creativity

Undo the Brainwashing: Be Creative

Lynette M Burrows

Do you confuse being creative with being original? You might confuse being original with being unique. And do you think there’s no way you can be creative because your life is so ordinary? Society has brainwashed you. Undo the brainwashing: Be creative. Definitions According to Merriam-Webster creative means one is marked by the ability or power to create : given to creating, having the quality of something created rather than imitated. Original means the source or cause from which something arises; that from which a copy, reproduction, or translation is made; a work composed firsthand; a person of fresh initiative or inventive capacity; or a unique or eccentric person. It’s easy to see why original and creative get confused. If one is the source or cause from which something arises that thing is an original created by someone who is creative.  A creative person can create something original (never having been in existence before). But a creative person can also “create” a variation on something in existence. “To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.”  — Kurt Vonnegut Contemplate Sometimes creativity needs rest, solitude, and meditation. Give your creativity time.   If you have […]

3 Ways You Can Be More Creative

Lynette M Burrows

You still think you aren’t creative or you aren’t creative enough? Even after you read “You Don’t Have to be an Artist?” Hint: everyone is creative. But, you may be out of practice. Creativity needs to be practiced, repeated, made a habit. Here are 3 ways you can be more creative. Change Your Approach You feel stymied. Blunted. Perhaps you feel you’ve used up all your creativity. If your creative self has spent time in a deep, dark hole you need to change your approach. Don’t expect it to spring out of the hole and work on demand. Think about it. Would you expect a mistreated dog or cat to let you waltz up to it and pet it without getting scratched or bit? Of course, you wouldn’t. You’d try coaxing the animal out. You’d re-establish trust and show it that you would be gentle. Treat your creative self gently. Don’t allow negative self-talk. At least recognize and stop the negative self-talk. Creativity seems to make us all nervous. Watch this TED talk by Elizabeth Gilbert about the fear we have around creativity. Look for the ways you are creative and give yourself a pep talk. You fixed that thing-a-bob […]

You Don’t Have to be an Artist

Lynette M Burrows

Sadly, many people seem to think they aren’t creative because they don’t make art. You don’t have to be an artist to be creative.  Creativity is not just for artists. It’s for business people looking for a new way to close a sale; it’s for engineers trying to solve a problem; it’s for parents who want their children to see the world in more than one way.  Twyla Tharp Definition  Merriam-Webster dictionary defines creativity as the ability to create and the quality of being creative.  Notice, it does not define what you create. You don’t have to be an artist or do any particular craft. If you create a comfortable home—that’s a type of creativity. You can create a recipe by substituting one ingredient for another. Creativity comes in all sizes, shapes, and colors. Creativity runs across many categories in life, from the arts-and-crafts project a mum or dad does with their kids, to the bestselling author’s manuscript, to the designs of the hairdresser, to the creations of the computer programming genius. Tabatha Coffey You Don’t Have to be Good Unfortunately, some of us have been taught that creative mistakes were “bad” or creative play was “a waste of time.” […]