I could have posted all of Brewster’s post……….but, I reckon the first two points were enough for me (us) to chew on for now…..
A lot gets said about creativity around the Church and amongst Christians these days…………..and, sometimes I excitedly want to engage in the conversations but, at other times I want to scream and run away!
So, two things (from a list of twelve) that Stephen reckons our schools failed to teach us about creativity
1. You are creative. // Everyone is creative. Not everyone is an artist, but everyone is creative.
2. Creative thinking is work. // Creativity does not just appear. It takes work, effort, and practice. Creativity is a muscle that has to be exercised. The more it’s exercised, the better it becomes.
I don’t know about the school part…….last time I criticised my education I got a slap on the wrists for insulting teachers……perhaps rightly so!
Let’s hang on point two for a second…………..”Creative thinking is work“……………..”It takes work, effort and practice”
I have met some folks who are ‘creative‘ and they are work-shy freeloaders……………..that brings me no pleasure to say…………but, working in a so-called ‘creative‘ profession or pursuing a ‘creative‘ hobby is really hard work…………….it’s not all sitting around, drinking coffee, collecting Star Wars toys and quoting Steve Jobs!
“Creativity is a muscle that has to be exercised. The more it’s exercised, the better it becomes.”
If you think you are pretty good now, wait to see how good you can become if you put in the hours and work harder?
AS SOMEONE WHO WORKS IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES… blah blah blah
It’s a source of constant frustration, and yet one that I have no right to feel anything other than shame about, that our local (meaning N.I., though I’m actually cheating a little as I’m currently in West Africa) creative industry – actually, let’s call it our “part-time” creative industry – is in such a boom phase.
What I mean by that is, I have this insane sense of jealousy, or possible moral indignation…
I’ll start again. Let this grumpy know-it-all tell you a short story.
Last year, I had a run of shooting little music videos for a particular band. It was fun, they were nice people, and the budget barely existed, so we were winging lots of things. We decided to finish the run by recording selected songs from the gig they were launching their latest EP at. All good. Did all the usual things, did a dry run in a rehearsal, exactly as you’d expect if you were wondering how these things work.
What I hadn’t accounted for was the crowd…nay, the HORDE of ‘creatives’ who had taken it upon themselves to line up with their Canons and kit lenses at the front of the stage to photograph/shakily video the whole gig…
Ally, I guess your “work shy freeloaders” comment is what sparked that memory. The absolute joy of tech advances and affordability these days means that when I needed to update some Adobe stuff for the work I’m doing currently, I could actually afford to within the new job’s budget. When I needed a new SLR because my old one died, it was a fraction of the price it would have been even five years ago, I reckon. But there’s also an excuse here. A generation of media-fed people all want to work in the creative industries. I’m one of them (albeit, a slightly older one of them.) But it seems less of a calling sometimes, and more of a way to get paid to be online all day.
And I constantly have the feeling that it’s assumed I’m one too – which I can’t really prove otherwise!
Point one is interesting – I think everyone is endowed with creativity. But whether you’re actually called to work, to study and to plough your time and effort into following it as a career, I’m not sure. Point two is crucial – but I studied for four years and have been building a portfolio for four more, and I’m still sometimes competing with hobbyists for work.
Moreover, you’re making life so much more difficult for those of us who want to. Try quoting professional rates for project for a church these days (for example), and see how far you get before the availability and costs of part-time ‘creatives’ mean you just can’t afford to drop your prices any lower…
(Sorry for clogging your comments, Ally. I haven’t even resolved this train of thought…)
Pete – I hear ya – completely……
I did graphic design as a ‘hobby’ for years even though I was secretly aspiring to make more of it…….I kind of see both sides of this
Since last year I have been dependend on it for a part of my income…..and since my wife and I are both in other shaky employment situations it only heightens the sense of responsibility to take the job/thing serious……..
I had someone recently talk to me about a website and they wanted it to be amazing and professional and the best thing ever………….I was too expensive (which im not) and they said they would get their mates brother to look at it cuz they could slip him £50 for the job…….
this frustrates me as much as anyone else
Keep plugging away Pete – keep working on that muscle