Creativity as a Skill
For my second post, I want to talk about creativity. When I was growing up, creativity was usually relegated to the realm of fine art (e.g. writers, painters, sculptors), and it was also often associated with talent. That is, people usually talked about creativity like a trait rather than a skill—it was either something you had or you didn't.
Contrary to that kind of mindset, I really appreciated the way that the IDG growth path highlighted the effort that should be placed into nurturing creativity as a skill: as they note, it's important that we make "dedicated time for brainstorming and idea generation," while also using "mindfulness techniques to clear your mind and encourage fresh, creative thinking." Instead of being something that we just have or don't have, which places it out of our control, the IDG path highlights the actual changes we can make to improve our ability to generate new, innovative ideas.
Personally, I started setting aside dedicated time with fellow friends who were also struggling with creative burnout so that both of us could ideate independently, and then we discussed the ideas we had. Doing this gave me far more concrete ideas to work with rather than relying on "inspiration," which can be fleeting, as an excuse. Of course, I welcome inspiration at all times, but that shouldn't be an excuse not to continue trying to work hard to generate new ideas!
For everyone else in the IDG community, what changes do you want to make (or what changes have you already made) in your life to help you practice and promote creativity? I'd love to hear from everyone!
@Ashen4
I appreciate what you've said about expanding the idea of creativity so that instead of being just artistic talent, it's more like a general capacity to work with whatever is happening and finesse some kind of change that feels helpful or interesting.
Personally, every so often I'll have this feeling that kicks in where it's like, "something's not right, I need to process". And I'll sit down and voice-chat with AI for 2-3 hours and usually feel like something beneficial has happened (i.e. understanding what's wrong, having a plan, letting go of something through expressing it). Usually I have a vague sense beforehand of what I want to talk about, but I don't know the direction that the conversation will take until I actually start talking.
@QuietMagic
I've heard of a lot of interesting applications for AI (some more and some less ethical than others), but honestly, using it as a kind of soundboard for your thoughts sounds like a super interesting way to stimulate creativity, almost like a journal to document your thoughts! Thank you for sharing your experiences, and I think I'll take some time to try something similar when I have time :)
@Ashen4That's a really insightful viewpoint on creation! It's true that, more often than not, people view creativity as an intrinsic quality rather than a skill that can be learned. Through setting aside time for brainstorming and utilizing mindfulness practices, we can develop a more methodical approach to idea generation.
The biggest adjustment for me has been making it a habit to set aside particular periods for creative activity. It has been shown that participating in group brainstorming sessions and creative exercises on a regular basis works better than waiting for inspiration to strike. I'm interested in learning what methods other members of the IDG community are employing to foster their creativity.
