I thought it might be nice for me to share some of the ‘rules’ that came up for me, and how I’ve tried to turn them around in my thinking (perhaps you have some of these too!)
1. “Never boast.”
Hmmm… probably a common one. Ultimately I think I simply need to change the word ‘boast’ because it's not boasting, it’s celebrating, and sharing the joy.
2. “You need to earn a certain amount to be successful.”
Ah… the age-old question - ‘What is ‘success’?’ which makes me realise that I’m successful in so many other ways! And who sets the bar for ‘the right’ amount of money earnt? (Although, it IS important, let’s not pretend otherwise. Again, it’s all about balance.)
3. “Be original at all times.”
As a young designer, I always had the feeling that I couldn’t produce any work that I didn’t wholeheartedly believe came from my brain, my fingers, my thoughts. But of course this neglects the huge contribution to those ideas which I get from INSPIRATION. And also the constant LEARNING that I do daily. Yes, originality is important, but we have to observe what others have done, in order to jumble it all up into something ‘new'. Is anything therefore ever ‘new’? (That’s for another email!)
I also had some really positive ones, which I perhaps don’t need to challenge:
“Think again.”
“It’s important to keep being inspired.”
“Life is for living.”
How did you get on with your ‘rule-challenging’?
For today I want to shift the focus slightly to more creativity-focused rules. Think about where those rules came from, how we define our own creativity, and how we could push our own creative limits a little further.
Creative Thinking Prompts (w/c 15 May 2024)
Did (or do) you have anyone encouraging your creativity?
Did someone once say one thing about your creativity which has stuck with you for life? Good or bad.
What rules do you put on how you define creativity? (I hope I’ve perhaps given you a different perspective on this one recently!)
Could you ever envisage yourself calling yourself a ‘creative’ (I’m sure some of you already do)? Can you say it out loud? To someone else?
How could you push through your current creativity rules and expand your creativity even further?
So perhaps this week, in relation to that last prompt above, I’m going to encourage you to do one thing that will advance your creativity in a different way to how you would ‘normally’ do it.
Try something new.
Think about something in a completely different way.
Talk to someone about your creativity in a positive light - not ‘buts’, no apologies, no denials of your abilities.
You’re all creative! Remember that!
(But maybe there’s a new kind of creativity out there that you’ve just not discovered yet!)
“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”
Sylvia Plath
It’s our Creativity Unblocker on Wednesday (12:10pm for 40 minutes). It’s really worth popping along if you’re free - it’s like a wonderful jolt to the system, a complete refresher for your day. “I feel like I can take on the world this afternoon!” was the response I once got! Flippin amazing, hey!
Ok I lied, but in the course of finding this image I found a YouTube video on how to make an Origami Unicorn. Watch it here. That's my Sunday evening sorted then! 🦄🤣
“Wonder makes us more creative and more desirous of studying the world around us. It makes us humble, less materialistic, more generous, and better community members… Wonder makes us less stressed and feel like we have more time… Wonder quite simply makes us want to be better, more tolerant people.”(Parker, 2023)
