{ photo by Michael Newsted }
When it comes to Creativity, I’ve always maintained the same point that Steve Jobs once made:
Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.
I’ve been wrestling with what it means to be an artist… and if I can even consider myself enough of one to describe myself using this term. I really like to define myself as “a creative” and that makes me feel pretty good…but am I a true artist?
Inspiration is everywhere. We take things that we see, taste, hear, etc. and work to convey it in a new, inspired light. A well-known poet once said: “Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found.”
But sometimes I wonder what else out there is left to be created that has never been done before; an unknown concept, design, or sound perhaps left for someone to bring to light for the first time ever. Sometimes, I wonder what it would feel like to be truly original. It’s a thought that kinda stresses me out as I endeavor to create things of my own.
To be the creator of something new based on inspirations birthed elsewhere is what creativity is all ab out … but I think true artistry lies just a bit further and is a little more hard to attain. It really takes a deep understanding of yourself {& others| as a person and as an artist. I’m hopeful that someday I’ll get there…
I was recently astounded to read an open apologetic letter from one of the most creative artists that I’ve had the pleasure of knowing personally. He admits to being inspired by other artists around him, and in a truly humble gesture; apologizes for profiting as an originator of the art he was originally inspired by.
We can find inspiration from our peers as soon as they put something online. with unlimited access many of us have become lazy. We should absolutely learn from the greats. But we need to be careful not to merely profit off of their blood, sweat and tears.
Even wildly original artists gain inspiration elsewhere. I am encouraged to know that even the best of the best can be inspired by others and integrate those inspirations into their own, amazing work. I am also encouraged by people like Drew who are honest with the fact that they’ve gained insight outside of themselves in order to accomplish creations of their own and work to become their own entity.
It was the great C.S. Lewis that once said, “No man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.
Phew. That takes the pressure off a little, doesn’t it?
So, be inspired…but also be honest about what you do with that inspiration.
Just be you.
great post! i’ve been thinking about this a lot. it is so true that we don’t really “create” art—i feel like we stumble across it and maybe shape it a little bit, but artistic products are more than anything we have within ourselves. I’m a singer/songwriter, and i’ve started a video blog exploring the creative process/evolution of the music world from my perspective as a musician…i try to make it humorous to retain viewers, but i’m also truly intrigued by the philosophical ideas behind art and its profound effect on those who experience it. as a songwriter in 2013, i almost feel like there are no more truly original melodies out there (but i could be wrong). C.S. Lewis is the man! he brings so much credibility to the Christian community. anyway thanks!