The word ‘creative’ has been attached to me for a very long time. It’s just a common fact that some people are more into the arts and some people are more analytical and logical. And when your family and friends and other people tag you as a ‘creative’ as well, it’s hard to separate yourself from that label.
A few years ago, I came across this concept that ‘everyone is creative’ whether they realize it or not. And that’s great and I believe it. I encountered this idea again today (through this TED talk) and now it hits me. I thought, for people who think of themselves as not being the creative type, hearing this would be very refreshing. This might give them a push to explore and try new things. Oh how I envy them. Because for someone like me who’ve always thought of herself as a creative person, this isn’t something new and it doesn’t really spark something within me.
I feel like this label that I’ve attached to myself is a curse. It cripples me and hinders my growth as an artist. As a matter fact, it makes things worse. I’ve always felt pressured to create something good. And it stems from this thinking of, “Since I’ve been a ‘creative person’ for a long time now, I should always produce good work.” So if I don’t, I will be overly critical of myself. It takes the fun out of creativity and it’s exhausting.
To overcome this, I thought of not being overly attached to this ‘creative’ label. This attachment doesn’t makes sense now anyway since everyone is creative all along. Maybe if I don’t associate too much of myself with this adjective, it might take away the pressure. Wow. I wonder how that feels.
Okay. This is me hoping to not treat creativity too seriously (wish me luck). And for those people who didn’t think of themselves as the creative types, this may be your sign to try and explore new things. I hope you enjoy and I’ll try to relearn having fun again too.
Gleniz Da Menace 