#WhatDoesCreativityMeanToMe

[gibbyt]

Cheesy one liners aside, growing up, creativity filled my idle time and as an adult I’ve tried to (more often than not unsuccessfully) summon it upon command. Commentary on a correlation between one’s increase in age and decrease in creativity is well explored. You could argue this within the frame of the nature versus nurture debate. If you are reared in an environment encouraging of independent thought and ever revolving stimuli, you may grow to approach new environments and ideas with excitement and curiosity rather than skepticism and fear. I can then arrive at the idea of a strict and isolated upbringing resulting in more stagnant or close-minded individuals. Of course, this is not always the case hence the ongoing nature versus nurture conversations.

This idea of gaining creative characteristics as you move about life is a testament to the notion that creativity can be both innate and acquired. As a child I had little control over my environment thus I had no choice but to entertain myself with what was available. Children often fill idle time with play and often unbeknownst to them, problem solving behaviors. As they grow these experiences inform their decisions. As adults our idle time can be less frequent, so it is easier to lose sight of the opportunity in front of us. If we utilize some of that down time strategically, we are more likely to cultivate creative thought when needed.

Like meditation being exercise for your mind, play is exercise for you creative psyche. Creating can throw you through a series of volatile emotions. From frustration, angst and defeat to optimism, excitement an accomplishment. I like to gage my creativity by the questions google cannot answer. If my train of thought is leading to places with few prefabricated resolutions, I feel I am on the right path. Back to the cheesy one liners, trust the process. I often find myself most creative under confines, ironically structure can birth the most unique solutions.