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How Creative Are You?
From a very young age, and well into my adult years, I didn’t think I was creative. I wasn’t into craftsy things. My efforts to sew my
clothes did not go well, and my knitting products were a mixed bag. At one point I wrote poems on my parents’ Royal typewriter. I wrote one poem about a bull, and have no memory of what I wrote, but at the time I had apparently mixed up bulls and cows. My parents were amused and explained the difference. I felt embarrassed by my mistake, and for a while I stopped writing poems.
But writing seemed to call to me. I certainly loved to read the writing of others. Most of my writing efforts were pretty straightforward. I’ve always been a left-brained, linear thinker, so that’s how I wrote. My writing is workman quality.
In high school I took a creative writing course. I wrote about a murder that had happened next door to us; the man had murdered his wife with a knife. I hadn’t witnessed the act, nor seen the results, but my brother had entered the house afterward and was devastated. The children were bewildered and lost. I wrote about their reaction. The piece was put in our annual creative writing magazine. But I considered the acceptance as a fluke; I still didn’t see myself as creative.
During my college years. I was an English major, and received a “D” on my first paper. I was embarrassed and confused. So I asked the instructor if I could meet with him—not to accuse him of under-grading me, but to find out what had gone wrong. He was very kind and supportive, and I don’t remember his advice, but I suspect that I applied it to all my future papers, as well as to essays I wrote for other classes. It was a turning point of sorts. (As a side note, I switched to a major in history.) But I still didn’t think I was creative, and told people that they couldn’t count on me for creative ideas.
As a business woman, I wrote various articles that were published in human resource publications, police publications and other small magazines. By reproducing them they became marketing tools for my business. They were well-received, but I still didn’t think I was creative. These articles were, after all, practical pieces.
I was moved to write a book on religion. (The author listed is another Susan Quinn; I’ve written to Amazon.) This book was a turning point for me. I was now a genuine author! I began to think that I might be creative after all. I was also asked to provide an essay on forgiveness for a leadership book. Maybe people were taking me seriously. (Have you noticed what a hard sell I am?)
Then I found Ricochet. I fell in love—with writing, with getting feedback, with engaging in dialogue on important issues. And another writer on Ricochet, @iwe, asked me to partner on books on Judaism—me, a returning Jew.
I was finally convinced I was creative.
Recently the topic of creative acts has come up in my writing with @iwe: what does it mean to be a human being who continues G-d’s original act of creation? @iwe believes that when we create something completely new, something that G-d has not already created, we are following in G-d’s path; I agree with him. We also think, however, that creativity is a process. That we may be creative in many different ways, and when we work to be creative, the more creative we become. Some people seem to have the temperament for creativity; others (like me) have to work at it, pursue it regularly, refine it, and keep trying. I believe that G-d is happy when I write, especially with Him in mind, but am I continuing His original creation?
So I have a bunch of questions for you—do you see yourself as creative? How do you express your creativity and in what arenas? And do you see your role in continuing G-d’s creation?
Published in Culture
That makes me a researcher.
He could be a flesh robot.
Aren’t we all?
Not me. I’m pure silicon.
Um.
Uh.
I mean, yeah, you’re right! We are all flesh robots.
All of us.
Including me.
Yup.
One of those Ullerans, eh?
BTW, @juliana, I can offer a simple example on creativity. G-d created living creatures that can fly. We’ve created flying technology, such as planes and drones. The difference, of course, is that neither of those are living.
(Just thought I’d insert this comment for the fellows who are trying to explain they aren’t robots. Like I’m going to believe that!)
I’m in the middle of writing a Quote of the Day post, discussing creativity in architecture. One concept that seems universal is that of “Simple Elegance. “
If this was Fallout 4, I’d say he was a Synth . . .
I used to be convinced I wanted to write fiction. But writing fiction is hard. It’s so much easier when I have firmer guidelines, such as writing about something that really happened, or writing a poem using one of those strict poetic structures.
One grows into it. I can give you all sorts of rules and structures for how to build a novel. But it’s easier to start with a short story. A poem can be a short, fictional story. There are many narrative forms, after all. There are also many lyric forms of poetry, such as, you know, song lyrics. I’m sure you’ve heard songs that were short fictional stories.
I used to recite The Highwayman for audiences. People began telling me there was a song.
I think fiction is easier because you get to make stuff up. Non-fiction books, even non-fiction novels, have to follow reality, and that’s hard!
In the Wiki entry for nonfiction, there is no mention of the word “novel.” I thought this was an oxymoron.
However, the Encyclopedia Britannica lists Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood (1965) as part of this genre, along with John Hersey’s Hiroshima (1946) and Norman Mailer’s The Executioner’s Song (1979).
Sounds like a mighty small genre….
Indeed. The song came later. The poem was already in a lyrical form, much like most of the poetry of Rudyard Kipling or Arthur Conan Doyle. They are very easy to set to music and enjoyable to recite.
Yes, and no. There is an old saying about always telling the truth, because that way you never forget the details of what you have said before. With fiction, you have to track everything. Who the characters are. Where are they at what times? You have to make sure you don’t have one appearing in two different cities on the same day, for instance, especially back in horse and buggy days when travel was slow. New York to Paris? Might take a few months. Etc. Fiction is details, details, details, all the way down.
I’ll stick with mostly non-fiction: just the facts, ma’am–er, sir. I’ve written an occasional story, but very short ones. I must say they are fun!
I’m going through 499 pages at the moment with a handful of chapters left to finish. At least for this volume.
Ah, yes, in between comments . . . ;-)
[Shrug.] If I’m creative, it’s about 90% just in writing. Mostly non-fiction at that, if that even counts.
Ok, and making philosophy cartoons.
That’s why Tolkien’s term was sub-creation, not just creation.
I have edited over a hundred pages and written two today. I figure I’m doing alright.
Awesome! Well done! You’re doing great!
I’d like to think Ricochet has allowed me to be more creative than I otherwise would be. Here , I’ve had the chance to do haikus, make up news headlines, bumper stickers, comment, and comment on comments. The contributors here have made me think, and thinking is what creativity is all about. Thanks , everyone 🙂
Tell that to a youth here in South Carolina, and you’ll traumatize him!
I have a Great Courses lecture series taught by a woman whose genre is historical non-fiction. She explained the things needed to make the novel plausible.
I did a quick check – 7 chapters yesterday. Gonna do more today, but we have a workman coming over to fix our upstairs AC (#$%&$#%$#!).
You both are clearly excellent multi-taskers! I’m impressed!
Yesterday I had a workman building a wall within a closet and still got all that I listed done and more. Building inspector already came today. It’s time I can put stuff back into my now smaller closet. Talk about a creative endeavor.
How about a photo of the mixed bag?
That’s kinda why I put “creative” in quotes. There is a spectrum of creativity – and much of what people call creativity is better described as well-practiced craft. Or- as I put it – hard work.