Creativity: Assertion, Denial … and Filing
We live with certain dogmatic assumptions every day. Creativity is a good thing … and denial is a bad thing!
Well, maybe, but what we are describing above is emotional domestication, the taming of instinct. Creation is actually a destructive process and ALWAYS involves denial. Every entrepreneur knows this, every artist knows this. To create is to deny what IS in favor of what can be, to destroy the status quo; to forgo the comforts of conformity in favor of vision and passion.
Seth Godin made one of the best observations on creativity that I’ve ever seen:
Creativity loves a problem, but it hates a lousy audience.
Creativity is an assertive thing and demands something to oppose, something to overcome, something on which to sharpen its teeth or test its backbone! Creativity shuts out distraction, a feral impulse acted out in the wilds of the psyche. Time is suspended, petty concerns are banished. It travels with joy and abandon, diminished only by giving in to fear. It demands focus, yet ignores bounds. Its own justification, creativity is still stoked by appreciation.
Other than overheating prose, it has at least one other downside. Creative people are lousy at maintaining files. Every time they try to file something, they can think of about 13 categories for it. And, when they want to retrieve it – they think up the 14th … and wonder what they were thinking when they did the filing!
In so many ways, filing is a metaphor for a significant aspect of the creator’s life. Creators really need keepers, to be honest. I’m figuring that either the angels are organizational wizards – or Heaven is a mess!
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Tags: Bloggers, Creativity, Denial, Filing
Creative people are lousy at non creative work! That is impossible. You cannot have any work without some element of creativity involved in it, if you go by my definition, which is making something that did not exist before.
The degree of creativity and flexibility of creativity in an individual it seems to me can in fact work against something like consistent, repeatable organization. Anything requiring precisely replicated work can suffer from a person being too creative. Assembly line work is an example of this. Therefore, a creative person in my view can in fact be ill-suited to a particular task and do it poorly.
I still the best definition of creativity is one that Mike Vance uses. He is the guy who helped Walt build Walt Disney World.
He said, “Creativity is thinking up new things or re arranging old things in new ways.”
I love the last part.
GL Hoffman’s last blog post..Hair, Then and Now
Excellent addition to the convo, GL! Some even contend that the latter is the only possibility open to us – but, wow, the assumption path you have to follow from this point to rigorously arrive there!
I can be very creative at non creative work! I major in sweeping dust under the carpet!
Grannymar’s last blog post..Creativity
Grannymar, this is great! Everyone being creative about creativity itself – well, I suppose that is a meta-creative act.
This is a bit like Escher’s hands drawing where each hand is drawing the other one, which is being drawn so it can draw its drawer… I always thought it was his expression of the human relationship with the perceived God.
I can sympathise with the inability for filing things, although I am particularly good at ironing my clothes. I will start a full fledged laundry service should my legal career not kick off. If that happens, you are all welcome to outsource work to me. A special discount for my creative buddies.
On a more serious note, thats a new perspective on creativity and I love what I read. It is so true. You have truly brought me in touch with a whole new view on the topic. Once again my apologies not meeting the stipulated deadline.
Ashok’s last blog post..Creativity
You’re in big trouble, Ashok! LOL Not a problem! But…your penance is that you have to come up with the topic for all of us to write on next Friday!
See Conrad, I suggest that you put in the plug in fast. In the alternative, do please send Ashok an email to the effect that he has to come up with the next topic! I hope that it will not be laundering!
rummuser’s last blog post..Creativity.
What are you talking about, Ramana? I put in the plugin.
However, I must say that my writeup on this piece seems to be a royal flop. What ever posessed me to allow myself to be compared to Grannymar???
@ Conrad: Guilty as charged and I accept thy verdict
I shall come up with the topic for next friday, I promise.
@Ramanna sir: Your faith in my laundering is inspiring
Rest assured sir, I shall come up with the topic soon enough.
Ashok’s last blog post..Creativity
Brilliant! You are a wonderful fellow Conrad. Ask and it is given! Corky is right. You are a nice fellow.
rummuser’s last blog post..Creativity.
Tut, tut, tut! I go for my badly needed beauty sleep and you lot come out to play.
@Conrad – Who compared you with me??? I’ll send over the shorts and the top so you can creatively model them…… I am sure you will look just like me!
Thanks for inserting your ‘plugin’ I hope it was fun. Now I will be able to keep tabs on you.
Grannymar’s last blog post..New Toys
@Ashok – Think fast about the topic, I type at snails pace.
Grannymar’s last blog post..New Toys
@Dear Father Ramana – Thank you for sorting Conrad out!
Grannymar’s last blog post..New Toys
Huh, I thought the topic thing I was to do was today at 10 AM my time. It’s 10:50 & Sat. I overslept. I get up 4 times a night to walk. My facilitator–I mean agitator said it’s “critical”.
BHB, Don’t you worry about the boys, they are busy being creative with plugins!
I hope you are healing well
Grannymar’s last blog post..New Toys
Ramana, I hate to tell you this, but Corky only said that because I paid her to.
Ashok, I look forward to your offering! Challenge us.
Grannymar, I can just imagine me in the shorts and top … and, it’s a frightening image!
And, I’ve gotten over the significant trauma of inserting the plugin, thank you for your concern.
Ha, Ramana, I love the Father Ramana role! Hee, hee.
bhb, in all seriousness, if you want a piece of this action, we can include you in the loop! Any one of us can post a writeup that you want. That includes other regulars, too, like Mom and Viki and Gail and Auntie Em …
But Conrad, they are just your colour!
I would love @BHB’s take on the topic
Grannymar’s last blog post..New Toys
A.D.D. (attention deficient) people are very creative. They are not paying attention to the norm so have to make up their own ideas. So all of us need to consult a psychologist for treatment.
A.D.D. addiction is not considered a good thing.
I always felt good about being flexible ’til my doctor told me that’s weak joints.
@BHB, you forgot ADD – 1 +2 = 3
Grannymar’s last blog post..New Toys
Grannymar, now, that you mention it, they do match my eyes.
bhb, weak joints or not, I always love your observations!!
Where is Gail? I miss hearing– about her roos & if the weather is hot or cold. I’m guessing it’s winter but that doesn’t mean it’s cold as we know it.
I’m never sure whether I’m supposed to be in on one of these things (or not) but when interviewing someone for a position in my department at the newspaper, I always made it quite clear that if you can’t file you aint hired. I hate filing even more than housework and I suppose that is because they are both somewhat alike. If you can’t find where you put the sweeper you can’t sweep, etc., and the spiders run rampant in the carpet which drives the dog crazy which drives everyone crazy, and on and on.
Corky
bhb, I miss Gail, too!
Mom, let me give you a rule of thumb. You are ALWAYS supposed to be in on one of these things. So, always jump in!