Recently I went to a high school reunion. I went to an all girls high school – which is quite a bonding experience! The “reunion” was a party a bunch of us threw to celebrate our fiftieth birthdays. It was a lot of fun and great to see and spend time with this great group of “girls.”
A few friends commented that they love watching me paint on Instagram. One said that she didn’t remember me being creative in high school. While I loved art class in high school, I certainly didn’t spend my off hours creating. What I think is interesting is that when it comes to creativity most people have an us or them mentality. They assign themselves to one camp or the other – creative or not creative.
They assume you must have an innate talent to paint and probably have always done it. What I believe is that ANYONE can do it. You might deem yourself “terrible” at the start, but with time and effort it is almost impossible to NOT get better. But, it’s hard to convince some people of this. It’s almost like converting them to a new religion. They firmly believe they belong in the “not creative” camp and aren’t willing or don’t think it’s possible to venture out.
What camp are you in? Have you ventured out of your original camp? Or are you ready to?
Ready to explore creativity? Read my book Creative Exploration: A Six Week Process for Introducing Regular Creativity into your Life – Develop a regular practice of creating, explore mediums and subjects in search of your thing, and experience the joy that creativity brings. Creativity is for EVERYONE! Talent is just a starting point.
I would say other than writing short stories I was a convert to being creative.
After my kids were out more than in I was looking for something to occupy myself. I started w/ card making. Then I had many years when my medical conditions snowballed and could not do or enjoy anything
I am just now able to do a lil here and there. I love trying and working at perfecting almost anything. I’m a doer of all and a master of none…yet…lol
I love that – doer of all master of none. My second year of blogging was my try a ton of things. It was so exciting! But I have to admit frustrating to be a beginner at everything. I was too impatient to work at so many things. So I stuck with watercolor and that’s pretty much been my thing, with some variation, since. I love that you aren’t afraid of being a beginner. Thanks for sharing and I’m glad you are able to create again. 🙂