When people find out I write or paint they’ll often ask: where do the ideas come from? Well, they come from creativity of the brain,
people, places and things around me. As
an art teacher I asked: can creativity be taught?
The writer Peter De Vries said, “I write when I’m inspired,
and I see to it that I’m inspired at 9:00 am every morning.”
We are all born with a creative brain. If you don’t believe
that, hang out with some four or five year olds. The impulse control is underdeveloped. The filters of acceptable behavior and fears
of rejection aren’t there yet in the young mind. This is why the creative genius, Picasso,
said: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we
grow up.”
So how do we redevelop our creativity?
One way is Spending time around creative
people. In the mid 1800s there was a movement that changed how the world would
forever look at and judge art. Impressionism was incubated at Café Guebois. How
did a small group of people accomplish this fete? By meeting together regularly,
they challenged and debated the idea of art. They had heated disagreements over
the “rules” of art. Manet, Monet, Renoir, Cezanne and Degas were a widely diverse
group of artists, but their creative energy paved the way for generations of
modern artists. Steve Jobs said collaboration
works best when ideas are met with brutal honesty and are forced to explore a
deeper purpose. I doubt Degas ever just patted Manet on the back and said he had pretty pictures.
Claude Monet, Red Boats in Argenteuil, 1875
Do you have a group of creative people that challenge you to
push past your first superficial idea and get to the imaginative workings of your
brain? Whatever it is- art, writing,
computer, finance, or building things- find that group of liked passions and
discuss how to make yours better.
Four years ago, I found SARA (San Antonio
Romance Authors), and my writing has greatly improved because of their questioning
and tough critique. If you want to be
creative, you can’t let fear hold you back.
Wonderful Jolene!!! I am so proud and happy for you! It is so wonderful to wake up every morning and write what you think about all night!! Stay focused! linda kirkpatrick
ReplyDeletelol I can't figure out why the Land & Ranch Realty keeps popping up, I do work for Land and Ranch but I don't want it there!!
DeleteThanks your support means a great deal to me.
DeleteIt first I wondered who Land & Ranch was - Once I saw your name it made sense.
Congrats on a very insightful first post Jolene - and on the success that is coming your way. Looking forward to watching your journey. All the best!
ReplyDeleteThanks - I'm a bit nervous and still trying to figure out how to use this to the full potential.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic and congratulations!
ReplyDeleteIt is hard for most people to put themselves out there on the "chopping block". Our natural first instinct is not to bare our necks.
Same goes for the heart. And it's like Ernest Hemingway said, "Writing is easy; all you have to do is sit at a typewriter and bleed."
:) If you haven't seen Midnight in Paris, you need too.
DeleteThis is a great post! I think constructive criticism is crucial for an artist of any type to become their best. After all, isn't it the challenge to create stories, photos, art, etc. that drives us? Isn't it the dogged desire to make that idea in our heads come to life, that makes us happy? And why would we want to do happy half-ass ;)?
ReplyDeleteNo doing happy half-ass. I love it. I'm making it my motto - NO HALF-ASS HAPPY for me!
DeleteWonderful Post Jolene.
ReplyDeleteThe Artist brain is always working translating "I wonder" into "I can"
Maybe not in the way others see it, but as a visual passageway to another view.
~~Kathleen