About being creative
Creativity is often described in almost esoteric terms as a spark, a sudden insight, or a burst of imagination. People view it as something that appears out of nothing. If you ask around I bet very few people have a real answer to what creativity really is. And, neither do I. But I will try to write something about it anyway.
The ancient Greeks imagined that when something extraordinarily beautiful appeared, it meant the artist had been visited by a divine force.The Romans had a similar idea about a lesser supernatural spirit, a daemon, that visited creatives and gave guidance in their work. In both cultures there was an understanding that the artist was not alone in their creations, they were part of and guided by something bigger.
Today we no longer put trust in muses, daemons or other spirits. Like in many other parts of our life we tend to pinpoint results exclusively to the person who put their name on it. Brian Eno once said that he saw great creative work as a result of what he called scenious. In his view there are no geniuses, only results appearing from learning and collaboration within a system of people and history. I like this way of thinking, because I know that none of my work would exist if I was not part of a greater system. At the same time there is a huge difference between what happens on a personal level and what is seen as creative work in greater groups. But in both cases I think it is about acquiring a new perspective.
Albert Einstein described it as “combinatory play.” Steve Jobs later expressed a similar idea when he said that creative people put a lot of work into connecting experiences and knowledge they have accumulated. Creativity is in many ways the ability to connect dots that have not been connected yet and somehow express that connection in a usable way.
Often, creativity involves a moment where familiar things suddenly connect in an unfamiliar way and neuroscientists have even measured the moment just before such insights appear. Just milliseconds before a person becomes aware of a solution, the brain produces a brief burst of electrical activity, as if different dots are connected to form something new.
Most people play with creativity constantly as children. They drew, invented stories, built strange objects, dressed up, learned to lie and imagined entire worlds.But at some point many stop with the activities that are not seen as worth it.The worth it part is usually defined by someone else or as a misguided idea about what creative work should end up in. I remember one time I showed a family member that I learned to juggle. They looked at me and said “Well, that is fucking usefull”. I actually stopped juggling that day. Shame and bullying turns into a quiet decision never to try again. But, who cares if you cannot sell your paintings or music. Nobody asks a person with a sailboat if they make money on sailing. What matters is not the feedback from society nor the quality of the work or if you make money from it. What matters is the act of being creative. To do and to make something.
If you remove the shame and all the expectations there is something deeply valuable about creating. For a moment you can enter flowstate and the mind becomes absorbed in the act itself. This is not just a great experience, it is healthy for your mind. Creative work often produces a steady sense of engagement. And sometimes you even get to feel proud of what you made.
So my encouragement is to go do something. When I started making music, drawing or taking photos I knew nothing about it at all. But I had fun doing it. You wanna dance? Dance baby! Dance like nobody is watching and play that music loud !