“Do you write poetry?” “How about songs?” “Do you paint in your free time or maybe draw?” When you ask the average person the usual response is “Oh, hell no. I am not creative enough for that.” Here in Miami, social media will make you believe that consuming is the only outlet, that creativity is for those beyond the screen. It’s commonly accepted that those hobbies aren’t for everyone, that only a special few are destined to create, and the rest of us are forever punished to consume. What if you picked up the pen, the brush, the camera — anything, and just tried?
The Problem
It’s no wonder we’ve steered away from creative electives and into more academic pursuits when our results-driven society wants us to believe that creativity is a parasite to productivity. Creativity isn’t only useful in the arts, but also in business, technology and mostly any area of study.
Our generation believes that if we just get the damn thing done the way it’s expected to be done, we will receive praise. But how do you stand out in an environment like that?
As creative writing Professor Mia Leonin says, “Creativity is finding surprising connections. It’s looking at something you’ve seen a hundred times and seeing it in a new way and the essence of innovation is just that.”
Now, we’re not asking you to be the next Thomas Edison or Pablo Picasso, but think about it like this: anyone who’s labeled a genius had to discover something that differentiated them from the masses, or in other words, they simply had to think outside- the-box.
No One’s Good at First
Prioritizing creative activities doesn’t mean they will come easily. Junior creative writing major and co-president of Art for Kids, Erika Dunion, admits she became frustrated often during her first painting class but she liked to remind herself that, “It’s not about you painting something good. It’s just about you learning how to paint.”
That’s the best thing about practicing creativity in your free time: you do it for yourself. We want so badly to succeed at some tasks that we exile those that don’t come easy to us from our potential repertoire.
Andrew Ashton, a junior pursuing a creative writing minor and the vice president of the English Honors Society, finds comfort from the weight of studying marine biology within poetry.
“It was a super helpful way for me to get those emotions out and express them and kind of in that way, gain power over them or at the very least express them in a way that other people might understand me,” says Ashton.
Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes; it’s not about being inherently talented, it’s about trying, trying and then probably trying again. It’s not a trait, it’s a practice. The more we think of creativity as exclusive, the more we cement that the goal is perfection instead of simply sharing our views with the world. It’s a way of saying “I was here.”
Ashton adds that, “People who aren’t creative will say things like, ‘I’m not creative’ and maybe it’s true for specific things,” but, “There’s some way that they’re creative. Maybe they haven’t figured it out yet.”
The First Step
Find what makes you tick. Maybe there’s a guitar riff that scratches your brain, a poem you know by heart or a piece of artwork that brings you to tears. Now imagine it being your own.
Ashton says, “I look to the people and the artists specifically that inspire me and the media and art that makes me feel something out of the emotions I need to channel.”
Likewise, Leonin quotes Chilean poet diplomat Pablo Neruda’s saying, “The poet is not a little god.” The concept that what you express must be different than what everyone else ever expressed about that topic for successful creativity is ludicrous, but tons of people get caught up on that.
We look up to these artists and we see them as deities, but we fail to recognize that this god-like status is achieved by being overwhelmingly human, they’re expressing everything we feel but in a way we hadn’t thought to. Maybe we just simply aren’t expressing ourselves enough.
Something like journaling is perfect for those who struggle with this: arranging words to encapsulate how you feel in that moment. In fact, journaling is merely storytelling. As you journal, perhaps the words may fall into poems or song lyrics, or maybe you draw along next to the words. You can do anything you want because it’s all for you.
Sometimes writing about your day is overwhelming, however, in other creative pursuits, you don’t have to write about yourself, you can express your feelings in ways that present more like an outlet than a rehashing. Inspiration is much more subconscious than this though, it can come from dreams, nature, daily conversations etc.
Ashton says, “I’m in the most mood to write after spending time with those I love.”
Artists don’t always have to be on duty, they can go about their day and be randomly struck with inspiration. Even if a phrase overheard in class seems unimportant, if it sparks emotion, tap into that. Remember you are as capable as anyone else. It takes time and effort to make a masterpiece, so write about something that’s worth your time and effort.
Trust the Process
Sometimes it’s not about inspiration at all, sometimes it’s just hard to start. In order to profit off creativity, one should see it as a therapy of sorts. For example, Dunion says, “creative outlets are how I recenter myself and meditate.” However, it’s important to remember that everyone experiences the dreaded “writer’s block,” but in definition, it’s a myth.
Can you experience a block from good writing? Sure. But a block from any writing? Only you can decide. When someone is just beginning their creative journey, it’s absolutely necessary to get over the fear of failing in front of themselves.
Dunion says of her own experience with writer’s block, “I do have to remind myself to write even if it’s not something that I’m going to ever share or work on again. Just the act of doing it is really important and it’s good practice.”
In this, we find that creativity isn’t always for an end result, but for the therapeutic nature of it. Leonin says, “Sometimes it’s complete brain static, but even then the act of doing it is still cathartic and grounding even if you don’t get a poem out of it.”
Leonin encourages people to “have a special notebook where you just write your feelings, your thoughts, your poems, something not related to work or school. I just like to set my timer for 5 or 10 minutes.”
Ashton shares his own exercises: “I try to write everyday and I have this long streak of writing everyday. Most of the time that’s just three sentences on something I’m already working on and a lot of time that’s just planning for a longer work.”
Activities like these are great reminders that creativity doesn’t need great depth. Any creative action is a step forward.
Taking it to the Next Level
It’s common for new artists to fear other people seeing their work, especially in an “unfinished” state. However, collaboration is a great accelerator for the creative process.
Ashton says, “Being open to change and to the eyes of others and potentially even criticism can help you grow.”
Even if a piece isn’t “ready” for sharing, listening to others share theirs is a great way to learn about the world and to relate to people we never imagined we had anything in common with.
Leonin reflects on a project she did with the Lowe Art Museum and poetry association OMiami.
“It was just really moving to see people reading poems aloud in the afternoon light in front of these big bronze and metal sculptures. Just the sound of human voice is really impactful and intimate and it takes a certain vulnerability to stand up and read a poem and that vulnerability tunes your voice in a way that’s kind of musical and unique to each person.”
Showing personal work to friends or family is not easy and potentially a scary thing to do. But what about creating it with them?
Dunion reflects on the time she started a local club to make art for chemotherapy patients after her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis as “a very gentle reminder that their community was thinking of them.” For Dunion, “it was kind of this way to find a light in a really really dark time.”
Collaboration is a way of reconnecting with your community. Working on a common goal to express a shared feeling is a very vulnerable experience, but that makes it all the more rewarding.
Ashton says, “Even within one poem you can kind of express ideas that aren’t straightforward, that are surprising, that are difficult to wrestle with.”
Sharing your innermost thoughts and feelings is something that people don’t participate in in everyday life, so it’s easy to forget the vitality of this exposure. Too often people are encouraged to hide their true thoughts and opinions, but when presented in a beautiful form, these opinions appeal to humanity in a less charged manner. They become malleable to other people’s lives and can encourage further discussion.
Practicing creativity is important for success and for mental health, but most of all, to find a voice and find comfort in using it.
words&photo_amber mason.
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