Monkey Creativity?
The last thing a creative or artistic person who takes their craft seriously wants to see is a monkey holding a paintbrush.
While I appreciate that in some rare cases, a member of the animal kingdom may have been trained to produce somewhat sophistaicated art, most of us dedicated creatives find these illustrations less than amusing. We work hard at our craft. A cat does not; it works for a treat until the training is complete or the fun is over. So there it was. The cover of the December issue of Psychology Today caught my eye as I scanned the magazine rack. Everyday Genius: How to Tap Your Passions. Okay, not the best cover title, friends. A better one would have been Mundane Monkey or Marvelous Matisse: Uncover the Wild Creativity Within. I’m not incredibly enraptured at this point. This is a reputable publication, so I know they wouldn’t minimize creativity or belittle it with some patronizing fluff of an article, right? Worse, it was scientifically dry and groaned of unoriginality to me, so I had to have a little fun with it. Here’s the scoop on the whole banana. Just the facts and a touch of monkey busin…well, you know. It doesn’t help that I studied human development in college and am familiar with various terms used by the scholarly-turned-creative authors quoted therein. Unfortunately for them, I am a creative who got stuck in a scholarly mind-set, then broke free and ran full-throttle back to her creative roots. Yes, I will be playfully er, gentle. After all, I am fair (fair-skinned, anyway) so don’t go ape quite yet and read on if you dare.
Author Carlin Flora, author of Everyday Creativity draws from a few sources generously. So generously that there aren’t many original thoughts included. The multiple-page article featured more photos of the chimp, which left a condescending impression. The article begins the premise that most people are in awe of the creative and ingenious abilities of others, but most don’t encourage our inner innovators. Flora could just add ”intuition” to that and push my inner editor over the edge. “Start living creatively and reap the benefits-” According to Flora, it’s time for the creativity-challenged to become aware of their practice of and as I understood it: possible prolific potential (yes, I’m having a bit of good fun) creativity in their lives.
“…the truth is that all sorts of creative people, possessing various levels of intelligence and natural ability, are capable of engaging in fulfilling creative processes…” I can agree with that. Someone I know is a computer programmer who claims he isn’t creative, but it takes creativity to program well.
Especially in our present economy, Flora says that most people are being forced to think creatively to survive. I can’t argue with that except to say that I thought it was invention that was birthed of necessity, not creativity. The cliche quote can’t be wrong, but it can be overused.
Flora suggests you build your innovation muscle in a few easy swings (if you aren’t ready to jump in with all four paws):
- Try a new hairstyle. If you do this often, I suppose you could try a new outfit. Or ballroom dancing. Or all three to make it fun. No need to take unnecessary risks with your health or finances.
- Notice your surroundings in a new way. My advice would be to limit this to times when you should. No crashes or getting fired from work allowed.
- Get to know your personal problem-solving style. I would add to try another approach if your regular one is negative (small detail).
- Shine your own way, not another person’s. Shine at the best stage of the process for you to do so. Good advice, I suppose. It does sound like a pop song for a high school musical, however. Yes, do what you do best and enjoy the journey, just don’t sing and dance your way through it unless you are on a stage or in a parade.
- Get an attitude adjustment-toward your whole life, that is, meaning you look at your circumstances and occurrences in brand-new ways. Adopt the mind-set that solutions and possibilities are tools in your tool chest. Sure, just remember to be the sharpest tool in the shed or you will get rusty.
Flora goes on to explore what everyday creativity is, beginning with a quote from Art Markman who believes that the truth is that you are already very creative. You form new sentences out of standard vocabulary, for example. Next, the author shares the thought of co-authors of the book Sparks of Genius as they say that it is a shame most people only think of the arts when creativity is mentioned because it is actually the artists’ ability to solve problems that makes the process creative. I suppose that is true in the literal sense, but it is my view that it takes more than problem-solving to birth creativity. It takes passion. It takes inspiration and the work must be infused with the soul of the artist. And of course, a blessing of favor from the Master Artist’s divine hand brings a work to life. I agree that pretty much anything we do can be done in a more creative manner, but let us be careful to respect the hours and years of training as well as practice that go into molding a creative talent into the ability to produce works of art. To do less is to minimize and insult the artist’s dedication and perseverance in an effort to continually improve their skills.
