CREATIVITY IS NOT…

By
Lael Johnson

Our culture praises elite creatives who work their way into the public spotlight, at the local, national and international levels. I want to suggest that creativity is more than just reaching the elite position in your discipline. It’s wonderful to reach that place, but for others, such as the hobbyist, small business owner artist, the teacher, the student and budding performers, aren’t their endeavors important enough to be honored too?

CREATIVITY IS NOT: Just a phase in your life. For some creatives, taking a class or attending a concert is the best way to exercise their creativity. For other people, taking classes is just the beginning of their process. Creativity is both an attitude and skill set. When creativity is properly nurtured it will enrich your life and the lives of others.

CREATIVITY IS NOT: Just a hobby. For some creatives , their desire to create plants itself deep into their lives. They choose to live a balanced and meaningful life incorporating their daily creative expression.

CREATIVITY IS NOT: limited to your more temperamental creative friends. It’s easy to ignore them, because they are so emotional or so dramatic. Accepting your creative friends means accepting your own unique creativity. Creative expression is deeply connected to your emotional core.

CREATIVITY CANNOT: be limited to learning an artistic skill set. The process of identifying, developing, completing a creative product, works in tandem with every part of a person’s life. I knew one person who took five years of private music lessons, while hating the whole process. This person tolerated this situation, in part, because he had never really envisioned himself becoming a professional musician.

CREATIVITY CANNOT: Be quashed. If a creative person works in an unsupportive environment, productivity may go down, or take a hiatus, but it will not disappear completely. Creativity wants to find an audience. Creativity will reveal itself wherever there is room, Even if the room is so small that creativity must disguise itself as something more familiar and less threatening like irritation, jealousy about other artists or approval-seeking from an artist whose work the creative might admire.

CREATIVITY IS NOT: for everyone, but it available to everyone. There are students who take music lessons. That’s the extent of their exploration. There are other creatives who will or begin or renew their creative exploration as adults. They are sincerely interested in learning, but not necessarily working in a highly disciplined fashion or with a strong ambition to perform before others.

CREATIVITY IS NOT: easy, even when it is fun. Creating a product requires discipline, persistence through discomfort, regular practice, willingness to face fear, asking for help, learning, rejection and trust in your own skills and vision.

CREATIVITY IS NOT COMPLETE: Yes, creative products are completed for a sale, for a performance or for a gallery opening.  However, creative ideas continue to grow and develop long after the product is sold (e.g. a new jewelry product line, a new list of article topics, etc.). That’s why I love the freedom of giving a creative idea structure and form, even if it is stays in the rough stages. It is at the rough stages that more unique ideas will show and challenge the creative person.

Choosing to create means exploring unknown territory. The skilled creative person knows that following ideas can and usually do lead to new places. Ideas also provoke strong feelings all during the creative process. Is the exploration worth it? Yes, it is. Do you want to try a creative exploration? It’s your choice.


Lael Johnson, owner of Writer's Eye Advisory Service, offers creativity coaching services and additional writing resources.This article may be reprinted as long as the text is unchanged, the resource box is included  and the author is notified placing the title of the article in the subject line.(c) 2005, Lael Johnson Writer's Eye Advisory Service. All rights reserved.