Awaken Your Creative Side
Ideas, energies, reactions, feelings, etc. There are many ways to communicate. How do you communicate your thoughts, feelings, and ideas? Sounds, colors, architecture, music, art, poems, food, hugs; the list could go on. If you have browsed my website, you should know that my preferred medium to communicate is visual. I love creating new positive things to make the world more beautiful. Just look at my purpose!
Visual communication is very powerful, as colors have psychological connections and images move beyond languages. I studied architecture formally, and learned many forms of visual communication. I created physical sculptures to depict a concept, simple line drawings to convey space, and watercolors to present movement or provide emphasis on an object. Visual ways of communication has its limitations, though, just as words have limitations on how to explain feelings. That is why there are so many different ways of expressing yourself!
Creativity is a way of expressing individuality and imagination. Observe a child playing or drawing. How do they create different worlds, imaginary friends, fictitious characters? They are discovering bits about themselves: their favorite color, aspirations, talents, and observations of the world around them.
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. “
Pablo Picasso
This is the hard part: letting go of all the baggage we have picked up from growing up, making mistakes, falling down, and failing. If you are wondering how to let go of fear, inhibitions, and other obstacles to awaken your creativity, I am going to let you in on my little creative secrets. My favorite way to create is with some classical or folk music in the background. This makes my mind wander, which is a good thing! The space/room where I work needs to be clean and clear of clutter. For more tips on how to become clutter-free, Vanessa (a Diva friend) has a great program on how to do just that! This is very important, as extra “stuff” around you can block new ideas and distract from your creative potential.
I always have my little notebook on me, because at any time a great idea could pop into my head. Without writing or sketching it down, it will never flourish into reality. This is important. The process of making ideas physical, actually putting it out there for people to take in, process, understand, and react is the step we can get stuck on. Everyone has great ideas floating around in their heads, but the action of making it part of the world is the creative process. There might be a fear that the idea is silly. Let that go. Enjoy the process. Maybe you have an idea for a short story. Write down a draft and have a friend look at it. They can give you suggestions on how to improve the idea. If you are passionate enough about it, you will more than likely do well. If not, then you will probably not put enough time and energy into the project.
I am passionate about creativity because I know how it makes me feel. Alive! Challenge yourself. Learn. Create. Make mistakes. Receive constructive criticism. Grow. Create some more…
For a few other tips on how to awaken your creative side, visit How to Be Creative.
