On Creativity

By Cindy Layton

Creativity is the mindful process that generates or formulates that which didn’t exist before, whether it’s an idea, a product, or a work of art.

Where does creativity come from? Is it learned or is it innate?

Are people creative in some ways and not others? Or are people only limited by their perceptions of their own creativity? If one believes they are not creative are they then restricted by their own internal mantra?

Think of the myriad ways one can express creativity.

Within a category of visual artistry there’s painting (in all its iterations), sculpting, wood carving, screen printing, decoupaging, photography and so on.

In crafting there’s sewing, weaving, collaging…

Creativity is a critical element in every aspect of life, from sports to industry, to science.

One school of thought divides creativity into two categories – that for art and that for business, but why can’t anyone who possesses a creative mind apply that skill to a variety of applications? The same ability to see what doesn’t already exist might solve business problems and produce works of art, regardless of whether you’ve spent four years in business school where your mind has been trained to analyze processes, or you’ve spent four years in art school, where you’ve been prepared to produce things of artistic value.

Is creativity a character trait? If so, it seems that it could manifest itself in many ways. If you can write fiction can you/should you also write poetry? Essays? Should you write in any genre? Is it wise to attempt songwriting? If one is truly creative, should one try singing? Acting? Dancing? The Arts of any type? (No for me on the dancing.)

The channel of your creative output requires the psychic connection of the source of your inspiration to the proper medium. It may require testing a variety of options. We can see the connection between the visual and the written, for example, when writers use sticky notes and index cards to plot a novel. A writer’s timeline is a visual representation of fictional events. Some writers sketch the characters and the places in their novels, mapping significant locations. The Lord of the Rings is a famous example of that connection.

Our mission as writers is to keep looking for what’s not already there. We create it, not just with words, but through any of the media we encounter. Test the boundaries of your creativity!

Essays on creativity:

As a second-year art student, author Peter Selgin was called an “artistic illiterate,” by his professor. He abandoned art, switched to writing, and spent the ensuing years tamping down his artistic impulses, identifying himself only as a writer, his art as no more than a hobby.

Reconnecting with his art through the process of writing and illustrating a children’s book, he came to understand how he was hamstrung by the rules of art. Making the choice to set aside those rules gave him the freedom to express his creativity. Selgin was also hamstrung by his notion that an artist can only be one thing. His essay explores the impact of identity on an artist and the changing perspective he gained.

This essay by Annie Mueller asks the question “What’s Blocking Your Creative Output?” It’s a straightforward analysis of the roles of the “creative conduit” through which creativity flows (or doesn’t flow).

Also, a short essay by Ethan Gilsdorf on J.R.R. Tolkein’s illustrations of Middle-Earth and the essential connection between art and writing.