importance-of-creativity

As is the way of the universe, ever since I began to open up the box of awesomeness that is creating your first ecourse, I have been stumbling on websites, people, businesses, infographics, images, blogs and ideas that all feed into the concept of creativity, what it is, how to have more of it in your life, and so on.

While putting to one side for a moment the inevitable moments of anxiety that I have nothing useful to say on the subject because it’s all been said already, and said better {pish posh}, it has really forced me to think about all the ins and outs of creativity, and what it means to live a creative life.

I use the word creativity loosely here; naturally for me it has a strong artistic leaning, but I don’t see my creativity confined to my use of pencils and paint. Goodness no.

Here are 5 things I’ve learned, or believed and found repeated confirmation of, so far:

1. Creativity is NOT something for the chosen few.

I’ve talked about this before, and no doubt will do again because it’s True; we are all capable of being and doing anything.

Which is not the same as saying we can do everything.

I have no more or less creativity available to me than you do. The only potential difference is that each of us has the filter of individuality which makes us more naturally inclined to this or that, and thank god, otherwise we’d all be the same and it’d be incredibly boring.

studio workbench

where the art based creativity tends to happen

2. Creativity can be cultivated.

The more we do, the more we can do.

We can encourage our own creativity to grow by opening ourselves up to new experiences, which creates new neural pathways in the brain, allowing for new connections to be made.

Which leads to number 3…

vintage oil pastels

full of untapped creative potential. just like us.

3. Creativity means making connections.

The most original thinkers make connections between unlikely things and come up with the types of things that make most of us go ‘wowser, I wish I’d thought of that’.

Einstein was rather good at it, as was Isaac Newton, and Tim Berners-Lee {pioneer of the internet} also springs to mind.

Here’s a small scale one that evolved through me, from my hours of walking the beach and noticing all the different types of stones we have here, and how some of them have ‘lettering’ on them:

love stones

i’m now obsessed by finding all kinds of letters to make new words, maybe even frame them as gifts

4. It’s not hard to be creative.

Actually it’s harder not to. Anyone who thinks it’s difficult has fallen prey to a myth.

We’re all creative every day, in a myriad ways that we may not think of in that context.

Putting together a meal is a creative act, as is working out a route to somewhere, doodling while on the phone, and using numbers to create information via spreadsheets.

I bet if you go through your average day you can find at LEAST ten examples of you being creative.

Just don’t confine it to making something tangible.

Daydreaming is a creative act because it creates a space for new ideas and connections to be made.

blueberry muffins

blueberry muffins.  i sometimes think creativity you can eat might be the best kind.

5. Creativity feels amazing. 

You will probably have intimate knowledge of this already if you’re reading this, because most likely you’re a consciously creative sort of person and look for things that feed that, including blogs.

There’s nothing quite like the rush that comes with a flash of inspiration for a new project, the buzz of the creative act itself, or the glow of satisfaction from a project you have quite literally loved into existence.

flowers on a bench by the sea

bench creativity

Despite the fact that we actually can’t help being creative, by nature of being human beings ~ even if you don’t believe in a connection to something greater ~ I can’t think of a better reason to bring more creativity into your life than because it feels amazing.

And when you feel amazing, you can only attract more amazingness to you, and then you become so full that you give it out again.

Maybe if everyone on the planet took some time to cultivate what’s already innately a fundamental part of who they are, the world would be a much happier place.

Not even maybe.