“That’s just something Ugly People say”

Liar Liar, 1997

Have you ever swallowed a chip too quickly, its ragged edge pulls a dull pain down your throat, lingering shortly before it subsides into your stomach.  More than the pain, the suddenness leaves you a bit flustered! A similar feeling hits me whenever I hear that evasive statement: “you can teach creativity.”

I allow myself to ponder the concept each time, until I see my little brother attempt to draw a stick figure. And that’s that. However, the debate does deserve attention. What is creativity? In any of its many definitions, I believe you must break this into 2 components; to be creative and to do creative.

Can anyone be creative? They can. Creativity in that sense is a mindset. You can be creative in how you solve a math problem just as you can be creative in the thinking up a ‘purple pizza-morphing dinosaur.’ It will come easier to some than others. Take singing for example. Anyone can sing and it is possible to improve with practice… BUT in my opinion you either have a voice or you do not. Herein lies the latter component; can you ‘do’ creative?

Those that ‘do’ creative are able to actively develop something from an elusive thought. In this light there is not much to teach. It’s a talent that allows thoughts to get deep and go wild. A place where you controlling-ly, lose-control. and are able to bring it back to some semblance of reality. That is where the real “wizardry” happens!

Back to my poor brother with a stick-figure deficit… He does not grasp how to draw worlds that “don’t exist.” Likewise, I wonder how he develops chemistry compounds formulated to trigger nerve endings that fight disease… neither is good or bad, it just is. We need good Doctors and we need good Designers. What we especially need is for society to stop thinking they can do both…be all (but we can leave that there for another day...)

I came across this statement:
”‘Talent’ has been described as ‘that which we have,’ and ‘genius’ as ‘that which has us.’”

Given this, it would seem that we have little control of what ‘we are,’ however, it is our duty to see how we may develop this granted talent. Through fearless experimentation we hope to find an instrument to accurately form expressions that may unveil our thoughts. As a creative, the ball’s in our court. We must decide how far to pursue this intellectual analysis of that ‘elusive thing.’ Although it all comes back to effort, there needs to be a raw talent at the foundation.

The key is to embracing what you do. This is where the argument runs out of steam for me. In a world whose current obsession is analytics, statistics and studies, it never ceases to amaze me when I hear attempts at formulating ways for everyone to be great at everything. An era of self-proclaimed expertise… Thank you Dr. Google.

As said in a family favorite movie, “Liar, Liar”
Max: “My teacher tells me beauty is on the inside.”
Fletcher: “That's just something ugly people say.”

As we do, lets make waves…how often do you catch a creative person saying, ‘you CAN teach creativity?”

Sounds like something non-creatives say...