popular classical pieces.

Bored at the camp ground? Put a handful of rocks on the picnic bench and arrange them in a Jon Foreman style design. Or find bigger rocks and paint them with regular markers and place them all around the campground.

I know it sounds like you’re increasing your knowledge rather than your creativity. Personally I think they go hand in hand. I myself tend to forget more than I learn these days, but just understanding words and worlds I never did before gives me “the ability to produce original and unusual ideas.“

Now that’s something we ALL can do!