I've been seeking out what some of my favourite creative people have to say about how to be more creative.
Michel Gondry
Film-maker Michel Gondry says that an idea is "when two things click together, when you have one thought and you make it work with another. You see an object and it makes you think of another one. These two objects together are an idea." I love this and think about it all the time.
Rick Rubin
Legendary music producer Rick Rubin, in his excellent book The Creative Act, talks about how your current work doesn't need to be perfect, it doesn't need to be the absolute best thing you can create. You're on a creative journey and this current thing you're working on is a part of that journey. This was incredibly helpful to me when I felt like I was stuck on a painting and was afraid to move forward because I didn't know how to finish it.
Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman's excellent commencement speech Make Good Art says "If you're making mistakes, it means you're out there doing something. And the mistakes in themselves can be useful. I once misspelled Caroline, in a letter, transposing the A and the O, and I thought 'Coraline looks like a real name'." Which became the novella and film of the same name.
I want to acknowledge the current allegations against Neil Gaiman. While I've chosen to include this discussion of Make Good Art because it was an inspiring book for me, I recognise this is a complex choice. The relationship between artists and their work, particularly in light of serious allegations, deserves careful consideration - a topic I'm going to explore more fully in a future post.
Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, takes it further. She's spoken about creativity as a literal force that exists outside of us, in a magical way: "Ideas are a disembodied, energetic life-form." She talks about them invading our minds:
The idea will wake you up in the middle of the night and distract you from your everyday routine. The idea will not leave you alone until it has your fuller attention.
And then, in a quiet moment, it will ask, 'Do you want to work with me?'
I don't know how I feel about that, but she suggests approaching creative work with curiosity and playfulness, rather than pressure and anxiety. And that's inspiring to me.
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou said that creativity is like a muscle - the more you use it, the stronger it gets. "You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." She encouraged aspiring writers to read extensively and write regularly to develop their creative abilities.
How to be more creative
The insights from these people came together into a guide to nurturing my own creativity:
Embrace the unexpected connections: As Michel Gondry suggests, creativity often sparks when we allow disparate ideas to collide. Like Neil Gaiman's fortuitous typo, these serendipitous moments can lead to breakthroughs.
Trust the journey: Rick Rubin reminds us that each creative act is part of a larger process. Maya Angelou's muscle metaphor reinforces this – the more we create, the stronger our creative abilities become.
Cultivate curiosity and playfulness: Elizabeth Gilbert's approach of treating ideas as magical entities encourages us to approach creativity with wonder rather than pressure. This mindset allows us to explore freely, make mistakes, and discover unexpected paths.
Practice regularly: Whether it's brainstorming, engaging in creative activities, or seeking out inspiration, consistent practice is key. As we exercise our creativity, we build our capacity for innovative thinking.
By combining these insights, we can develop an approach to creativity that balances structure and spontaneity. Creativity isn't just about producing masterpieces – it's about engaging with the world in a more open, curious, and imaginative way. Creativity isn't just something we do – it becomes a way of being, transforming how we see and interact with the world around us.
Now, armed with these interconnected strategies, get out there and create!
