Sunday, April 29, 2007

The Creativity Censor

One of these pieces will be the beginning of at least one May project. Which makes me think immediately of the downside of defining "create" in terms of something you can show off. For the month of May, that's how I will define it, but for the rest of the time, I like to think of it in broader terms. I like to think of it as how we connect with the world around us. The choices we make in how we express ourselves. That's art too.

I hate hearing people say "I'm not creative." I can say "I'm creative" and feel okay about it, but just this morning I looked at an application for joining an artist coalition to support it, and one of the boxes to check was "I am an artist" -- and I paused. I didn't know whether I should check it. Crazy. What did they mean by artist? Is it your job? do you sell? We're all artists is what I always say, and yet I couldn't check the box for some reason. I know that as innate as our desire is for self expression, we censor ourselves and judge ourselves way too much. I am so guilty.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The time has come the Walrus said to speak of many things...of sealing wax, cabbages and Kings.

Yaya said...

The time has come,' the Walrus said, 'To talk of many things: Of shoes - and ships - and sealing-wax - Of cabbages - and kings - And why the sea is boiling hot - And whether pigs have wings.'

two dogs said...

You ask about my business.

The turnaround business isa never ending treadmill, an international bar fight with cutthroat competition, irrational management people holding power, and weak companies dying like dogs.

There is also a negative side.

Adapted from Hunter Thompson
"The Music Business"