Just like people
creativity comes in many different shapes, sizes, styles and colors; everyone’s
different but everyone is creative in their own way. Whether it’s something as
complicated as turning an old refrigerator box into a rocket ship or as simple
as throwing paint on paper until you see something stick out. Creativity has no
boundaries, it simply depends on the way your mind sees the world. It’s not
something you buy from the store or copy out of a book, it’s your brains
ability to create or do something in its own unique way. Everyday millions of
people ask the question “how can I be more creative?” Sometimes in order to be more creative you
have to look for inspiration in everyday occurrences, give your mind time to
think, and not fear failure.
Look around you. What do you see? A
hair dryer, a traffic light, a half eaten lollipop. To you these things may be
just objects with no meaning, something you see every day. If you look a little
deeper, you’ll see an opportunity for inspiration. Every opportunity in life is a chance for us
to be creative. Whether it’s at work, at school, in the gym; inspiration for creativity
is everywhere we just have to find it. Many times we tend to relate creativity
to sculptures, painters or inventors but its much more than that. Everything
you think and do is creative whether that’s the way you walk, dress, or present
yourself. Johanna Blakely the Deputy Director of the Norman Lear Center argues
inspiration comes from the streets, the way everyday people mix and match their
own fashion looks. Blake has held a series of conferences about the lack of ownership
in fashion and creative content. Creativity isn’t always in black and white;
many times you have to look much deeper.
Sometimes an idea can come from big art marvels but there no limit on
what can spark inspiration. We need to think more like children, who see the
world in ways adults tend to forget. Children seem to be able to make anything
out of absolutely nothing. Whether that’s making a straw into a person or a
tissue into a house, they never seem to have a limit. We need to adopt that same
way of thinking when it comes to looking for inspiration in our everyday lives.
You never know where your next great ideas going to come from, it may be
somewhere you’d never expect. Inspiration for creativity is all around you; you
just have to take the time to find it.
You wouldn’t expect to solve a math
problem without giving yourself time to think about it; well being creativity
is no different. It takes time to fully develop ideas into something truly
original. Some of the greatest works of art in history weren’t created
overnight. It took Italian artist Leonardo Da Vinci over four years to paint
the Mona Lisa. The Statue of Liberty took 21 years to go from an idea to the
statue we see in New York City’s Harbor today. Thomas Edison didn’t come up
with the light bulb on his first attempt. It took him quite a bit of time
filled with many attempts that resulted in failure. Try after try he finally
invented something that would change the world forever. In a book written by
Hungarian psychology professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi at Claremont Graduate
University, he states there must be a surplus of time in order to achieve
creativity. Creativity isn’t inspired by time limits and deadlines but by
freedom, humor, and having fun. Time restricts the creative process; it puts
pressure on the mind not allowing it to completely develop thoughts and ideas. The
more time you spend thinking and perfecting ideas, the less you have to worry
about faiure.
In a perfect world, everyone would
succeed on their first attempt. But sadly this is not a perfect would, its far
from it. Many times, your not going to succeed on your first try, maybe not
even your hundredth try. That doesn’t mean you should give up, we should see
failure as inspiration to work harder. In order to be more creative you have to
be willing to go out of your comfort zone and not be afraid to fail. In a
lecture given by comedian John Cleese on how to fully harness your creativity;
he states nothing will hold you back more from being creative as much as the
fear of making a mistake. Some of the
most famous people in the world wouldn’t be were they are today if they had been
afraid to be who they are. Well-known pop singer Lady Gaga is not afraid of
what people think of her. Whether it’s a hat shaped like a lobster, an
exuberant feather headpiece, or a dress made from hundreds of Kermit the Frog
dolls; she’s not afraid to try new things and that’s why she is successful.
Just like Lady Gaga, we need to have that same approach when it comes to being
creative. If you’re lucky, your mistakes may even lead you to create something
magnificent. One of the most famous buildings in the whole world wasn’t built
the way it was originally planned. When Bonnano Pisano came up with the
original design of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, it wasn’t leaning. The towers
tilt began shortly after construction because the ground underneath the
foundation was too weak to support the structures weight. Even though it wasn’t
originally planned this way, poor construction has led it to be seen as one of
the most amazing buildings in the world. Maybe your not going to accidently
create an architectural marvel, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create
something great. You’re never going to
be truly creative unless you’re willing to take chances and try new things. The
thought of failure is enough to scare off many people but you cant let that
intimidate you. Sometimes you have to step outside the box and do something you
wouldn’t normally do to get new ideas. Failure is a part of everyday life. You
may not create something perfect on you’re first try but that doesn’t mean you
should throw in the towel.
The most creative people in the
world are able to find inspiration anywhere, spend time developing their ideas,
and don’t fear failure. Everyone has potential to be more creative you just
have to know how to find it. You never know, you may just create something that
will change the world forever.
