10 things I learned from a January experiment with creativity
With the ‘great pause’ that a significant proportion of the world has experienced in 2020 (and now into 2021), we’ve been given time to stop and think a little bit more about what we’re all doing and why. Are we all engaging ourselves in the most valuable and rewarding activities or do we feel like cogs ticking in a massive machine, just mechanical parts?
This January I decided to ditch a list of specific resolutions for the new year in favour of an experiment with the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of doing something. Instead, I set out to recognise one personal act of creation each and every day and to consider how I felt about it. To help guide the challenge I set myself some basic rules: recognise it; don’t just think ‘tangible’; don’t be deliberate; no perfectionism; challenge — not a chore; be varied; and to share it.
Wanting to avoid that tendency to drop a new habit just at that point before it becomes fixed — but yet after the point where interest has started to wane (there must be a scientific name for this period — if not I’m calling it the “dwindle interval”), I set out to commit to two weeks of activities as a start. After this period, to review progress and then carry on and hopefully embed the habit.
So, on review after that initial couple of weeks: I’d stuck to the plan, followed the rules I’d set myself and had a range of different outputs and also reflections on the experience. Before pondering on what I have learned so far, it may be useful to remind on the definition of ‘creation’ and also to consider the difference to ‘creativity’.
Let there be light
‘Creation’ is defined as “the act of producing or causing something to exist”. That’s pretty clear: the act of bringing something into existence that may not have been there before. As per one of my challenge rules, it doesn’t need to be something physical: making a memory or generating a idea is still a valid act of creation.
‘Creativity’ is something different and may need a little more consideration. Whilst clearly linked to the act of creation, formal definition ranges from “the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.” to “the ability to produce or use original and unusual ideas” through to simply “the use of imagination or ideas to create something”. There are a few key words that appear here: ‘meaningful’, ‘original’, ‘new’ and ‘transcend’. Also, there is implied requirement for action: without this all we have is just imagination!
There is a lot more to consider on creativity and it can easily become a serious and deep subject of philosophical debate. Rather than wade out too far at this point (and without waterproofs), it is just worth noting a few points of interest that could inspire some deeper thinking. Creativity is not a special gift given only to those perceived as talented, it is a skill that can be learned through practice. According to a 1968 study by George Land we are all inherently creative and actually lose the ability as we grow. Just think back to what your imagination released with ease as you played when a child. This powerful force is still regained by us as adults but alas often requiring effort. In a sense, and as per George Land: we need to learn back what we forgot as we grew up.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi talks about how creativity can form a core component of how we experience life — “Creativity is a central source of meaning in our lives … most of the things that are interesting, important, and human are the results of creativity… [and] when we are involved in it, we feel that we are living more fully than during the rest of life”. This is quite a powerful thought when you take it on board and one to perhaps remind ourselves of more frequently.
Pondering now done, lets go back to my January challenge and what I’ve learned and also reminded myself of from the experience (so far):
1. We’re more creative than we think we are.
This is both in terms of how often we create and the quality of what we create. We too easily take for granted what we bring into existence each and every day — from cooking a meal to making someone smile: that’s all creation. But why do we seem to under-weigh this? Are we just too busy ‘getting on’ with life or have we become so used to what we do every day that the familiarity lessens the importance? Whichever, the point here is to stop and take the necessary time to consider what we do each day, as well as the ‘why’ and ‘how’, and also to marvel at the things that we’ve made.
2. We don’t appreciate what we’re each actually capable of.
We all have our own particular talents and skills — those inherent and those we’ve learned and developed over time. These are treasured resources that to ourselves may feel ordinary and just part of who we are, whilst others may be in awe of (or even envious of). So, it can be easy to forget our own special abilities and how we can use them to create innovative, useful, beautiful and interesting things. It is not just our capability to create but our ability to influence others through creation and sharing. Sit and think about it: what are you really good at and how do you use your gifts to benefit others?
3. Creation encourages new learning.
Experimentation and development are fundamental human traits, without these we’d still be in the trees. Our enjoyment of life would be drastically limited if we didn’t continue to actively learn. Creating something will usually require a degree of learning, especially if you’re following a new path and trying out something that you’ve not done before. There is good science to support the view that learning is beneficial for longer term brain health and wellbeing. As with creating, we may not always see that we are learning something new and hence may not fully perceive the value of both the gain in knowledge and ability as the experience of it. Anything that enables healthy brain function can’t be bad and as it also feeds the other core human trait of curiosity, that’s a win too. So think of creation as a regular dose of good brain medicine.
