I hear a lot of people around me say they are not creative. It made me reflect on how we might think about creativity, what I consider ‘being’ creative, and the things for which we use creativity without realising.
Creativity is not about a beautiful painting, or writing a best selling novel - although it can be these things. Creativity is not unique to artists or people whose lives revolve around building sculptures and painting murals.
We use creativity all the time, at home and at work. Here's what Taika Waititi, New Zealand film director of films like "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Jojo Rabbit", has to say about creativity.
Engineers, fundraisers, nurses, scientists and teachers have to problem solve all day. They face problems they’ve seen before, and ones they haven’t. Problems that need to be examined, and re-examined. Looked at from a different perspective. When they come up with possible solutions, haven’t they used their creativity?
Creativity is adding ingredients to make a recipe you like, and surprising yourself with the taste. It’s adding your own twist to a new recipe.
People are being creative when they see an unused piece of furniture in their storage and find a new use for it.
Creativity is adding your energy to tell a joke, it’s re-telling a story from your own life to a small crowd of people you love in a way that makes them listen and engaged.
We use creativity daily. But what if we want to take it to the next level, and create an end product? Like a work project, or a personal one.
Practice brainstorming, on your own, or with the help of a few people. In this activity, every idea is welcome, even the ones that seem unusual or impossible.
Set aside time to think about the project, first thing in the morning, or late at night, a few minutes before going to sleep. At these times you might be less judgmental about your ideas.
Run your ideas by someone who has no idea what you’re talking about. Their outsider view means they will have a fresh perspective, because they don’t know everything you know, and haven’t thought about this idea as much. If you'd like more detail, I have a piece that's just about about bringing your ideas into the world here.
You don’t need to call yourself ‘a creative’ - what does that mean anyway? - to recognise that there is a bit of creativity in everything you do. If you start paying attention, you will see that you could be just as creative as that artist friend of yours. Or that engineer you know.
So, do you think you’re a creative person? Why or why not?