Who Said You Are Not Creative?

I have been painting and exhibiting for over 25 years. When people ask me what I do, and I answer, “I am an artist”, their first response is to declare, “I am not creative”.

This response has always seemed strange to me. If I met a mechanic and he told me what he did, I wouldn’t automatically say, well I can’t fix engines. It seems to me that declaring I am an artist, for some reason, invites other people to insist they are not creative.

It’s a lie.

I have run hundreds of art workshops on developing creativity. I have specialised working with ‘virgin artist’, and I have seen ordinary people create extraordinary works of art. While they were confessing, “I am not creative”.

Who Said You Are Not Creative?

First of all, where did you get the information that you are not creative? Did you decide this by yourself? Did a school teacher or some other authority figure give you this information?

I had one of those experiences in school when a teacher told me I was not good at art. I remember feeling embarrassed and upset at the time. I ignored that teacher and kept making art. It was the only reason to stay at school.

When I left school and applied for an art degree at uni, I failed to get into the course that I wanted. This time I listened to the advice of the academic scholars and agreed with them. They must know what they are talking about, right? And they said I was not good enough at art.

Why the hell did I do that? I wasted years of my life holding onto that lie and not moving forward.

It wasn’t until after my husband died that I started painting. I was so overwhelmed by the loss and grief. I didn’t care what anybody thought. I started creating art just to deal with the trauma, and after a while, I realised I was good at it. I continued to paint, finally going to art school and I got better at it because I just didn’t give up.

Don’t let someone else dictate who you want to be. Many successful people have had someone tell them at some stage in their life that they are rubbish. If you have been told that you are crap at your creative pursuit, then you are in good company.

Walt Disney was fired from the Kansas City Star in 1919 because, his editor said, he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” Oprah Winfrey was an evening news reporter and apparently got fired because she couldn’t sever her emotions from her stories. Eventually, she was fired from the producer of Baltimore’s WJZ-TV.

Even Elvis was told he was garbage. After a performance at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, Elvis was told by the concert hall manager that he was better off returning to Memphis and driving trucks.

Don’t be held back by other people’s opinions; just get on and create.

Maybe you think you are not creative because you don’t really understand what creativity is?

Dictionary — noun, ‘the use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness’.

Creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality.

This simple definition is not reliant on the type of creative expression. It is not reserved for the ‘arty’ ones. Artistic skills can be learnt. You can be an artist if you work hard and practice (I did), but creativity is not only artistic skill.

Creativity is characterised by the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena, and to generate solutions. Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing (source)

Learning From Children

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” — Maya Angelou

How can you increase your creativity? Here are 3 lessons you can learn from the way children create.

Allow yourself to play

We, as human beings, are all born with an ability to be creative. Children are masters with creative potential. Why are children such natural creativity commandos? The first reason is, they play. When you play, there is no expectation of productivity, and you are in a more relaxed state of mind.

When we are relaxed, we have higher levels of dopamine in the brain, which leads to greater levels of creativity.

Neuroscience demonstrates that reduced cognitive control or purposely ‘letting your mind wander’ is important for creativity. When we are idle, relaxed or engaging in leisure, our brains are at their most active (source).

Some businesses have brought play into their workspace to inspire creativity. Google offices are renowned for their innovative approach to the working environment. They have included designated napping areas, recreation hubs, movie rooms and the Zurich office even features a basketball court and a massage lounge (source).

Allow yourself to dream

Children allow themselves to dream. Creative thinking is ignited by the imagination; What if? This question is the place of endless possibilities. Your imagination is your creative engine room.

“Creativity involves breaking out of expected patterns in order to look at things in a different way.”
— Edward de Bono

Stop criticising yourself

Children haven’t yet learnt to doubt themselves or criticise their own decisions (that will come later). Until they are told what the rules are, children will freely create. They colour outside the lines. If they draw a picture of a landscape, the sky does not need to be blue, and there is no reason the grass can’t be yellow. They want to be dinosaurs when they grow up. Children believe anything is possible, so they set out to make it happen.

Children don’t consider that making a mess is a failure. You have to push past the fear of failure to innovate and create. Original ideas require mistakes. There are great lessons to be leant from the experience of overcoming failure.

Maybe you are looking for permission to try something new, don’t wait for validation. You probably won’t get what you are looking for, just believe in yourself, stop criticising your attempts and get on and create.

In my creative art workshops, I have had many participants that come for the first time, but they will not continue to paint. They have a moment, splash paint around and create something they can take home and hang on their walls.

What the workshop does, is to provide an experience to push past the fear of trying something new. The lessons they learn in my art workshop helps them to have courage in other areas of their lives.

We empower ourselves through experiences that give us courage.

Who said you are not creative? Don’t believe the lie. Your creativity comes from the core of who you are. You can increase your creativity by developing your skills. Allowing yourself to be inspired by new experiences will help you to expand your imagination. This is turn will encourage your sense of curiosity, and before long, you will understand like Picasso.

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”

— Pablo Picasso

Froyle Davies
I’ve been a visual artist for over 25 years and now I tell my stories.
Let me inspire you with this beautiful free print, ‘Above the Stormy Waters.’

Cheers Froyle