Why Creative Writing Keeps You Open Minded
You've got 5 minutes to kill so you check up on Pinterest then an hour later put down your phone with a dazed look and a desire to make a craft board. You think Hobbycraft is totally the greatest place ever (although you most likely go in there for ideas then check eBay to get the cheaper version). The endless possibilities of that can be made out of wire! How am I going through life without a glue gun?! Who know the stamps aisle would be so riveting?!
Being creative is definitely for some and not others, although I hope the "not others" jump on board our questionably stable creativity ship made out of papier mache and rose petals.
It's not for all because original thought is hard. We've been on this earth quite some time so all the good ideas are taken up. We may have been in an environment that never encouraged creative thinking. We are constantly surrounded by rules of how to live life. Some followed to survive and - y'know - not die but some just seem to be created for the sake of making us all robots. Some people are totally not of this world and come up with some astoundingly original views and I'm envious of that.
I'm inspired by creativity but it's not something that comes naturally to me. I find it hard to sit down and create something from nothing and not copying something that exists. I enjoy writing but about tangible things, like this blog. I occasionally find time to paint but it's from a picture I like rather than a totally blank canvas. I enjoy baking and trying new recipes but I am not one of those who creates brand new recipes. Photocopies of a world already created.
I was bought this notebook as a present and I dipped in and out of writing some material (is that what the arty kids call it?) but tasked myself more recently to write in this regularly because I frightened myself into thinking I had no original thought.
General observations I've made since doing this -
1. Re-writing / editing efforts in an attempt to finesse my content is definitely thinly veiled procrastination
2. It's better to pick up a pen and write something than to berate yourself for not being creative and end up doing nothing. This is the thought that spurs me on to write something. Anything
3. I am writing this for myself. I'm not looking to get anything published. It's not an exam, I'm just doing it for the love of doing it and to hopefully get better so write with courage
4. What's that saying about nuts and a tree? Whatever it is, one idea can quickly explode into a whole new thought
I'm not writing the new game of thrones at the moment but as I write a bit each day, I noticed that I've started paying attention to things around me. I also have this competitive desire to avoid cliches or things written / covered previously. The act of allowing different experiences into your life and pushing to become more original will soon not just be forced but my way of life.
Being creative is definitely for some and not others, although I hope the "not others" jump on board our questionably stable creativity ship made out of papier mache and rose petals.
It's not for all because original thought is hard. We've been on this earth quite some time so all the good ideas are taken up. We may have been in an environment that never encouraged creative thinking. We are constantly surrounded by rules of how to live life. Some followed to survive and - y'know - not die but some just seem to be created for the sake of making us all robots. Some people are totally not of this world and come up with some astoundingly original views and I'm envious of that.
I'm inspired by creativity but it's not something that comes naturally to me. I find it hard to sit down and create something from nothing and not copying something that exists. I enjoy writing but about tangible things, like this blog. I occasionally find time to paint but it's from a picture I like rather than a totally blank canvas. I enjoy baking and trying new recipes but I am not one of those who creates brand new recipes. Photocopies of a world already created.
I was bought this notebook as a present and I dipped in and out of writing some material (is that what the arty kids call it?) but tasked myself more recently to write in this regularly because I frightened myself into thinking I had no original thought.
General observations I've made since doing this -
1. Re-writing / editing efforts in an attempt to finesse my content is definitely thinly veiled procrastination
2. It's better to pick up a pen and write something than to berate yourself for not being creative and end up doing nothing. This is the thought that spurs me on to write something. Anything
3. I am writing this for myself. I'm not looking to get anything published. It's not an exam, I'm just doing it for the love of doing it and to hopefully get better so write with courage
4. What's that saying about nuts and a tree? Whatever it is, one idea can quickly explode into a whole new thought
I'm not writing the new game of thrones at the moment but as I write a bit each day, I noticed that I've started paying attention to things around me. I also have this competitive desire to avoid cliches or things written / covered previously. The act of allowing different experiences into your life and pushing to become more original will soon not just be forced but my way of life.
What's your creative outlet?
Interesting post, I agree it's hard to original but being creative can be the simple things, being open minded and exploring new things. People think we have to be 'artists' but everyone gets their inspiration from other people! Good luck with your writing, you have a natural way with words :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, you're right about getting inspiration from other people. The main thing is that we allow ourselves to be inspired right?
ReplyDeleteCreative writing is difficult for me as I feel I'm not very imaginative. Maybe I'm like you and prefer to follow instructions but still create. Which is why I like knitting and cooking/baking (I follow recipes exactly!). But I like to think I have a creative approach to problem solving. When there's a practical problem I'm usually confident something will eventually come to me. For example, I was on the train & sat down to eat my Pret salad, only to realise I hadn't picked up any cutlery!! What to do? I just relaxed and at the same time focused and then I remembered I had packed 2 measuring spoons for the short break I was going on. Voila, I used one of those to eat my salad! A long winded way of saying that delightful & creative solutions add novelty to life. Interesting post!
ReplyDeleteIt's also great to think outside the (pret) box. Maybe the more we do that, the more we might break out of the "normal" way of thinking.
ReplyDelete