I’m terribly envious of creative people. Like this friend of mine who made an art project out of crocheting penises. I’m not sure why she decided to crochet penises, and maybe she’s not either.
I can’t knit anything and I’ve never written a song. I can’t draw and I don’t walk around looking for things to papier-mâché. I own a blog space, but I never write in it.
I wish I did do these things, but sometimes you just have to come to terms with the person you are. Still, a lack of artistic ability does not mean I’m not creative.
The fact is, we’re all expressive in our own unique way.
Now, if we could only discover what that is.
What the experts say
“Creativity comes from a certain kind of hard work I call ‘deliberate practice.’ This means focusing on what you’re doing, constant reflection and striving for improvement, in contrast to repeating the same action over and over again. The flip side is that if you only work hard, you won’t have any great ideas. Creative people take time off. This allows the unexpected to emerge from your subconscious – creativity is what happens when your mind combines new ideas and concepts that you have already mastered. These new combinations are not going to pop into your mind while you’re working hard. They’re going to happen when you’re taking a break.”
R. KEITH SAWYER, professor of psychology and education, Washington University, author, Explaining Creativity: The Science Of Human Innovation, St. Louis, Missouri
“Individuals can be highly creative in one sphere, but this can have no particular implications for others. Over and above an intellectual strength in an area – compare Einstein to Picasso or Gandhi to Woolf – the most important traits are personality and temperament: Are you willing and eager to take chances? When you fall flat on your face, do you quit or do you ask, ‘What have I learned from this defeat?’ In my definition, you cannot be truly creative unless you have mastered a domain.”
HOWARD GARDNER, professor of cognition and education, Harvard University, author, Responsibility At Work, Boston
“Chakras are intellectual and emotional centres, portals into the subconscious. We believe an enormous amount of creativity lies in the subconscious body, not in the conscious mind. The subconscious is where all the archetypes and the symbols are. By doing qigong and guided imagery, people find things that they have repressed, things just waiting to come out and blossom. People discover a deep inner wealth. Art is the language of the subconscious.”
KALEO CHING, co-author, Chi And Creativity: Vital Energy And Your Inner Artist, San Francisco
“When you work with reiki, you connect with universal flow. It’s a training that will enhance whatever you put your focus on as a creative individual. The first thing is to become aware of what draws your attention. Second, catch yourself in the moment. Focus on your intention: what do you want to do? Maybe you have a spark of insight. You connect with the idea, and the third thing you do is let go and yield to it. You don’t become attached to it and become a perfectionist. The fourth step is to manifest something greater. Surrendering and letting go will help enhance your creativity.”
EILEEN DEY, director, Reiki Training Program, Seattle
