Creative Response

One of the ways to nurture creative energy when it comes to making art that I find working for me is exposing myself  to other people's works in my day-to-day life. I cannot go to the art exhibitions every week but I certainly can have art that touches me in my home. I also made it a rule to support local artisans and artists wherever I go by buying the works I like and can afford. Drinking a cup of tea out of a handmade ceramic mug made by the local artist who invested her heart into this particular work I get an appreciation of another person's creative expression and artistic skills which colors my experience.

This lovely bug is made by the Swedish artist Lotta Hellström with raku technique.Raku was initially used for producing tea ware for Japanese tea ceremonies. This particular way of firing clay results in unpredictable smoke patterns and spectacular metallic and crackle effects. The texture and the coracles in the clay attracted me as they reminded me that perfection is nothing but a concept invented by  humans and based on the idea of comparative value. No thing can ever be imperfect if we think from the position of absolute value: every little thing is unique in itself and makes no sense comparing with the next thing. This imperfect bug is perfect!

I love wood and have brought these two wooden statues from my trip to Nigeria.

This little mirror was decorated with collaged papers and comes from a little town somewhere in Holland. I loved the idea and the color scheme. Something as usual as old magazines can serve as material for collaging so now I think twice before I throw the stuff out.

When living in Holland I often bought a bouquet of fresh flowers at the local flower market and started using the champagne bucket as a vase. Since fresh flowers are somewhat of a luxury here in Sweden especially in winter I fill the bucket with some dried plants, here with flax plant the fibers of which are used in the production of linen.

A friend of mine, a person with warm and inspiring personality has creatively filled this bottle with sand and color. I keep it in my studio corner to remind me of staying in touch with my playful side when making art.

What better place to keep the brushes in than a vase made from the natural material by another artist? One of my favourite local artists who works with natural materials has made this vase from a bamboo tree.

think about this:

What pieces at your places nourish your inspiration?

What is it you appreciate about each of them?

Do you see anything that unites them all?

How often do you think of yourself as a non-creative person? Do you think that somebody else is more creative but you are not a member of the club? If this is the case, this post is meant for you and hopefully will help you reconsider.

"Life is easy, life is delightful. It's only hard on your illusions, your ambitions, your greed, your cravings. Do you know where these things come from? From having identified with all kinds of labels!"

- Anthony de Mello

Perhaps you already noticed what a tricky and amazing tool our mind is: whatever we look proof for, it will find it. If you start looking for evidence of your being a certain way - in this case non-creative - it will provide you with enough "facts" to support your limiting belief so that you can continue acting from the position of a non-creative person and - the circle closes.

Like any other preconceived ideas about our self this one, too, is just a thought and has nothing to do with reality. What happens if you stop identifying yourself with this particular label you chose for yourself at least for a moment. After all, what do you have to lose?

All you have to do is instead of saying "I am not a creative person" pronounce the question, "How can I have more creative ideas?". Go ahead, say this sentence and try NOT to come up with any answers. I bet your mind has already switched into the solution mode and is looking for the answers. This little thought experiment reveals that we actually have a choice: let our mind collect  the "evidence" that prevents us from getting to know other aspects of ourselves or use its capacity to go into the solution mode and help us figure out how we can break the old patterns of thinking and behaviour and choose a different path. Which of the two ways resonates with your body and sounds more attractive to you? Which of the two feels right for you? Which of the two do you choose now?

Where do creative ideas reside?

I like thinking of creative ideas not as something that comes and goes but as something that is already here. I imagine them as seeds patiently sitting in the soil, waiting to start growing. All they need is sunlight, watering and nourishing and if these are present we will soon find ourselves in a lush garden full of most beautiful trees and flowers we never could imagine growing in the backyard of our mind. 

So what are those conditions?

Guess what...

you have the answers! Time to do some detective work.

try this:

Think of one time when ideas came to you easily and you felt in touch with that amazing energy. Try to remember in as much detail as possible the circumstances around it and make a list with the answers to the following questions:

What was the situation?

What exactly were you doing?

Were you alone?

Where were you?

What did you see,

hear,

smell,

feel?

...Take notes as you go along...

Now think of another such episode, answer the same questions and compare the two. What do they have in common? Do you see any patterns?

These simple questions will help you come up with a few specifics as to what might be the triggers for your brain to come into the resourceful and creative state of mind.

It can be tempting to jump over the whole list thing but I strongly recommend that you actually set aside 5-10 min of your time, grab a pen and some paper and make that list. First of all, writing slows down the mind - we cannot write one thing and think about another! Secondly, as you go you will think of more and more details and we need to gather as much information as possible about what triggers your creativity. Knowing what makes it easier for you to come into the creative state will allow you to consiously create those conditions and access that creative energy. If this sounds easy, it's because it is!

I have discovered a few of those "creativity triggers" that work for me and will be sharing some of them with you in the future posts. And the first one is...