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Creativity as a commodity…

Biscuits

Here’s my burning question of the day, and of my life: Can anyone be creative? It has always been my belief that yes, anyone can be creative. What do you think?

First, I think we need to think about what is your definition of creativity. It’s kind of like your definition for what you find beautiful, painful (emotionally anyway: I think we can all agree that anything that involves blood or bruising is physically painful), or interesting. Creativity comes from inspiration, from thinking, from connections, and I must say–admiration of others’ creativity. Is that mental or artistic stealing? Only if you claim the idea as your own. Would you want others to take your flashes of genius and steal them from you? (I didn’t think so.)

Moving forward – you’ve now defined what creativity means to you. Do you think you have some? How do you know? If not, why not? Creativity is another form of curiosity, of inquisitiveness, and we all know curiosity killed the cat. If you’re not a cat, you have nothing to worry about. The point is to ask questions…and then seek answers that may satisfy.

Where some of my frustration sets in is when I get jealous of other people’s creativity and their successes that go along with it – the great book that someone else wrote, the breathtaking painting that someone else produced, the movie script that is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. I think, actually, a lot of us get frustrated that we’re not rich and famous due to our creativity, so we give up, and settle for mediocrity and boring routines. If you feel yourself mentally flatlining, shake things up! Find out why others created what they did, and find your own spark. Creativity builds on connections.

I believe we all have a level of creativity to share, simply because we are all individuals that take up our own space, time, and energy. And I guarantee you, you do. Prove it to yourself.