Is Creativity Important to You?
20 Questions Revealing my Relationship to Creativity
This is a vulnerable share.
These questions are in my sketchbook (which I call my sketchbook but it often has more writing than sketching in it). I didn’t write down the source of the questions, possibly from a Pinterest post, possibly from Freeing the creative spirit : drawing on the power of art to tap the magic and wisdom within by Adriana Diaz. I answered them on 1.26.23, just under six months before my son was born. At that time I was struggling with the loss of my creative spark. I created almost no art while I was pregnant. I like to think all my creative energy was going into the process of creating another human, but I still wrestled with the sudden loss of motivation. These ramblings were in part to rediscover this part of myself I was struggling to find.
The questions begin two thirds down the page under a chaotic list titled ART IDEAS 2023
IS CREATIVITY IMPORTANT TO YOU?
Yes. Creativity is a core to human potential. The more we play with creativity the more options and choices we unlocks the more possibility. When restraints appear creativity is the key to overcoming them.
WHAT SORT OF CREATIVE PERSON ARE YOU?
Creativity oozes from me. I am an unconventional and risky creative. I like to try unusual combinations, strange materials and tools, odd compositions. I am willing to take risks as a creative. I like all colors and many textures.
AM I ARTISTIC?
Yes, I am an artistic being. Artistic is my job. The way I dress, the way I spend (or wish to spend) my time is artistically. I create a lot of art.
AM I PRACTICAL?
I think I am becoming more practical as I age. I want my clothing to be more functional and comfortable. I want the art I create to have practical, meaningful applications beyond being aesthetic expressions of my soul.
AM I MATHEMATICAL ?
I have very good spatial reasoning which is very useful but I would not consider myself to mathematically minded.
AM I SCIENTIFIC?
Yes, I love to experiment. I often generate many parts of a finished piece of art, methodically determining which route to pursue, comparing different colors, or textures before continuing to the final piece.
AM I A WORD PERSON?
I adore words. I enjoy reading and writing. I’ve written 100’s of zines as an expression of my love for words. I like word games like scrabble and the crossword.
AM I MORE LOGICAL, RANDOM, OR BOTH?
Both. I have my own sense of logic around how things should be and I can explain myself when needed but I am also comfortable with spontaneity and not everything needing an explanation.
AM I IMAGINATIVE?
I have lots of ideas but feel I have become less imaginative over time. I also spend less time engaged in fantasy as I get older which I feel was connected to my spirit of imagination.
DO I COLLECT OR AM I A MINIMALIST?
I am a collector. I have a difficult time removing things from my life. My art is very maximalist with many colors and layers.
PROCRASTINATION YAY OR NAY?
Lately procrastination makes me feel terrible! For a time I was comfortable with my pitch and fits way of dealing with things, waiting till the last minute to crank things out and enjoying my time otherwise. Lately when I procrastinate I feel overwhelmed because there are so many things I could be doing that there is no way to cram it all in at the end. And yet I still find myself stressed and procrastinating.
AM I PRECISE OR A THAT’LL DO PERSON?
100% I am a done is better than perfect person. Everything I create has rough edges. I’m not fussed about exact measurements. Everything will work out.
DO I START MORE THAN I FINISH?
Yup, all the time. Some things I purposefully abandon because I am uninterested after exploring. Others peter out and are forgotten. Others sit undone and chewing up mental space for days, months, years.
AM I PERSISTENT OR DO I GIVE UP EASILY?
If the way forward is not clear I can give up easily. I will get disheartened that I don’t know how to proceed correctly and I will bail. However, I’m also quite competitive and if I can intuit or learn the steps then I will stay engaged until I reach my goal.
DO I FEEL GUILTY ABOUT THE TIME SPENT DOING NOTHING IF THERE IS LOTS TO DO?
Doesn’t everyone who grew up in a production centered capitalist society feel this way when they do nothing? Yes I feel guilty. It can be hard to rest or let my mind wander or ebb and flow when my inner dialogue generates so much stress from guilt.
DO YOU GET NERVOUS ABOUT GETTING THINGS WRONG? WHY?
Very much so. My anxieties around doing things wrong are connected to my lack of persistence. Partly I don’t want to create waste by doing the wrong thing in art or cooking. I am afraid of breaking things. Second, I fear what others will say or how others will perceive me if I am wrong. I fear being embarrassed I get afraid that I will do the wrong thing and there wont be any remedy to fix it. This runs counter to my beliefs in creativity. Because even if I try and it is wrong I should be able to respond creatively and find plenty of possibilities for moving forward. This is a paradox in my psyche where different spheres of my life are treated differently in regards to getting things wrong and being creative.
DO YOU KEEP A RECORD OF IDEAS?
All the time, all over the place.
WHAT ARE MY CREATIVE WEAKNESSES?
I don’t always have stamina or discipline to see an artwork/ creative idea through. I also let $ fears dictate my creativity in certain arenas.
WHAT ARE MY STRENGTHS?
I am very playful in my creativity. I like color. I use lots of my senses when I am creating. I am frugal with my supplies and can use them many ways. I trust in the importance of my creative spirit and give it lots of space and attention.
HAS ANYONE EVER TOLD YOU OR MADE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU AREN’T GOOD AT ART?
I think even from a young age I had a sense that anyone telling me that my art was bad was bullshit. I’ve always trusted in my/ the human instinct to be creative. However, I have also been fortunate to have had many supportive champions of my art and creativity in my life.
Thank you for reading this far and witnessing my inner dialogue. If this spoke to you or sparked your own inner dialogue leave a comment.
There is still time to join the Zine Club on Patreon for this month’s Chapter of the Beauty Oracle!
Novembers's card for the Beauty Oracle Deck is Blossom into Anything/Everything
This month I will release a monthly update and digital goodies with one of the spells from the Zine for my Khindness Patrons.
Magickal Mail club will also receive the ∞ Blossom into Anything/Everything sticker card,
and Zine Club will also receive the Book of Mirrors Zine that will accompany the sticker card all about Hope and Facing the Impossible.
May Hope find you ~Khiri ✨