| NEWSLETTER ~ Spring 2009 |
Is It Enough To Just Be Different?
One of the most common misconceptions about creativity, shared by the general public
and artists alike, is the belief that creativity and difference are equivalent. Let's look closely
at this: "Creativity is the ability to create something no one else has ever created." There
are 3 serious problems with this definition:
1. "Creativity is the ability to create. . ." By equating creativity with difference, the vast,
open, and boundless process of creativity is pushed to the extreme--to the so-called
"cutting edge" of a style or movement. By this definition, the more over-the-top or
unconventional something is, the more it is considered creative. Suddenly, the universal
and limitless potential for creative play has become limited to a handful of people creating
a few objects for a small audience.
2. ". . .something. . . " If you begin your artistic exploration by focusing your efforts on the
"something", you're already locked into the end product. With your attention and your
intention there, how open will you be to the possibilities that arise when you're immersed
in the process of creating? If the end product has become the point, probably not much.
3. ". . .no one else has ever created. . ." By placing the criteria for what defines the
creativity of your work in the hands of other people, galleries, museums, etc., you're
surrendering your creative journey to others. If the creativity of your work is dependent on
what others are doing, that's where your focus and vision will be--on what others are
doing.
Creativity is not about doing something that no one else has ever tried, it's about
working and creating in ways that you have never tried. Can you take responsibility for your
creativity? Can you follow you own vision and stay true to it, regardless of what others are
doing? Can you be so busy with the difficult task of wrestling with meaning, uncovering
who you truly are as an artist, discovering a style, media and technique that allows you to
most efficiently and beautifully express your vision, that you won't have time to worry about
whether or not the outside world considers you or your work creative? When you work
authentically you will be creative, with no more need to think about it than a fish thinks
about water. When you're being authentic, being different doesn't matter.
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| John MacDonald 1021 Hancock Road Williamstown, MA 01267 413-458-0056 |
| We have not come here to take prisoners Or to confine our wonderous spirits But to experience ever and ever more deeply Our divine courage, freedom, and Light! -Hafiz, trans. by Daniel Ladinsky |