How do you work on your creativity?

[Euphoria]

This is my first post

 

[EditorOne]

It's possibly the shortest first post we've had. Was the title your question?

 

[Nattall There]

Hi, welcome.. I am new myself. I believe my intro is only a few posts under yours. I do like that your introduction is a question. I believe that questions are most definitely a part of life. Not that we hold many answers, we just play along in hypothecy of it all.

To answer your question, I dont particularly "work" on my creativity. It is simply an intrinsic part of what I am. However, I do find that inspiration is exceedingly important to any of my creative endeavors. I am very fortunate to find inspiration in just about everything. Thusly, I'm never short on fuel for my imaginary fires. However, I find that one of the most important aspects of being creative or having it's adjoining inspiration is to be in a healthy and balanced state of mind. If I am fractioned into to many of lifes issues I become the angry troll under the toll bridge refusing to let my imagination pass.

If I am stuck creatively, I know it is time to take a personal inventory to see what has me mentally stuck under the bridge. For myself, balance and inner peace holds the keys to the doorway of creativity.

 

[Cognisant]

I try to think of nothing.

 

[EditorOne]

All my creativity was focused, a result of my profession as journalist. Let's say my assignment is to report on the growing number of mortgage defaults in my hometown. Let's assume I know next to nothing. My first job is to find out what's going on enough to understand it. Then I cram more information in on top of that. Then I do nothing - like Cognisant, I don't think about it. Usually, within 24 hours of stopping information intake, an idea, insight, epiphany, whatever, comes bubbling up without conscious effort on my part. That's what I then base the writing around, usually with the background paradigm that I also know how I want people to feel after reading about what I've figured out. "Writing for effect" or something. It has broader application, and seems to be something that INTPs get immediately because so many of us have at least some innate desire to figure things out and then share it.

Immersion, saturation, then a rest spell, then pow. That's one way.

The more recommended way to be creative, which also works for us, is to see the goal, then work backward through the steps you think are needed to reach the goal, then take the steps and revise as necessary. That's a different kind of creativity. But it always seems like "get more information about x" is one of the steps. :-)

We think. Thinking works best at generating creative ideas when it has lots and lots of raw information to chew on. It's fertilizer, which non INTPs often refer to as bullshit. However, we grow the biggest corn.

 

[Dimensional Transition]

I listen to music and imagine movie-like scenarios. Think of animations, try to let emotions guide me as much as I can. Then I just draw stuff on auto-pilot, and sing/hum along with the music, and just in general try to get into the most trance-like, intense mental state I can provoke.

 

[Lydia]

I usually get flown away with my ideals. But as far as creativity goes. Well. I let it go as spoilt as it wants, to give me a rich inner world. Very often, I daydream and think out different scenes with myself in it, it gives me a buzz of energy to keep up with the fairly normal and simple things. In reality.

 

[Nattall There]

We think. Thinking works best at generating creative ideas when it has lots and lots of raw information to chew on. It's fertilizer, which non INTPs often refer to as bullshit. However, we grow the biggest corn.

Ha Ha Ha!! Well put.....

 

[SpaceYeti]

I never though someone would have to work on their imaginations. I mean, you can imagine anything that's not logically impossible (as opposed to actually impossible). The trick is figuring out how to make the things you imagine realistic. Just as an example, I've been DMing for 15 years (Dungeons and Dragons), and the maps I make of fantasy locations have become more realistic as I've learned more about ho the real world works and map-making. My fantasy political structures have grown more realistic and less monolithic, the NPCs have grown deeper, and include occupations all across the board, instead of being a soldier, a wizard, royalty, or a peasant. Imagination is unlimited, but reality makes it more realistic and, therefore, more easily understood and, therefore, more fun.

 

[The Gopher]

I don't need to work on creativity I only need to work on translating the language.

 

[Moocow]

I agree strongly with SpaceYeti. As a painter, the process is translating imagination into the world of limitations. Learning to work with your limitations is really what takes practice.

 

[Dapper Dan]

It's fertilizer, which non INTPs often refer to as bullshit. However, we grow the biggest corn.

Hehe nice.

I think I agree with the others when I say that the only way to work on creativity is to just use it. Luckily, using your creativity is often just a matter of having fun. Games of all sorts are very creative activities, especially if other humans are involved.

 

[Polaris]

Echoing Cog, an empty mind helps.

Although it has been a very long time since I did anything "creative".

I find the process of designing and following through with a research project gives me a similar satisfaction to that of drawing or writing. It is creative in the way that one has to use creativity to find connections where one may not necessarily expect to find them, to "think out of the box".

And then the buzz knowing that the one connection is not necessarily the answer. To keep searching, and to consider all the possible variables....it is an endless process.

In short, working on creativity means keeping an open mind, and to never settle for a "definite" solution.

Which is why I like oil as a medium for painting. It allows me to change what I thought was the "ideal" solution.

 

[Jah]

Coffee...
infinite amounts of coffee.


and being hungry.

 

[Jah]

Also;

If you're working on something, having routines can help.


Just force yourself to start working on something creative, say 30 minutes to start with, get warmed up.

 

[Late2theParty]

Oooo! I like this question. I have given this a lot of thought, especially in relation to why many of my favorite musical artists just seem to get crappier over time.

I came up with a bit of a system. I find that my focus keeps coming back to three areas, and how they integrate with each other to push you further down the path of creativity. Developing a balance in each area seems to help you continue to progress in your creativity and avoid plateauing.

First you must develop your improvisational or subconscious / unconscious mind. Basically having the ability to do something without thinking about it. For something like music, you basically just play whatever comes out not trying to alter or change anything... just let it come and get out of it's way. You could do the same thing with writing.. just start writing words and random things off the top of your head. With painting, same deal just pick random colors, throw paint at the board... go crazy. There are a million games you could develop from this, especially with more than one person... just don't think. Developing this area will help you get out of your own way and let ideas come.

The second area is the opposite part of your brain, your technical rational mind. This mind cannot understand the improvisational / subconscious mind... only observe it. This mind must be developed to translate your impulses of creativity into something concrete. Help bring it into the real world. For this you could learn the technical theory behind the art. Also you want to copy other people's art and try to analyze why it works or what it doesn't work. Other aspects of this would be like... doing ear training (learning to recognize what pitch is what just by ear, or learning to play just by ear) as a musician. Eventually you can analyze yourself and learn to break your own patterns to find new ways of doing things.

Last but not least... learning to release. It's important not to get burnt out. You must realize when too much is too much and when to fold and take a break. Once you go to far and get burnt out or get into a overly boring routine...your creativity dies a thousand deaths.

It is important to develop a balance in all of these areas, and they all work together to compliment each other. Most people are weak in one area, or put all their eggs in one basket and over time, plateau.

 

[Ex-User (5878)]

I just draw things when I feel like it.

 

[Oblivious]

What I do is take apart things I like and put their components into a basket. Then I cherry pick parts to assemble in a novel way that makes sense to me.