We all admire creative people, although we don’t always reward them for their creativity, as shown by the case of Vincent Van Gogh or Scott Joplin. Van Gogh, unable to sell even one of the many paintings he had created, committed suicide. Scott Joplin, although regarded as a master of ragtime music, was unable to get his opera published. The starving artist has become a cliché, with many creative people coming close to starving, or at least living in poverty as they try to pursue their art.
One might wonder why people persist in trying to survive as artists, or creatives in other fields, such as music, photography, acting, or writing, when it would be so much easier to flip burgers at McDonalds or stock shelves at the neighborhood supermarket. The answer is simple; creative people have no choice. They cannot deny the drive to create that comes from within.
Today, it’s harder to be truly creative than it has ever been in the past. To create something means to generate something new, something that never existed before. The creation springs from the mind of the creator. For that to happen, the creation must come into existence in the creator’s mind before it can be manifested in the world.
There are so many distractions occupying our minds today that there is little room left for creative thought. We are bombarded by emails, text messages, and phone calls. If we once start to pursue a creative thought, it is extinguished by the interruption of a call, text, or reminder notification. Watching TV can be an enormous time sink that engages our conscious minds, leaving no time for introspection or original thought. Any time that is not taken up by television can all too easily be consumed by computer games, either on your phone or your computer. Either way they are always present and beckoning you to take a break from whatever you are doing and play a quick game. After all, you might level up. Designers of addictive games know your psychology better than your college psychology professor ever did. They know exactly how to keep you playing.
How can we escape the trap that modern technology, and the attention thieves who use it, have set for us? How can we reclaim our own minds? The answer is simple, but not easy. We need to set aside time in a quiet place that is free of distractions. Henry David Thoreau moved to a cabin in the woods. There were no people around to distract him.
It is much more difficult today, with computers, iPads, and smart phones, to find that quiet, distraction-free environment, but you can still do something. Find a place, preferably surrounded by Nature, where you can be alone with your thoughts. Leave your phone behind, or at least turn it off. Working in a garden is a great way to connect with yourself. Hiking through a park or wooded area is also good. Another way is just sitting outside and watching the clouds drift by. The details of how you attain solitude are not important. What is important is that your mind is free to dwell on what you have within rather than what is bombarding you from outside. At that point the creative process can start to work its magic. After your idea arrives, you can apply paint to canvas, strike marble with chisel, or set fingers to keyboard. The creativity will flow out of you like a river, and you will do your best work.
Bio:
Allen G. Taylor is a 30-year veteran of the computer industry and the author of over 30 books, including Develop Microsoft HoloLens Apps Now, Get Fit with Apple Watch, Cruise for Free, SQL For Dummies, 8th Edition, Crystal Reports 2008 For Dummies, Database Development For Dummies, Access Power Programming with VBA, and SQL All-In-One For Dummies, Second Edition. He lectures internationally on astronomy, databases, innovation, and entrepreneurship. He also teaches database development and Crystal Reports through a leading online education provider. For the latest news on Allen’s activities, check out his blog at www.allengtaylor.com or contact him at allen.taylor@ieee.org.