Kyle Bernier's Blog: Lazy Creativity-isms - Posts Tagged "self-help"

Creativity is a process often thought of as done in solitude. You may think of artists alone in their studios, writers tucked away in their offices, and musicians in their practices rooms. However, creativity doesn’t have to exist in a bubble, and in fact, some of my favorite creative memories involve a community.

Idea sharing, which involves talking through your thoughts and vision for a project or creative venture, happens in social settings and it’s a great way to gather new project ideas and build accountability for each other. I’m personally fairly introverted and keep a tight circle. It can be challenging for me to step outside of my comfort zone and connect with others, especially to share my ideas and receive feedback. My absolute nightmare was critique days in school when the whole class would share their work and give and receive feedback. Even on days when I knew I had a kickass project that I was very proud of, I hated listening to people talk about it. Even to this day, it’s hard for me to hear feedback on my work, even the good stuff! Maybe I’m just a humble Minnesotan who was raised to be way too modest. It may not fall within my comfort zone, but I also recognize the numerous benefits to receiving feedback, both positive and negative, both critical and constructive. It’s how we grow.

At the end of the day, your creativity is owned by you and you get to make the decisions. If someone says it sucks, that’s okay, as long as you enjoy the work.

You may certainly work in solitude, and sometimes it feels great to have your creative thing that you can keep to yourself. But if you’re feeling open to it, I recommend letting someone else in, even if just to let them know what you’re thinking about. Personally, my friend Kevin comes to me periodically and says, “I’m thinking about starting an art project.” Something I love about Kevin is that he doesn’t consider himself to be “creative,” and in fact he’s said some pretty self-critical things about his creative abilities, but he keeps on thinking of new ideas and making them happen. I love being able to check in on him and see how they’re coming along. Sometimes I feel like that’s the reason he sees them through to the end. I do the same thing by telling at least one person what I’m doing or thinking about. Idea sharing and creativity can happen in a bubble, but if you’re able to venture out, even on a small scale, you may surprise yourself with how more connected you become to your idea.

If you've ever said "I can do better" - well, now's your chance.

Make it about you
We all have great ideas, we sometimes just don’t pay attention to them. As an example, think of a time when you experienced something such as watching a movie, listening to a new album, or trying a new menu item. Now think back to a time when you thought to yourself or said out loud “I could have made something better.” Well, now is your chance! The best part about your creativity is you get to do whatever you like and make whatever you want. A good place to start is to make something you’d actually like to use, see, or have. Many people get caught up on making something for someone else, which can be a good starting place, but if you’re thinking about what your creativity can look like, then it makes sense to make it about you. Start small - think about small things you consume where you can see room for improvement. Next, think about what small aspects about it you could change to make it more interesting to you. OR, look at an object that you don't use currently and think about what you could change about it so that you’d actually use it and enjoy it. Start with objects or content you experience every day. Many great inventions happened because someone saw something that could be improved upon (e.g. Edison’s lightbulb). If you set out to make something and create something else instead, that’s perfectly fine - some of history’s greatest inventions were made by accident.

Goldilocks
This strategy works great in all settings. As you go through your day, think about something you use or do but aren’t particularly keen to. Think about ways you could improve it to the point that you’d actually enjoy using it, looking at it, hearing it, etc. The world (or workplace, office, living room, etc.) is your oyster. If the product around you is more oyster than pearl, make a change or set out to improve it. You don’t need to meet anyone else’s expectations other than your own. Modify, tweak, or improve it until you’re excited to use it. It’s like oatmeal. Oatmeal is fine just plain, but it’s what you put into it that makes it great. Most people don’t just make plain oatmeal and say “eh, it’s great exactly how it is now.” Most people add-in their favorite additions, such as brown sugar, butter, fresh fruit, honey, or milk. When I make oatmeal, it’s a process of slowly adding in things until it’s just right. Little by little I add in ingredients until I’m satisfied with it, because life is too short to not enjoy every bite of your oatmeal. I’m Goldilocks when it comes to oatmeal. That same mentality can be applied to creativity to create better experiences with objects and content. Treat things like your bowl of oatmeal and go ahead and add in those blueberries and honey.


#LazyCreativity