Being creative is not about being able to draw
Being creative is not about being able to draw. It’s a way of thinking: being able to roam in your mind outside the box.
Obviously this nimble mindset helps in all different parts of our lives, like when we’re anxious or work is a mess.
Lidewij Edelkoort, a Dutch trends forecaster, made a passionate plea for more creativity in society in the programme Zomergasten (Summer guests). This was years ago already. They idea was that if we could infuse everyone with some creativity, and if we taught it in primary schools, in companies and maybe even in the army, you would see a lot of fear disappear in society.
Why?
Well, basically, because if you are a creative thinker, you possess the ability to get out of something. You can flip the script or the point of view. You’re more resiilient and this resilience builds your morale because you know you can trust your ability to go on. This ability to look at things from various angles and find new solutions can save our lives on a daily basis.
Breaking rules and having fun
But what exactly is creativity? What definitions can be found for it?
Steve Jobs described it as "finding new connections between old ideas".
American journalist Jonah Lehrer who wrote a book on creativity defines it as "a new idea that gets a second life, an application in the world."
Human rights activist Mary Lou Cook says: "Creativity is inventing, experimenting, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes and having fun.”
I am creative, so I find solutions
So, emphatically, again: creativity is not only reserved for artists or other artistic types.
Despite what one of my former coworkers used to declare from time to time (”I’m not a creative person!”): everyone has creative capabilities.
Maybe people think of creativity as being tied up with art classes in school as a child. Every time after that, so much of what we create (drawings, stories, paintings et cetera) no longer meets our expectations and so they go, ‘byeeeeeee!’ into the bin.
Visual artist Helga Kos of Atelier De Kraamkamer in Amsterdam sees this in her drawing and painting classes. "Most students often think: I can't do it. And that is not true at all. I see people making the most beautiful things, and yet they put down their work because they don't look at what is there, but at what they would like to be there."
If they manage to get out of this mindset rut, course participants often feel great afterwards.
"They make things that amaze them,” she says. “That is very good for your self-confidence, because you use your own potential. Moreover, you see in yourself how you tackle things, how you solve problems. You are more in touch with yourself and that is nourishing."
And if you experience that creativity a few times at a drawing class, for example, you might start putting it to use in other areas of your life, even without noticing it.
Are things not going well at work? Then you are more likely to dare to deploy your own solutions.
Helga Kos: "People are afraid of everything. But creativity can help you trust yourself more. You can let go of that fear, because you know: I am creative, I find solutions. You can contrast something with that fear."
Small steps to building your creative thinking skills
Ten ‘creative thinking’ tips from the book Lenig denken: technieken voor creatieve denkkracht, by Marenthe de Bruijne & Sigrid van Iersel:
Humour. Tried and tested way to get into a creative mood: humour leads to a combination of alertness and relaxation, which is a good breeding ground for creativity. So watch five minutes of bloopers on YouTube before you get started.
Music. Research shows that especially harmonious baroque music (Bach, Vivaldi) is suitable for putting you in a relaxed and at the same time alert state (also known as 'alpha state') and it is then that you are more open to inspiration.
People-watching. Sit on a terrace and watch passers-by. Give them a name and a profession or a strange condition. combine different impressions and fantasise a story around them.
Notebook! Buy or make a notebook today. Write, draw and paste everything you find interesting. Flip through the notebook regularly: that way different notes will string themselves together and take you on a new track.
Put both sides of the brain to work. Stimulate the right side of your brain - your creative, intuitive, feeling side - a little more. For example, draw a picture with a blindfold on or take a shower in the dark.
Look at it from a different perspective. Take your favourite TV programme and name five disadvantages of this programme, or do the opposite. Does this different assessment give you anything new? Have you changed your opinion?
Streetcombing. Photograph everything on the street that you find interesting, don't think about it. At home, make a selection of the most interesting finds and think about what made you feel it was interesting. for example, did you see something that did not fit in with the rest of the environment at all?
Tiny acts of bravery. Those who are curious will never get bored: listen to a different radio station every day, do something that scares you, choose a street that starts with an a and a street that starts with a z and cycle the route from a to z.
Embrace chance. Many new ideas arise from different things coming together that suddenly lead to a click in your head. For example, consciously read two books at once. It might give you thoughts about a connection between the two books.
Dare to make mistakes. A Chinese saying: 'those who do something and fail are infinitely better than those who do nothing and succeed.'
Further resources about creativity as a life skill
The Universal Traveler: A Vintage Guide to Creative Problem-Solving
The Art of Creative Thinking: 89 Ways to See Things Differently, Rod Judkins
Creative Thinking 101: Generate Groundbreaking Ideas (a course on Domestika)
Living a More Creative Life: 30 Ways in 30 Days - Creativebug
AI and Human Creativity: 5 Ways To Cultivate Creative Thinking Skills
That Monthly Zine Project 2023
My dearest little zine gremlins BEHOLD. at last. Our themes for 2023 are here! I've included the themes as text at the bottom of the post if it's easier for people to read that way! notes:
🥠 you'll notice that for January there's a ghost zine listed. That's because I'm only posting this list on the 31st of January so whatever zine you make for January, whatever topic it might be on...is already a ghost. Dun dun dunnnn.
🥠 this December we're going to let the zine idea generator decide. Which means that every single person's zine is going to be wildly different! Please take a screenshot of the prompt it generates for you & put it in the zine somewhere. I'll remind everyone of this later. Here's the link in the meantime: [https://zcmag.xyz/zine-idea-generator/]
🥠 there will be 2 non-mandatory zine swaps during the year: one in July and one in December
HOW THAT MONTHLY ZINE PROJECT WORKS:
🥠Interpret the prompt however you want
🥠 Make a zine connected to your interpretation in that month
🥠 The zine can take any form you want! Written, photos, collage, drawings, whatever & however: anything goes. Just have fun!
🥠 No deadline, feel free to post your zine in our Facebook group or on Instagram with the #mozipro tag when you're done (whenever in the month that may be!)
🥠 If a certain month's theme isn't resonating with you, just skip it. Seriously! If you, like me, tend to be over-ambitious about your zines, art, writing & creative work in general ... please be kind to yourself!
THE ZINE THEMES FOR 2023
1. ghost zine
2. photo diary of 24 hours
3. fanzine of your guilty pleasure!
4. top 5..... (mini zine)
5. a story without words
6. space, yo!
7. international zine month zine!
8. wholesome smut
9. my own private guide to _________
10. obsessionssssssssss
11. small art
12. let the zine idea generator decide! (see link above)
(Re)wild Imagination is Jessica Maybury’s digital newsletter focusing on making art as an act of self-care, and local biodiversity empowerment in response to ecological collapse. Feel free to share parts of this letter wherever and with whomever you’d like. If you want to support my work, subscribe to this publication and/or visit Fake Breakdown Crafts. Thank you.