Today whilst sitting at my desk I was contemplating hitting the sheets as I’ve only had about 10 hours sleep over the course of the past three days, or writing. I chose the latter as my mind won’t be quiet, least of all sleep. If I try channel my thoughts in one direction perhaps I can channel my thoughts into ideas rather than have them go to waste.
I’ve been thinking about the subject a lot lately and thought I’d write about some thing that we all can relate to. Creativity- and more so, what can we do to summon it up when the well is dried up. Creativity is the essence of life and new ideas. Often it lies in hibernation or is stagnant within us. Sometimes it takes traumatic events to ignite the stagnant block of creativity. I do believe we all have the ability to tap into that flow. That is what we were made for. The universe wants us to create, to inspire, and to produce. The idea that ‘creative people’ are a special kind of breed, limited to artists, musicians, composers, designers ect. is redundant and simply not true.
I spoke to my father the other day over a much needed skype session and he had some simple advice for me which I considered for a moment and then agreed it was indeed very good advice that I have since decided to actively follow. It went something along the lines of ‘It is better to do than to do nothing’. How many times have we given up on an idea or a thought before reaching the final product out of fear that we will be inadequate? True, you may well be shit at first or just shit in general but you will be a better a person for doing it any way. Any one can give up, and most will. He also told me that it is imperative that we finish what we start. That is is absolutely necessary. As a perfectionist myself, anything I ever do is never good enough in my eyes but this leads us to constantly try and improve. We should use this fear as a built-in motivator to do our best as the constant nagging voice will always be there- however we can choose to make the best of it. I have been pushing myself lately. I’ve been forcing myself to put words to paper, paintbrushes to canvas, pen to paper- you name it. Out of this I have gained a few things:
A sense of acute uniqueness and originality.
A sense of pride caused by starting with nothing and finishing with a product that I have crafted with my own mind and hands. That in itself is amazing.
It also gives you a real sense of purpose and actualization.
My bank balance hasn’t taking such a hit lately as a few times I’ve replaced the need to get trashed with the need to create something.
Lastly, there is nothing more rewarding than experiencing creative flow. When you get into that rhythm there is no stopping. You feel high sans the mind-altering substances(optional). Although I don’t condone using mind-altering substances I do believe everything has it’s place and that we would not be able to experience the quality of music, art, film that is still around today from legends of the past, had they not unlocked area of their brains using methods that they deemed necessary to create that flow of ideas. Every one has different ways of tapping into their creative flow. From meditation, to yoga, to listening to music, to sipping whiskey, to smoking a joint. You’ve got to do what works for you. Realise however, that you have to actively seek out ways to flip the switch. Creativity isn’t some ethereal gift bestowed upon us like glittery fairy dust sprinkled from the sky. You need to actively make it happen, and do it everyday.
Here a some quotes below about creativity:
“The creative place often takes place outside of your ego. And you can’t always take credit for it. They say write what you know. When you can’t write about yourself anymore write about others. Use your voice to tell their story. Put your feet in their shoes”
– Sting
“Practice doesn’t make you perfect but it does make you realize that you don’t have to be”
– unknown
“All children are born artists. The struggle is to remain an artist as you grow up”
– Picasso
“Creativity is applied imagination”
– unknown
Below are some of my amatuer attempts at tapping into the creative process:
AMBER TAK 