If Creativity is a Muscle, How to Make Sure You’re a Hunk?
They say creativity is a muscle, all of us have it and some are more muscular than the others. It’s important to understand that essentially we chose to be more or less connected to our creativity.
I put a lot of effort into connecting with my creative side and at some point, I started working on other qualities more. Working in a timely manner, working under pressure, structuring thought and stuff like these were my primary focus for a few years with creativity being just there. As a content creator and marketer, creativity was an important quality to me, of course. But being at a point where I was somewhat confident in my creative ability and with my employer valuing other professional qualities more, I put creativity on a waiting list.
Luckily, my creative muscle was ok enough for me to remain capable of producing creative material, but later I realized that connecting with my creative side was important to the quality of my life.
Here are a few things that help me build and later on stretch my creative muscles. I’m not a hunk though… yet…
Pick up a music instrument
Playing music connects both with right and left parts of your brain. Essentially, it’s a workout for your brain. I played a variety of instruments when I was younger, but of course, music is very time-consuming. I’ve picked up a ukulele, an instrument that is very easy to learn and play. I’m bad at it, actually, but every once in awhile, I pick it up to do my workout.
Watch this TED video for more info on this.
Listen to others explaining their work
What helps me a lot, is listening to people explain their creative work. Be that music, film, writing — there’s a thought process behind every piece. The creative process is not as chaotic and magical as we like to think. It’s often about crafting the right roadmap to get to the vision you have.
I loved listening to Grimes on the Song Exploder podcast talking how she wrote her “KILL V. MAIM” song. She explained the important details that created the mood of the song. Overall, the Song Exploder podcast is really cool for reverse-engineered music.
Film lovers often love to reverse engineer filmmakers’ work and explain what makes a good film good, a bad film bad. Watch this video on the color theory in Breaking Bad as an example.
Implement other people’s ideas
If your boss comes to you with an idea, even if you think it doesn’t make sense — do it! Make sure you implement it to the max and get to the finish line of their vision. Maybe it’s not your boss — it’s your coworker or friend. Implementing someone else’s idea helps you remain detached and usually they nitpick the details. And, of course, the devil is in the detail. This way you will have less attachment to the piece, less self-loathing if it doesn’t work out. The owner of the vision knows what it needs to look and feel like, and they will know when it doesn’t work out. Follow their lead and you will learn a lot about the implementation aspect of creative work.
Reverse-engineering creative material
When you’re watching, reading, listening to something, ask yourself why it is good or bad, special or generic. What are the elements that compose the piece and how do they contribute. What is missing? What are the setting and the situation this piece was made in?
This is an effortless and fun exercise. Share your thoughts with your friends and watch them add to your observations. Et voila, you just flexed your creative muscle a little.
Feedback & Encouragement
This one is obvious but necessary. Ask for feedback, all kinds of feedback. A good way to access your work is to think of the feeling you want to evoke. If someone is looking at your piece and with the utmost neutrality they’re saying “it’s good” then it’s probably not. They just like you and don’t want to tell you it’s mediocre. Which is ok, it’s ok to make mediocre work, just commit to getting better. Ask questions, but don’t torture people. If they don’t care about your piece it’s likely they don’t know why they don’t care. It’s your responsibility to learn where the pieces of the puzzle go and what they look and feel like.
And at this point, if you’re committed to doing creative work — remind yourself why. That’s the biggest encouragement you’ll need. Remember to pat yourself on the back every once in a while.
That’s pretty much it. Just remember that just like with physical muscles, it’s weird when you flex your muscles in the public and show off.
