The Creative Itch & How To Scratch It
Do you have a creative itch?
You’re not alone. In an age of mind numbing social media, automation and artificial intelligence we need to nurture and invest in what makes us uniquely human; our creative intelligence. Here’s a story about a man who did just that.
Percy Henry Curtis built a large, ramshackle shed on the edge of a small westcountry village. Inside this shed you could find an array of objects: A redundant cast iron oven that had been transformed into a band saw, a full size snooker table with bare slate awaiting the baize. Broken puppets and toys needing repair; and sacks upon sacks of home grown potatoes.
From Monday to Friday Percy worked for The Westinghouse Brake & Signal Company. He directed a team of engineers who used precision tools to design and build large industrial devices. In his spare time he was a shed builder, tinkerer, pianist, gardener, horse racing enthusiast, cryptic crossword solver and stock picker. Born in 1908, Percy was not only a man with many interests, he was also my grandfather.
Using modern parlance, you might describe some of Percy’s extracurricular activities as side hustles. His sizable garden produced more fresh vegetables and flowers than our family needed. With the help of an honesty box, he sold the excess crops to villagers. For many people, being rewarded for the creative things we do and love would be the ultimate achievement; and for others a creative itch they would like to scratch.
Are you more than just your job title?
Percy was certainly more than his job title. Recalling these memories made me realise how his life has inspired my own; and highlighted the importance of having a varied range of creative pursuits. These things not only make life richer and more enjoyable, they also give you a deeper appreciation of how other people and things work. Applying the knowledge gleaned from these diverse interests also make you a better problem solver and innovator.
Ultimately the diversity of activities you engage with throughout your life will help you to develop your creative intelligence. Creative Intelligence is a uniquely human skill; it’s the ability to understand, interpret and act with imagination. In the age of machine learning and automation we need to invest in these skills; to foster and celebrate our creative intelligence.
Meet like minded people unlike you.
The Sense Network may not have a physical shed like Percy, but we do have a platform. We collaborate with creative individuals and global brands all over the world. There are an array of projects waiting for your contribution: from sharing personal reflections on your daily relationship with headphones to inspire an innovation team to understanding global street crime to help two entrepreneurial brothers to prototype a better theft proof backpack. There will be an opportunity for you to contribute your skills, get paid and develop your creative intelligence.
If you have the creative itch, being exposed to like minded people, who are unlike you is a good start. Broaden your horizons and get inspired by attending a Sense Supper in your city. Meet Artists, Sky Divers, Art Directors, Beat Boxers, Coders, Designers, Free Runners, Gamers, Vegans, Pagan Witches, Hackers, Filmmakers, Dominatrixes, Musicians, Poet Lawyers, Cooks, Historians, Collectors, Radical Thinkers, Academics, Quantum Physicists, and many more extraordinary people who are members of The Sense Network.
Scratch that itch. Join us. Help to make things better and to make better things.
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Jeremy Brown, Founder The Sense Network
