I would say that around 1 in 5 people tend to look at me with a gaze of utter confusion; when they ask me about my job, and I say “I am a Creative”. Often saying something like
“Oh how interesting!” before motioning me to elaborate some more.
And to be honest… who can blame them?! It is a pretty weird job title, right?!
The fact is that everyone is creative in their own way. We all have things that stimulate us and inspire us.
So, I guess (regardless of title) perhaps my job ‘description’ would be to take those inspirations and
- with a big dose of creativity -
interpret them into something that answers a brief.
So, if our inspirations come from our influences, where do we turn to for the creativity bit?
Where does our creativity come from?
Well, it's likely that it differs for each of us.
But, for me, it’s the mindset you were in when you first discovered these inspirations. Whether it be the first time you picked up a camera, or a paint brush.
The first time you watched a great movie, or read a captivating book.
When you first fell in love with the relevant subject or craft.
When it was just ‘You and It’.
That’s when you looked at it in a completely open-minded way, and with an unscathed imagination. When the possibilities seemed infinite.
Here is an extract from a TED Talk, given by one of my Creative Heroes (Sir Ken Robinson), back in 2007:
IF YOU’RE NOT PREPARED TO BE WRONG,
YOU WILL NEVER COME UP WITH ANYTHING ORIGINAL
Picasso once said:
“All children are born artists.
The trouble is to remain an artist as we grow up"
What I think he meant by that is that, as time passes, life gets in the way.
It stifles our creativity. It causes us to lose our bravery to be wrong.
The companies we work for, and even the Education System we grew up in, have been designed to stigmatise mistakes. So, how can we be expected to openly get it wrong when everything we know tells us not to?
The answer (as simple as it sounds) is to take the chance.
Revert back to your inner child, and allow yourself to express your inspirations in new and exciting ways.
It has been said that creativity is simply ‘applied imagination’.
Our imaginations shouldn’t be suppressed by the systems around us… but embraced and encouraged by the people around us… our colleagues.
The following is another extract from the same TED talk, where Sir Ken recalls the story of Dame Gillian Lynne, and how the actions of one open-minded behavioural specialist made an enormous affect on the world of Dance:
If we are to continue to create original and captivating art, we must tap into that special place where we aren’t afraid to be wrong. Where our inhibitions are left at the door, and where our imaginations are embraced by our peers, in the same way that we must encourage theirs.
Because, whilst we are driven by our passion and appetite for the work, it can only be facilitated by the autonomy over our materials and the bravery of our ideas.
Where life doesn’t get in the way.