1/2
A few days ago I heard a piece on NPR (I could seriously start every post I write that way) about creativity that I found really fascinating. Robert Siegel is talking to neuroscience writer Jonah Lehrer about his new book Imagine: How Creativity Works (ordered. I love this stuff.) and the creative process from the perspective of the brain.
Mmmm…Brains.
(Sorry to go all walking-dead on you there.)
Anyhow, according to Lehrer, “Creativity is really a catch-all term for a variety of very different kinds of thinking.”
Since I grew up surrounded by lots of creative (non artist) working class types, I’m really excited that Lehrer (and the brain apparently) cast such a wide net when defining creativity. It rings true to me.
And I’ve long endorsed Lehrer’s advice for when you hit a wall:
Just walk away. Or take a really long hot shower.
(or bath if you’re me!)
Also did you guys know the Pixar redesign (under Steve Jobs) only had one set of bathrooms?
Yep. Bathroom location as a means to foster creativity.
Fascinating, right?
How do you define creativity? Do you consider yourself creative?
Nerd alert: I looooove talking about this stuff, so pretty please indulge me!
Hmm, I consider myself a pretty creative person. But I find that creativity is really organic. If I am trying really hard to come up with a creative idea, it’s going to fail miserable; the best ideas come when you’re not trying to be creative!
Yes, absolutely!
That was definitely a big focus of the segment I heard- that when you reach a creative roadblock, you just have to do something different.
Sometimes it feels counterintuitive to walk away from the problem, but I always find it helps immensely!
I keep a notepad by my bed because I always come up with ideas in those few seconds right before I pass out at night.
I feel like my brain is very split into “writing creatively” and “photographing creatively” — and my approach to both is so different. On the writing side, it’s all about getting into my head. I usually write down my first draft – the this sucks and I know it, but I have to get it out kind – and then go do something where I can mull it over, whether that’s taking a walk, a shower, talking to R or a creative friend, having a glass of wine (aka the Hemingway method), whatever. But for photography it’s about getting out of my head — going somewhere new that’s visually stimulating, traveling, meeting new people — essentially getting out of my comfort zone.
Um, The Hemingway Method? I’ve never heard this term before, and I LOVE it! I also frequently partake…
And I think it’s really interesting that you point out the difference in what works for you to foster different types of creativity…
It seems no matter what type of creating you are doing though, stepping away is an essential part of the process!
I’d never heard of this either, but YES! Whenever I write I always have a whole bunch of terrible drafts, and THEN the good writing shows up.
Oh, yeah, I definitely said it tongue in cheek… maybe it’ll catch on! It’s my own personal reference to writing with a drink or two, because whenever I have a really tough writing project (like my about me section, which is getting a serious overhaul soon and terrifies me) I go with Hemingway’s “write drunk, edit sober” advice.
Also, Christopher Hitchens, who was one of my very favorite authors, wrote drunk all the time. Then again, I think he was drunk all the time.
But yes, to stop my ramblings — stepping away is so necessary! It just takes patience sometimes.
I literally figure out everything in the shower (I take two on days I need to clear my head). Or, by sleeping on it. It’s my whole process in a nutshell.
Sleeping tends to work the best for me, since I hate showering. (it’s true- I’m gross)
I often wake up in the middle of the night with my best ideas though.
Something about letting the brain wander free….
This was really interesting, thanks for sharing.
Up until recently, I’ve never considered myself a creative person, because my definition of creative was tied to being artistic, and I’ve never been very crafty or (my definition of) artistic. I still struggle with considering myself creative, changing my drilled in definition of it, but I’ve realized that there are a lot of ways to be creative, and I don’t have to be a photography genius or mind blowing artist to be a creative person.
As the article put it “… Whether you’re writing a Shakespearean tragedy, or trying to come up with a new graphic design or writing a piece of software, how we think about the problem should depend on the problem itself. Creativity is really a catch-all term for a variety of very different kinds of thinking.”
For me, creating anything, from something as simple as cooking a meal or creating new blog content, or reading an article that gets me thinking and writing, is enough to make me feel like I’m being creative.
Hum, I just popped over and read your About Me section and am totally shocked that you only recently started considering yourself creative!
AND that gets at the heart of what I loved about this piece (and hopefully will love about the book) that our definition of creativity is often times so limited, it totally squashes room for creativity. That’s my takeaway anyhow, the actual piece might be a little more about neuroscience.
And welcome! I can’t wait to check back in and follow your adventures in my former city!
I’m a pretty creative person, I make jewellery and occasionally do a bit of drawing. I like rearranging spaces to make them look nice and I always cook ad hoc. Most people are creative as kids but some just seem to lose it along the way.
Agreed.
I think it’s a use it or lose it type scenario.
My mom looooved telling me that as a child.
Pingback: Spring Cleaning » glitter & ganache
Pingback: Japan Week 1 » glitter & ganache