On Creativity
So, what is creativity and what is creative? Is painting, singing, or dancing creativity? Is a person who indulges in these activities considered creative? But, then why do people even in creative fields get bored, or think they are not creating art, but just composing, or more like using other people's ideas and composing it in such a way that it looks like it is original but is not...
Imagine a person who enjoys creating a painting, that turns out to be very beautiful. A rich man, a connoisseur sees this painting displayed on a street, and really likes it. He wants the painter to create 50 paintings like this. What happens then? Painting 50 of these paintings, instead of becoming a joy, becomes a deadline one faces as the painter has to finish these 50 painting or he will not get any money.
So, the painter might be able to create beautiful looking paintings like the first one in a specified time, but might not enjoy the painting process itself! The rich man and other people might like the paintings, and think it is as beautiful as the first one. But, the painter will know that these 50 painting didn't come from the depths of his heart, and so it is not art for art's sake but something which has become commercial.
This problem is faced by people all over the world, and may be the reason why so many people quit their jobs. You might join a place where you think you will be creating stuff, but when the same task of creating becomes a chore, a way of living, it becomes a burden and you think you are not enjoying working or creating because the workplace is bad, or the work is not creative, etc. There are several reasons but personally, I think one stops being creative, or creativity stops flowing if the person is not enjoying what they are doing.
This 'doing' can be anything, you might enjoy cleaning and decorating your room and adore the way you cleaned and decorated it, it may not be a masterpiece and known to world. I mean it's just your room, right? It is definitely not something to be showcased on 'Travel & Living'!
So, all these small acts which you are enjoying become creative. Rather than saying, "Oh, he is a painter, and very creative!".
It is not just about painting or cleaning your room, the act can be anything. I have a friend who creates amazing stuff out of junk, which makes him immensely happy. But, he doesn't know what to do with this ability of his...
One may come across creative people all their life, some might be displaying their art on the streets because they can't afford to display their artwork in a gallery. There are many interesting concepts and short-films, made by people with just normal handycams. Sometimes these flicks even win awards! So, it's not that you need expensive equipment to be creative, one can always start with basic stuff which is available and make a great masterpiece out of it.
There have been famous people throughout the history who made it big, but started small. There are people who have made their mark in the world by creating amazing paintings, but in their own times were put in madhouses.
Like Van Gogh, who in his lifetime was considered insane. Nobody paid attention to his paintings. Today, his paintings are sold for millions. Socrates, one of the greatest minds ever was poisoned because of his paradoxical wisdom. One of the most gifted dancers, Nijinsky used to dance so beautifully. He would take leaps in the air which defied gravity. But, the more people made him conscious of this phenomenon, the less high the leaps became.
There have been many such people throughout the history, who have been misunderstood and there are more people like this who are still alive. So, creativity and creative people, are two concepts which are mostly misunderstood.
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