According to Flora, creative people are
- more open minded
- curious
- persistent
- intrinsically motivated
- less judgmental
Shoot, there goes the choleric, moody artist theory. What happened to the brooding, know-it-all and unpredictable artists immortalized in film and literature, to make them that way, then? Don’t we have a reputation to uphold? Okay, a stereotype at least? Benefit of the doubt time: Could it be that the great choleric artists of history stared out as the above and felt limited and misunderstood by the world in which they found themselves? Think Beethoven (about as choleric as you can get or is that Pollock-oh wait, Ed Harris played them both in movies, right? He acted both roles brilliantly). Van Gogh, Cezanne and others may have grown more cynical with time and age. Or the critics finally got to them, unfortunate souls. (You ask which group I mean, the artists or the critics? I’ll never say.)
Flora swings from creativity to inventiveness and back again by writing that, even if no one has ever called your efforts original, you must at least admit that you have inventive powers. Well, truth be told, most, if not all ideas or concepts build on those that have gone before. There really aren’t very many truly original ideas under the sun. That isn’t to say that putting a new spin on one isn’t creative (not inventive or innovative). Most of us would encounter major artistic roadblocks were it not for the work of our creative predecessors. Also, I believe that any inventive or creative powers we do have are gifts from the original Creator to mankind for our survival, enjoyment and His glorification. I am not sure the two words are synonymous, though they may have similarities. The distinction between artistic and innovative is easier to delineate, though creative and innovative may just stem from the same source. She gives the example of a woman who rescued pieces of glass and then turned them into jewelry. Jewelry is nothing new, but her particular style and medium may be.
So if you think you have some elusive creative tendencies you’d like to discover or recapture? Here are some ways to start rattling that cage:
- According to creativity coach Eric Meisel, define your interests and passions. Passions will get you more creative mileage. For me, they go hand in hand. It is hard to be interested in something if you aren’t at least somewhat passionate about it. It is conversely, true as well. I am very interested in and passionate about great chocolate, for example. And stained glass. And slightly chiding rebuttals to flatly-written and overly brainy articles on creativity.
- His next piece of advice is to crumple up discipline and toss it. I can’t say I agree with this since even passion grows tepid in the pursuit of excellence and the serious creative person continues to hone away at the craft even if it means throwing a canvas up into the air and over a ravine in frustration, like the character of Cezanne did in the BBC movie series The Impressionists. My thought is that you must differentiate between desiring spontaneous creativity and the practice of an art form with mastery in mind. Sometimes they are blissfully collaborative twins. Other times, they are rebellious, growling siblings. It’s the difference between finger painting for a few minutes and producing a revered, gallery-worthy piece. Some misguided pseudo-art aficionados get those styles confused. I encourage them to try painting a replica of a Holman-Hunt and call me in the morning. Paint splattered on a canvas by a monkey, as cute as the monkey may be, is still splattered paint. It is not a carefully planned concept with form and composition executed in pre-evaluated hues. I don’t pick up a calculator, do a few basic operations and call myself a mathematical genius. Monkey may do, but he can’t see with an artist’s eye. No offense, George, but you are not Renoir. However, if you can figure out how to peel a banana, according to the authors of Sparks, you are a genius. Don’t slip on your spiel, gentlemen.
I do agree with Flora’s re-evaluation in her second section. The real question now changes from, “How creative are you?” to “How are you creative?” There are many forms of creativity, this is true. But again, let us not confuse creativity with inventiveness or artistry. The switch of topic did befuddle me a tad, since the main thought of the article had just broken out for the first time. Those are each very broad, albeit somewhat intertwining subjects. Under this section, Flora also makes allusions to the tired, yet necessary theory of nature vs. nurture I yawned my way through during my college courses on human development. The missing factor is also, as I mentioned above, the divine gifting a person receives from the Author of artistry Himself. That was not taught in the courses, which explains my boredom. I’m still in caffeine therapy, but much more fulfilled.
More tips to crank the creativity up a notch as, Emeril would say. Wait for the “Bam!” (That would be my spicy comments on each.)
- Get up at the crack of dawn to journal. Okay, if you are new to this, it isn’t likely you’ll jump into your bunny slippers and run for your Prismacolor pencils, sandalwood candle and sit down, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, to grace the crisp, clean pages of your pricey journal with an outpouring of verbage that would have put Will out of work. You may not even know which Will I am writing about. My point exactly. Try something more your speed. Wake up thoroughly first, try some simple things to get started and no one will get hurt. My creative juices flow best at night, when I am awake, relaxed and a tad cantankerous. I mean, witty. Okay, punchy.
I can recommend a very well-written version of the original book this idea is from (though creatives have been journaling for ages). The Creative Call by Janice Elsheimer.
- React differently than you normally do to another person’s upsetting behavior. Unfortunately, Flora forgot to mention that this should be a positive new reaction. I’ll let the therapists handle this one.
