A fellow writer just posed the idea to me that a creative person needs to adopt creativity as though it were a child. You need to nurture it, spend time with it, teach it, and grow it...I had never thought of it like that before, but it is profoundly accurate.
I get people all the time that say, “oh, you are so creative...I wish I could do that”. And I always think, “You can, you just have to try. Take a class, expand your mind...”. Lord knows I’m no Da Vinci, but creativity sort of comes second nature to me I guess. It’s like breathing or sleeping...it’s just something I need to do every day. It’s part of the essence that is my being. But it wasn’t always that way. It’s come and gone throughout my life. I wasn’t born with it.
I wasn’t born knowing how to paint, I can’t draw people or animals to save my soul and I for sure can’t sing. But I have a fire within that keeps me questing after more. I have the ability to visualize. I have a need for knowledge.
I’ve taken many, many writing classes and painting classes and courses on interior design and color analysis. I’ve trained on software programs for graphic arts and computer design and learned from other artists and mentors in my field. When people have asked me to design a piece of jewelry for them that they have seen in a magazine, I may not know how to readily do it, but I’m willing to learn. Of course there’s something there that I was born with--a flair, a knack, an instinct maybe. But I have spent a lot of time developing my creativity too.
And sometimes creativity comes to you at odd times. Last weekend a book idea came to me in my dreams, I dreamt the plot, the murder, the romance, the setting and personalities of my characters. When I woke at 5am I had to write it all down before I forgot it. Within a few hours I had 6 pages of premise together and a rough outline of the characters. I’ve never written a novel before, but what the hell, I’m willing to give it a shot. And I’ll go take some classes to learn a few tricks of the trade – maybe something comes of it, maybe it doesn’t; but the experience is still worth having.
I had an idea for a jewelry design hit me so hard one afternoon, I feverishly filled pages of notes and ideas. Sketches, materials, and the name, its marketability –all of it just hit me like a sack of potatoes. When that happens you just can’t ignore it, you have to run with it when you can. I figure that idea came to me so strongly for a reason, it’s up to me to figure out why.
I’ve written poems, laid out a landscape plan for my garden, and redesigned a room all in my head while driving to work. If it comes to you it’s a gift and must be acted upon. Just like a child that is crying or sick, creativity needs immediate attention. And that person was right, it must be nurtured with classes and mentors. It must be given room to grow. You must spend time with it, answer any questions it has or learn from its mistakes. It’s a comittment that must be honored and respected throughout its lifetime.
So yes, I guess you could say I adopted creativity, I am committed to it. And I will follow its journey.
