Envato Tuts+: With this definition, creativity isn't just for artistic folks. It’s not just about creating an original piece of artwork, writing, or music. It’s a quality you can have in your personal life and even at work. For instance, getting an idea for a new solution to a persistent problem is creativity. It includes not just artistic expressions but also problem-solving and innovative thinking.
6 comments:
I like this mindset because I think a lot of people often feel that they either are creative or aren’t, and so when we treat creativity like a concrete skill to practice or improve even when you’re not feeling it, it helps to alleviate that aversion. I think the nap advice is good not necessarily because the answer will come to you in your dreams like the article states, but more because your brain needs rest to solve problems of burnout and anxiety, which puts you in a state better suited for creativity. A lot of the examples in this article are sort of in the same vein of just taking care of yourself or taking a bit of time off, which is a little redundant. It’s not like it’s wrong though. Anyway, I didn’t get much out of this article other than the optimism (and an overreliance of quotes and anecdotes for some reason) but the reminder is still a good one.
I thought this article would be like similarly titled ones, such as ‘How to Use Your Time Better’ and such. So this was quite a surprise when I read about things not necessarily tied to creativity but everyday items that I didn't know had a link to creativity. I liked how this article really highlighted things such as how taking a shower was how a large source of inspiration came to them and things like mindset shifts. I think the most interesting thing was to set limits for oneself. I feel like that idea is great for people who struggle to begin however I feel like for seasoned creatives like theatre people, it is almost good to not set a budget or any limitations. I feel like most of the work in theatre revolves around budget and resource management so allowing oneself to explore without limitation sounds more freeing to me in a way.
I think this is a really important read especially for those of us in school for design. Sometimes I run into the issue of feeling like I have to produce something super creative for a project with a deadline. But I run into all of the issues outlined in this article. My biggest ones are probability perfectionism, burnout, and fear. Sometimes it feels like the creative projects are stacking up and I just don't have enough ideas to go around. And when a deadline is added it makes this even more complicated. I think sometimes we all struggle to walk away and take a break which is why I found it so interesting that almost all of the tips involved walking away and coming back. I personally have been trying to do it more often. Give myself the time to go for a walk, take a nap, go do something else and come back. But in order to do that I have to give myself time and not procrastinate until the very end.
Listen, I’ll never not click on an article which says it can make my process and how I function more creative. The first three steps of this article - sleeping, showering and going for a walk are very basic things that in my opinion are deeply understated and often forgotten in general. Taking care of yourself is something that can boost productivity and creativity as a whole. As to the rest of the article, I find some of the tips to be genuinely useful. The SCAMPER method in particular is one that has piqued my interest, and that I think could be useful to me in the idea generation phase - an area that I often find myself stuck fast in. Overall, these seem like a number of methods I might actually try and implement in my own life to help get my creative thoughts flowing, as these are methods that are practically applicable to everyday life.
With our careers based in creativity whether you are a manager or designer in this program it is shockingly easy to reach creative burnout. Due to the nature of our schooling, creative self care is incredibly important. Most of these tips are self explanatory such as brainstorming and collaborating with others. The tips that stuck out to me were the “distraction” tips such as showering, taking a nap or taking a walk. Sometimes changing the directions your mind is wondering is the solution to the answer to a creative rut. Tip 10 also stood out to me “start a creative routine” this is something I had started doing in high school through journaling and daily drawings. There is a distinction between creating because you have a basic design project due and creating for yourself and the later is crucial for self care. I feel like these tips are something every school of drama student should consider as we move forward into the semester.
At first when reading this I was skeptical of how it would help, it seemed to be listing things about a “creative rut” that I already knew, and though I find these articles quite interesting, they don’t always work for everyone. Some of their tips for resetting your mindset when it comes to creative thinking were interesting however. The first tip, taking a shower, reminded me of this one author (unfortunately I forget who) who said that he writes so many books so fast because he’ll write many pages within each day, and the way he doesn’t get stuck is by taking a shower 5-6 times that day to ‘reset’ his thinking and trick himself into starting fresh - a cool concept when thinking on how he’s figured out his way to ‘crack the system.’ The sleep one I’ve heard, it reminded me of when I was younger and I was told that if you’re having trouble solving a problem like a math set or something and you go to sleep thinking about it you’re likely to figure it out in the morning - I don’t know if it ever worked for me but is an intriguing concept - as is the going outside one. This one I’ve felt recently, as I often forget to go outside but when it was super sunny the other day I went outside a lot and it really made me feel uplifted and so much more motivated. The mash-up, brainstorming and limitation tips are also helpful, and I feel like I can use them in the future when I’m possibly stuck.
Post a Comment