- Change up your daily routine. I will disagree: Not everyone thrives on changing their routines. In fact, many creative people need the structure to stay on course. Nothing wrong with a little variety to spice things up, though. Pick up some herb crackers rather than plain, go for Chinese food instead of Mexican, plastic rather than paper. You’ll be creative in about eighty years. Take a few small steps but then a bigger one, just don’t miss that last one and go sprawling.
- Collaborate rather than compete. I also disagree: Not all the time. A little competition can catapult your creativity, just make it healthy competition. Collaboration is good for you if you are normally competitive, but pretty tame if you play well with others. Want to stretch creatively? Work with someone whose work you love, but whose temperament and strengths are a bit different from yours.
- Daydream in long distance. I’m down with that. How about acrylics in Aruba? So there. You payin’ Flora?
- Search for inspiration. I think you can figure this one out, but you can always get a GIST- global inspiration solution tech tool, if necessary.
- Don’t procrastinate. We’ll get back to that one later.
- Use blue to decorate your room. Um, one color? Not very creative.
- Take up an old hobby like music, etc. Just make sure it doesn’t get heavy or obnoxious.
- Sleep on a problem. Flora said a thorny problem to be exact. Sounds painful and like Frida Khalo may just become your muse.
Flora challenges us to chase, not run away from, problems to save mental energy. Sure, if they are worth solving to you. A white board is suggested since visual brainstorming supposedly yields more results than lists. Ouch, that was the pen cap thrown by a list-maker that hit that generalization hard. There is always the possibility that it could be the smell of the markers making you more creative and I don’t recommend that.
According to one author of Spark, the numero uno way to increase your creativity is to “find unresolved dilemmas to address”. Um, okay, that may work in the corporate setting or perhaps behind the scenes at a fashion or theater show (you’ll find more drama behind the scenes, trust me on that), but who wants to solve problems that they aren’t interested in? Sorry, not a very creative idea, Mr. Spark.
I recommend free-thinking, child-like daydreaming about an area of interest and the “sky is the limit” notes. Write the second part to the question, “What if…?” with a different thought each time. Doodle. Listen to beautiful music and take some photos. Dance and take a drive to a new location. Try a brand-new food. Go to a museum and have your friend describe what they see to you while you are blindfolded. Trade places and go to the farmers market to see if your friend can identify the smells, then write poems or sketch the people walking by. Tapping into the senses, the world around you and recording it… Ah, that’s more enjoyable than ten ways to plan the company picnic with the same theme or figuring out how to take care of that green and fuzzy refrigerator food problem.
In section IV (there is that innovative and fresh touch on the section titles again), the author goes on to explain that creativity can even enhance your relationships through creative problem-solving. I know this article is on everyday creativity and yes, it can improve communication, but there are so many more ways to use it than just solving problems or trying a different approach to life together. You are going to make some therapists jealous, but just put creativity in that box again. Go somewhere new on a trip, try cooking exotic food for those you love, use your imagination and stay our of problem-solving mode. Less antacid, more play- that is my prescription for creativity and it’s generic.
My favorite sentiment from the last part of the article is that expressive writing has been shown to improve immune function (don’t tell the pharmaceutical companies) and adapt better to old age (don’t tell them that either). So you can write fiction and ward off the flu then write War and Peace: The Sequel, and live long enough to get the movie made. That’s nice to know. Flora writes, “Engaging in creative behaviors, (Ruth) Richards argues, makes us more dynamic, conscious, non-defensive, observant, collaborative and brave.” I like being conscious, don’t you? It’s hard to be the other things if you aren’t. No I’m not being defensive, I am creative, so that can’t work. Don’t you mean “aware”? Alive? Enamored? Sponge-like? Stout-hearted with a crackling, blazing essence bursting from within my soul? Back to creativity 101 for you, Ms. Richards and you, Author Flora. Please invite your source authors along as well. It’s always good to enjoy some of that creative writing instruction and a refresher on inspiring the creatives around you. I mean no disrespect, of course, because I am collaborative all the way.
This article on creativity made great fodder for the creatively-advantaged writer with a passion to see others really embrace creativity, not just contemplate it in platitudes and the safety of their domestic or corporate worlds. I give the article two paint brushes down out of three for minimal effort on a topic that has everything to do with romancing the creative spirit but fails to motivate me to even turn the page.
Source: Psychology Today, December 2009. Everyday Creativity, Flora, Carlin. pp. 62-73
Review Copyright 2009 Rebeca A. Peterson
