Can you remember when creative endeavours were easy and joyful?
Children seem to be in a constant state of creativity. Every pebble is a precious jewel, each journey is an adventure, discarded boxes open up new worlds.
They throw themselves into playful exploration, unfettered by self-consciousness, unworried that they might get it wrong. And their movements appear as a primal dance upon the landscape, impulsive and carefree, rarely taking the well-trodden paths. Little by little, however, most begin to learn to measure and weigh accomplishments, until, as adults, they find themselves grasping for originality in the way one might catch the wisps and tendrils of dreams upon waking.
This is partly because many people equate creativity with artistic talent, associating it with painters, musicians, writers, dancers, thinkers, and innovators whose works have stood the test of time or proved revolutionary.
Yet creativity, simply put, means solving a problem by thinking outside the box. Scottish engineer Alexander Graham Bell, chemist Alice Ball, and polymath Leonardo da Vinci all excelled on this front. But so do many people, every day of the week – and the chances are that you do, too. Think of the times when dinner is rustled up from a handful of less-than-perky salad-drawer ingredients or when plan C is pulled together when all bar one of your colleagues call in sick. There’s always the capacity to break rules, to adapt existing models, to implement new ideas and find an innovative and personal way of doing things.
If this is the case, however, why don’t people do it more often? Sometimes it feels as though the stakes are too high. There’s also a fear of getting it wrong, looking silly, or wasting time. As life gets busier and less spacious, it seems to make more sense to follow existing patterns and examples.
That purity of childish expression and invention is, after all, often gradually eroded from the first moment approval is sought for any work, as author Lucy H Pearce illustrates in The Rainbow Way: ‘“Look Mama!” We say to our first art critic, showing her our creation with great pride and an open heart… And then, at school we are told to colour in, only inside the lines, make things the right colour, all make the same art project.’ Sharing ideas with the world can make a person feel vulnerable and exposed.
Sadly, initiative is often a last resort, engaged only when all carefully laid plans have failed and thinking on one’s feet is the only option left. Yet getting creative can help people to connect with the world in a more focused way, engaging the senses and the imagination. It can allow them to enter a flow state, where mind and body operate together fluidly, and it’s possible to become completely immersed in the task at hand and experience a feeling of tranquillity and clarity. So, the question is, how do we shake off creative anxiety?
One answer might be to embrace American author Mark Twain’s exhortation: ‘Sing like no one’s listening, love like you’ve never been hurt, dance like nobody’s watching, and live like it’s heaven on Earth.’ Or, you could make like a child again, be playful and forget about the results. Not sure how? Think about what you liked to play with when you were very young. What were your go-to creative outlets? The trick is to look at low-stakes activities, free your imagination, and try to give it a go without worrying about the end result.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
• Draw with unconventional materials, such as makeup, mud, or condiments. Not using paper would really embody the spirit of childhood.
• Create with random objects, maybe dried pulses, shells, leaves, flowers, rice, raw pasta, and spices.
• Get a children’s colouring book and deliberately go outside the lines, noticing any reticence you might have about this.
• Make your own playdough and create shapes.
• Put on a song you remember from childhood and dance like nobody’s watching.
• Using crayons, draw some of your favourite people.
• Paint with your fingers, elbows, knees, or toes.
• Challenge yourself to produce a piece of art that you feel is bad.
It can take quite a lot of practise for some people to fully let go. Don’t worry. Just pretending to be a kid can help to reconnect with that sense of wonderment and curiosity. Once you find it, explore how it feels so you can recognise it and call it up at will. Treat your creative spirit with kindness. Be gentle, accept where you’re at, and appreciate each little gain.
EVERYDAY ORIGINALS
There are many areas of life where creativity can be channelled to great effect. Challenge yourself daily to approach at least one task a little differently and embark on new adventures where possible. Explore a wide range of activities, embracing your childish spirit of intrepid exploration.
Here are a few ways to mix up your day:
• Try out new recipes or adapt old ones with fresh ingredients.
• Rearrange bookshelves, combining titles by height or colour.
• Update a room in your home by swapping around cushions, rugs, or even the odd chair.
• Put together a new outfit using clothes from your existing wardrobe.
• Take a different route to work or buy your groceries at a new shop.
• Keep a doodle pad with you.
• Design a flowerbed regardless of whether you have a garden. Play around with combinations of colour, texture, shape, and height.
• Get out the board games but make up your own rules.
• Put together a playlist of music and, as you listen, draw how each piece sounds to you.
• Compose new lyrics for a favourite song, making them as silly as possible.
• Identify an area of your home or work life that isn’t running as you’d like and find a creative solution.
• Write down any ideas in a notepad.
• Draw something without lifting your pen from the paper.
• Look up! Raising your eyes can bring a fresh perspective. In cities and towns, cast your gaze above the shop facades to see architecture or natural elements that often go unnoticed.
• Create a collage with old magazines.
• Set a timer for minutes and write anything that comes into your head. Don’t search for the right words or pause to think about what you want to say.