4. It supports problem solving skills.
Making something can sometimes not go to plan. Even when we’ve done this before and its not a new skill we’re shaping. Obstacles need to be overcome, blocks removed, errors rectified. All of this requires us to fire up our problem solving circuits: review what we’ve done; look for the obvious; engage our lateral thinking and overcome the issue. Working through the problem may get you back on track, it may also take you in a direction unplanned: happy accidents. As long as you don’t give up on the problem, you’ll be strengthening those mental processes as well as learning from experience. Furthermore, the satisfaction that you’ve overcome obstacles and finished something worthy.
5. Increases focus and allows us to be ‘in the moment’.
Concentration can sometimes be hard. Focus on a task is all the easier if it is something that you want to do, even enjoy doing. Attention on the task in hand shines a spotlight on the present moment and allows us to be mindful of just being. We all exist in the present (well, if you’re being picky: it is really the past, due to the slight time it takes for sensory input to reach our brains!), but we can easily be off elsewhere in time — either in the past, dwelling on what has happened (and why) or into the future, worrying about the ‘what ifs’. Grounding in the present time through concentrating on a positive and enjoyable task, and one that is involved in bringing something into being, helps us feel the earth under our feet a little more.
6. Enables a flow state.
Linked to this is that ‘flow state’ (originally defined by Csikszentmihalyi): achieved only with a deep immersion in what you’re doing. It is something that we have all experienced and may benefit from experiencing all the more. When time slips away unnoticed, your physical actions feel automatic and easily fluid: you have a deeper connection with the task creating a joyous physical and emotional state. Unfortunately, it can feel too much like a luxury to inhabit this state of being, but this may be more about how we value and use the time we each have available. Being in ‘the flow’ is never a waste of your time, so work to achieve it as often as you can.
7. Making things for others is an act of love.
It is a very special thing to be able to create something with love and gift it to someone else — be that cooking a meal or making birthday or Christmas presents. Every time we create we put a part of ourselves into the creation and so we share ourselves through that act. Gifting that creation amplifies the effect further, how deeply satisfying it is to receive a handmade gift! To bend a famous quote slightly: make for love and not conflict.
8. Building a sense of achievement.
The relentless treadmill of life can prevent us from finding time to stop and consider the landscape. Ironically, we can be too busy with getting things done to not only appreciate what it is that we’re doing at the time, but also to look at all that we have achieved. Life is fleeting and current times are a keen reminder of that, but we gain a sense of fulfilment and purpose in how we use our time and what we create and achieve. The things we worry about; the things we own; the things (we think) we want; these won’t last or be what we truly leave behind. It is what we’ve personally created and achieved that will mark our individual period of time here. So, taking time to do and to see, and appreciate, those achievements is one of the best investments in the future that we can make.
9. Changes the perceptions of what is important to us.
Creation and creativity are powerful attributes and enablers in life. The act of creating something can be the stone dropped into water: the outward ripples affect other aspects of ourselves (and others) and provide an experience well beyond the creative act itself. Perceiving the extent of our influence can help us consider the wider landscape of the rippling lake and so what we consider as important. Life is short — ask yourself: what do I want to spend (most of) my time doing?
10. Expression!
Last but perhaps the most important lesson: creating allows us to express ourselves and give release. Life is frustrating and letting those frustrations build without the chance to vent steam is potentially dangerous — physically as well as mentally. This is particularly true during these present stressful times, but there has, thankfully, been a palpable increase in creative output across the globe. Even as the darkness has increased, creation is helping to ease our way through this part of the journey.
Creation from joy and creation from angst are both part of the cultural dimension of society. Would our cultural heritage be as interesting if it were composed of only sunny works? How would we remember and learn from difficult times without that expression through making. Creation is therefore an emotional pursuit, and importantly one which is often enabled by physical activity. When combined, these two aspects of ourselves can be a very powerful force, just as felt in the zen attained in the ‘flow state’. Creation may be the most powerful expression of both the emotional and physical that we human beings have access to. So why limit or ration ourselves with its use?
Mystery, not interpretive answer…?
One final thought — where does creativity come from? It can seem like a mysterious force that when applied provides meaning to our existence and experience. If it is a universal concept then we are all makers and creators rather than mere actors strutting and fretting. Perhaps spending a little more time each day both exercising our creative energies and valuing the impacts it has on our lives is a wise investment of our time. Perhaps it may even help us unravel the mystery of its source.
I for one will be sticking to an act of creation a day to keep the doctor at bay.
