Bringing Creativity to Life

“The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident.
The real one is scared to death.”

Steven Pressfield “the War of Art”

My father was an artist, though I never recall hearing him confess to it. I
struggle with the phrase as well. When meeting someone and asked “What do
you do,” I always hesitate. At times I have responded “I’m an artist,”
(mostly with the intent to spark a reaction) which invariably results in a
confused look on the questioner’s face and the stumbling response “Oh, so,
do you… um, paint?”

I once knew someone who consistently and confidently admitted to anyone
within shouting distance that he was, indeed, an artist. He wasn’t, though I
was intrigued by his arrogance. Mostly, I think, he was trying to convince
himself. He was an imitator without a single original thought in his being.

I prefer to create an inherently risky piece that fails, rather than a safe
one void of character.

One does not become an artist by boldly declaring it to be so. An artist is
required to prove it every day. Often times when no one is looking.

Saguaros in the Arizona Desert

It took Michelangelo 4 years to paint the ceiling and 6 years to paint the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel.

It took 14 years to sculpt Mount Rushmore.

Gaudí’s cathedral remains unfinished after 130 years of construction.

By contemporary standards, patience has become a rare virtue. Technology, with all of its advantages, has morphed us into an instantaneous culture. Success is too often defined by expediency over quality.

Yet, I find that in hindsight, clients tend to delight in the satisfaction of a new creative brand that deftly projects their image or a creative web site that conveys the proper balance of function and aesthetics rather than how long the design took to create.

Maneuvering the path between the realities of a deadline and the pursuit of excellence in both form and function is a skill only acquired through experience, and one that separates the skilled professional from the fly-by-nighter.

Creativity can at times flow effortlessly, and alternately seem impossible to extract, even in the smallest measure. In the case of the latter, it may become necessary to provide a spark. This spark can take infinite forms, some benign, some radical. Following is a short list of methods to spark your creativity. Theoretically, this list is never-ending, allowing each of us to add to it.

Think like a child
Imagine how your seven-year-old self would react in a given situation. More curious? Less inhibited?

Use your other hand
Unless you’re ambidextrous, you most likely have been ignoring one of your hands. Use it. Draw with it. Write with it. Drink with it. Your brain will thank you.

Listen to viewpoints that challenge your beliefs
It’s natural to seek comfort inside a belief system with which we find consensus. Listening to voices that challenge your system afford the opportunity for growth.

Learn a new word or an entirely new language
Research indicates that those who learn another language spark areas of the brain that generally remain dormant.

Doodle
Without intent, without thought, without concern for having to justify it to anyone.

Walk around the house naked
After all, we were born that way.

Take on a task knowing you will fail
There is no shame in failing… only in not trying. We learn from our failures.

Talk to a stranger
It’s surprising how interesting people can be.

Draw with your eyes closed
This will produce a less subjective, more objective result.

Create your own spark
It’s easy and fun.