I’m a creative, experienced, multi-purpose artist and art director
who can take projects start to finish in a variety of styles.

Good designs sell –
my designs sell out!

Saturday, March 8, 2014

"Spark"


I wished I was more creative when I was in college.  My classmates did wonderfully creative things, but I thought of myself as a practical problem solver who depended on technical ability and hard work to keep up.  I didn't think I had the creative spark that moves people, or enough ideas, or the necessary people skills to sell myself.  I felt like a guppy amongst piranhas for a long time.

When I was going to school K-12, I didn't think I was unusually smart either.  I got better grades for less work, but I figured that was because I had a head start and a good memory.  My friends were smart enough, and they often got into a lot less trouble because they didn't do stupid things.  I didn't understand when they didn't get something I wanted to talk about.  I figured I just wasn't explaining it right.

My first draft for this post was describing my irritations with an artist who took my soft lavender layout and made it bright cyan blue.  I deleted that draft because I figure nobody wants to listen to me complain.  I started thinking about my high school frustrations of trying to explain politics to my peers and my envy looking at my college pals' homework.  My problems with the current artist seems to be a replay of times long gone.

When we hang out with people like ourselves (and we all do), we can't see how we're different than the average person.  We lose abilities in communicating with "average" too.  I like people who are smarter and more creative than me because that pushes me further than I can go on my own power.  As a result, sometimes my self-perception is that I'm not that creative or smart.

Someone told me her friends were diverse because she has black friends -- but her friends are at about the same level of income bracket, education, and type of career.  "Black" isn't really a descriptive word for what a person is like.  It's just a color, and a vague one at that when it's applied to people.  If she really wants diversity, she could make a friend from the slums, no matter what color -- and with her new friend she might have a different perspective on her own self image.

It's always so easy to point out this kind of thing in others, but it's harder to see it in ourselves.  I know my self-perception is skewed because in the years since college many, many people have commented on my creativity in both good and bad ways.  The positives are obvious, but the negatives are that I'm easily bored, ask "too many" questions, don't do as I'm told...

I've been thinking about all of this because I read this article about creatives (Thanks for the link Rand!)  I thought about my hectic week and decided to daydream before work because that would be more productive than running head-first into my cinder block office walls or strangling the guy who turned my lavender layout blue.

It worked.  I got a great idea and fleshed it out on the drive to work.  One less thing on my to do list, and I started to think that maybe I am creative and smart -- and even if that gets me in trouble sometimes, I don't want to be anything else.  Plus, I like talking with all of my blog buddies who are creative and smart too!

12 comments:

  1. I love your blog and writing style. Michael Neill says that we are all diamonds covered in horse crap covered in nail polish. Sounds like you have already washed off the nail polish (mask) and are steadily shoveling off the horse crap. Can't wait to see what your posts are like when you are delighted to be "you."

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  2. Your sometimes honest to a fault narratives never fail to captivate. Another true mark of a smart, creative individual. (And you're welcome for the link, kindly given to me by another highly creative person :) )

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  3. I've never been good with nail polish. Who'da thunk I'd be happy to say I'm covered with manure? Thanks Sally, and thanks Rand :)

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  4. You can NEVER ask too many questions and hooray for not doing as you are told. The "suits" don't like it, but it's the only way to make something new, no matter your field. Onward and upward, Linda.

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  5. Good attitude Terri! I'll let that be my anthem for the day :)

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  6. Before you judge yourself creative or not creative, you have to define what being creative is. In our modern times, we often think creative is being innovative or original. In ancient times being creative was being able to listen to the Muses. Does creativity result from a frustrated ego or is it the result of a peaceful meditative moment?
    Whatever the answer, you surely are creative and you are there to stay. And that I applaud.

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  7. That's an interesting idea Paula. I think I'll listen to the Muses today as see what they tell me :)

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  8. Self-doubt is one of our biggest enemies. We aren't good enough, or aren't creative enough - because everybody else is so much better. But of course we are. Otherwise I think you have made an observation spot on when it comes to our peers. We pick apples that look like we came from the same tree, don't we? As always I enjoy reading your post and self-examinations, Linda.

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  9. Thanks Otto. I was thinking of your recent post about creativity when I was writing this.

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  10. I used to feel frustrated and sad because I felt that I had things to express, but they came out garbled. I feared I wasn't really an artist but a wannabe, a faker with enough talent to fool some people into thinking I was. Now I know that "wanting to be" and then just doing it lets loose all kinds of creativity. One of the joys of my life is seeing people who don't think they're creative or talented just doing it and multiplying their talent like a good investment.

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  11. This post made me ask questions of myself; like enjoying the company of smart people or average people. Once again, I can never answer a question with a black or white answer. It's always gray! :)
    I like learning from smart people and having intellectual conversations; but I find that I envy them. With average people, I am able to give more; almost as a teacher; however, I find that the conversations don't vary enough. I suppose I'm somewhere in between. :)

    I agree with you about the diversity in friendship. My friends are black, white, Japanese, and Indian. We have so many things in common that their "color" is not diverse for me. As you said, people who are poor, and I'll add rich, much younger, much older, polygamist, disabled, etc. would be diverse for me.

    As Rand said, your honesty is captivating.

    I like your "Spark" illustration and how you used it for this post.

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  12. Good points! I think "letting loose" is the biggest thing that opens up our creativity, and I love seeing people try. That gives me more happiness sometimes than seeing something that's maybe more technically good. And you make a good point too Anita, teaching is a pleasure too. I've always liked having younger and older people around, so I'm feeling diverse today :)

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