Alas, I have been severely slacking again. I would have liked to present a great reason for the lack of activity — working on a book that’s almost finished now, some new compositions that I wanted to complete — but it is non thereof. Instead I have spent quite a lot of (head) time over the past weeks with various ideas and projects that went off in different directions though none in the right one. However, this experience (certainly not the first one) made me stop and think and ultimately led to a valuable conclusion as far as my personal creativity is concerned. I want to share it here because some of you might find it interesting as well.
The premise of my conclusion is that while we all inhabit the same planet we do not all live in the same world. We all perceive the world through our own eyes and thus our perception puts all the little bits and pieces of our lives, of encounters and experiences, into a big picture that we call “world”. There is a difference between the outer world and our own unique inner world. While many things are beyond our control in the outer world, as long as we can reconcile our surroundings with our perception, our view of the world and what we feel is right and real, we feel grounded, feel in control. This is an important factor in harnessing our creativity.
We all fall into two basic personality groups: extroverts and introverts. As the words imply extroverts are outwardly focused while introverts are inwardly focused (considering the primary modus operandi). One goes out and brings in, the other goes in and brings out. I fall into the latter category. And here is what I have observed: for those of us who depend foremost on external stimuli going out and experiencing the world is a great way to draw inspiration. I think of painters sitting in the field painting their surroundings, interpreting them as they feel and experience them, putting their own artistic touch on “the world”. I see it as a form of explaining, of making sense, interpreting what is seen, and unseen at times. Contrast that with those who need to step inside, into their minds and souls and who want to share their inside world, the what-ifs and maybes in which case I think of writers locked up in a room writing for days and days as if driven by a fever dream (such as “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson).
What an interesting post. You are correct on all counts, and as you know already I am an extrovert but I also have a very deep, rich inner world as I’m very conceptual and imaginative – but all things I imagine have a starting point that is external – a piece of fabric, a bird perched on a branch, a small flower on a walkway…
I think for you it is the same at times but mostly you see the picture in your imagination first and then you gather, I gather and then the pictures in my imagination appear. Also, I think you are very artistic whereas I am very creative.
Not to say you and I are not both artistic and creative, but I think you lean more towards being artistic – your expression of something is executed always near perfect as to how you see it in your head and you have genuine skill. I’m more creative, I’m imaginative and productive and whimsical, often abstract, my goal is to just do stuff and not to do it with extreme skill but to get it out there and inspire people though I’m often hard on myself because I wish I could be more skillful yet I lack the discipline to hold back when I have “amazing ideas”. You, on the other hand, have discipline and only execute when your ideas are complete.
Does this make sense?
And now for gateways. Well I don’t know, for me it’s always going out to a forest or to an art supply store, or wandering around a pretty part of the city or even a slightly grungy area that has treasures tucked in to corners here and there… I think conversations with creative/artistic people are mainly my gateways, a good conversation can fuel me for several days. Things that are interactive, where I am interacting with something creative (an environment, a craft, a person, my blog) that is primarily how I keep going – that is my gateway.
If, on the other hand, I don’t have sources to tap into my brain flat lines. Nothing comes to mind. I feel lost, devoid of passion, in a dark hole, even mildly depressed. That is why you usually find me wanting to go here or there – or fly someplace – because I crave interactive creative environments. People primarily are my fuel – they either drain or fuel me – which is why I tend to want to befriend those who are really creative and who do interesting lines of work. Not because I’m a snob but because I truly NEED and rely on that energy for my own work.
This is an excellent post. And timely. I love music as well, but have been remiss about incorporating it more into my everyday life. This post has provided me with the idea that it may be the missing link in my productivity right now. Â My husband and I have completely different tastes, and since we are both stay-at-home work partners, we generally don’t listen to ANY music during the day and I think this is one gateway that I really need to help fuel me creatively. When I had a studio away from home, I always had music on, as it helped to provide the mental energy to be creative. I am also a lot like Holly, in that I crave interaction and collaboration too…people tend to fuel me energetically, and I enjoy ‘riffing’ with them on any creative project. Being open and in the moment and riding that energy to places not seen before or conceptualized is a huge thrill. Where I am now, there is no studio separate from my home, and I believe, especially after reading this post, that I need to carve out a work space where I feel free to listen to my favorite music while I create. Since I don’t have access to people during the day when I work, I can at least purposely listen to music that I know from experience will give me an energetic foundation to continue ‘riffing’. Does that make sense at all? I wish I naturally had the ability form a creative idea in my head before I execute it, but I don’t work that way at all. Many times I sit down at my bench and let my hands figure out what they want to make and I am just along for the ride. I am going to think more about your gateway idea…it is quite relevant today…given that we are so bombarded externally that it is a good idea to discover more ways to go within.
