Good ideas aren’t necessarily hard to find. It’s the process, as Dean Young says of writing, involved with finding them that’s difficult. It might be work one might not want to do. It’s a process that’s both creative and analytical; at least, it is once one becomes accustomed to the process of coming up with good ideas. What, though, is that process? It probably varies from person to person but, perhaps, some generalizations can be made.
creativity
Why You Need to Get Lost
I hate getting lost. I don’t like to get lost in Ikea. I definitely don’t like to get lost when I’m headed to a meeting. I start to panic even though I know I can ask a sales clerk for directions, or I can call the person I’m meeting and tell him or her I’m going to be late.
How to Critique a Creative Person
As a creative person, I’ve received both good and bad criticism. At its worst, it kills the creative spirit. I know. I quit playing piano when I was fourteen because of negative criticism. At its best, it fosters creativity. It pushes the creative person to try something new, to explore different facets, to embrace the terror of the unknown. That criticism may be harsh at times, but it’s given in a spirit of good will. It isn’t given simply to be given.
Quit with the Pedestals
I understand that writers and artists tend to view the world a little differently than other people.* It’s part of being a creative person. I don’t understand how that difference results in being placed upon a pedestal. Writers are not a different caliber of human being. If they’re pricked, they bleed. If they’re tickled (and they’re ticklish), they laugh. If they’re poisoned, they die, and if they’re wronged, they may take revenge (Another reason to be careful when in a relationship with a writer. Break her heart, and she’s likely to murder the offending person in a poem or story.).¹
Stop Looking For Inspiration
The* other day, I received an email from a woman who said I was inspiring. It was a nice thing to hear albeit a little surprising. I’ve never taken the time to ponder whether I’m inspirational. I simply do what I am meant to do and hope that some people enjoy it.