Thank you so much for your great comment Stacie! Holly and I had been in the same situation for years, we both work at home and in the past we even worked in the same office in the house. Later on we worked in separate rooms but still right next to each other. While we do share some similarities in our musical taste we hardly ever played music because we didn’t want to disrupt each other. One could argue for headphones or in-ears (and iPhone/MP3) but that has its drawbacks too. I get the most energy out of music when it plays at a certain volume all around me. Now that we’ve moved into a bigger apartment we have our offices at opposite ends which enables both of us to listen to our favorite music any way we like at any time, which helps tremendously.
And yes, your statement about purposely listening to music that you know provides you with an energetic foundation makes perfect sense. I have quite a lot of favorite soundtracks, classical pieces and electronica albums that span decades that I always like to listen too to put me in the right mood. On top of that I keep expending with new releases (like the recent Sherlock Holmes OST, Avatar OST and Inception OST). It gives me that boost I need to get going so that I can work on the next project.
Also, there is a great article in the new ImagineFX titled “Top Ten Ways to Revolutionise Your Digital Art” and I can highly recommend reading it. The advice given within can be applied to any creative endeavor. For example point 6 is “Elevate Your senses” and talks about listening to music while working on a project (as well as de-cluttering the work space).
Thanks, Thorsten, I forgot all about OST“s…I am particularly fond of the Gladiator soundtrack. That is how I discovered Dead Can Dance or Lisa Gerard. I will check out that article…I think Shayne and I could both use a creative jump start and for some reason, we have both moved away from music as inspiration. I have been watching the progress of your all’s apartment design…looks like a great place!
Interesting you mention it, I’ve discovered some other great music via soundtracks as well like Imogen Heap and Tim Finn who are on the first Chronicles of Narnia OST. My soundtrack collection seems to be growing by the minute. I have nearly 140 albums now and there are more on the way. I also went to a fascinating event recently, The Matrix Live — a showing of the first Matrix movie accompanied by a symphonic orchestra playing each cue live. It was packed and the atmosphere was quite invigorating and isnpiring. Here’s hoping for more such shows. And I just ordered the Gladiator soundtrack, for some odd reason it’s been missing in my collection.
This has been a great comment thread! I’m on my phone so my participation will be short as I type single fingered on my iPhone :-)
I believe my comment would be similar to Holly’s. My husband works from home and so do I most days. He would likely say the same as you regarding the music. He is always listening to music. It fuels his mood and energy.
I wish I could say more right now but it will have to wait until I am at my computer next week, I just had to pipe in tho, the post and comments made me!
Ps, the iPhone version of your blog is easy to use, nice work!
Thorsten, once again you have written such an eloquent, thought provoking post… thank you!
Of course, you knowing me, you know which category I fall into! :)
LOVE LOVE LOVE the photo that you have posted along with this as well, some of your best work indeed!
Tiffany
Hi Tiffany! Thanks for stopping by and thank you for the great comment, very encouraging. And yes, I know with absolute certainty which category you belong in : ) Speaking of, I do hope we’ll get to see you again some day soon, maybe there’ll be another opportunity here in Europe. Or, who knows, we may manage to come and visit you out in CCC land (chandeliered chicken coop) : ) I think there needs to be a book about that, don’t you? Would make a great children’s story.
I know I’ve been slacking again on here BUT (an enthusiastic bug) there’s more coming soon now that I got an iPhone and am snapping away. As much as a love my Olympus, it can get a bit cumbersome to use when all you want to do is take a quick snap. But using the iPhone plus Instagram (and Magic Hour) has been quite liberating and inspiring — I highly recommend giving it a try. I’ll be posting somewhat of a follow-up to this article next week, I think it’ll be interesting to you as well.
Talk to you again soon.