Creativity is often overlooked and not given the true value that it deserves. In this blog, we talk about why creativity IS important and how it can help us in all areas of life.

Creativity is one of the most important qualities and skills we can have and yet, we don’t value it as we should.

People are suspicious of ‘creativity’, probably because it doesn’t fit neatly into a box or when it does, it soon pops out again, becoming something new or different.

Creativity people tend to be contradictory, complex and frustrating characters. You only have to look at famous painters, tortured by their own artistic genius and yet so very vulnerable to understand how it can be both a curse and a blessing.

Creative people see the world in all its complexity. Modern culture demands decisiveness. Thus, to change your mind on an important topic is a disgrace and an affront to modern society.

The result? Rigid thinking patterns, the reason why, say some psychologists and social commentators, that creativity is not valued, permitted and in the main, not encouraged.

But it is time we did encourage it. But why? Are there real bonuses to being creative or is it ‘just a nice thing to be’?

Creative minds mean BETTER PROBLEM SOLVING

Solutions can be hard to come by, can’t they? Presented with a problem with no way out is everyone’s worst nightmare.

We only have to look at the recent rescue of the football team trapped in caves in Thailand to understand how a creative mind contributes to problem-solving.

There is no doubt that in such a rescue, there will have been many solutions discussed. And all of these would have been put forward by creative minds.

There is a place for logic and linear thinking, but does it always yield the solutions we need?

You’ll LIVE LONGER

It was a small American study based on a group of 1,349 male veterans, the majority of whom (90%) were white. It could be argued that the sample was small and skewed, meaning that the results are not really worth much.

But let’s be creative about the findings and what it could mean…

The result of the study confirmed what we already knew – poor lifestyle choices gave way to poor health – but there was one factor that stuck out. Men who were ‘creative’ or choose to describe themselves with adjectives that researchers labelled them as creative, lived on average longer than their not-so-creative counterparts.

As yet, the findings have not been delved into deeper than that, with some suggesting a more scientific approach may be necessary. However, for some people who have long argued the value of creativity, this is the start of the proof that they need.

Maybe it is the non-linear, creative approach to problem-solving and other choices that they made that contributed to a 12% lower mortality rate in the creative men within this study?

You’ll be MORE CONFIDENT

Self-confidence and self-esteem are built on shifting sands. Yesterday, you were oozing confidence and self-belief but today, you don’t feel the same.

Creative people understand this better than most because the art of being creative is just as subjective. Yesterday, the words flowed, the painting took shape or your photography was simply stunning but today, you are struggling to see the beauty in the bright blue sky or find the motivation to understand what makes a scene.

It is a risk. And if you are willing to face the risk, you will need to build confidence and for creative people, this is something that they do – and sometimes from failure.

For some people, the thought of failing makes the blood run cold but for those in creative realms, failure is a part of creative success.

In other words, as you expand your portfolio for creative photography courses, some people will love your quirky photographer style. Others won’t get it. Others will be verbally critical.

New ways of EXPRESSING YOURSELF

We, as a society, have been talking more about mental health. We have been encouraging each other to express our emotions. We have urged people – men, women, children, young people and the older generation – to talk and share their emotions.

We have helped people to share negative emotions and to share when they are in dark places. We encourage people to share the good times too.

Being creative or taking part in a creative past time whether that is writing, singing, painting or taking photos and sharing them could be the part of the answer in expressing emotions safely and with a certain degree of comfort.

It is SATISFYING

It could be a well turned out a home-baked loaf or a fantastic photo you have taken, edited and framed – whatever it is, the warm glow of satisfaction is life-affirming.

What creative things do you do on any given day?

Can you remember the time you last received a hand-written letter? A thoughtful letter is a beautiful thing, a chance to let someone know that you have them on your mind.

Every year, people around the world celebrate letter writing on September 1st. Organisers say that this is a chance to look back and remember the beauty of writing and sending (as well as receiving) a hand-written letter.

For writers, this is the ideal opportunity to explore further one’s own writing prowess.  Being a successful writer is not necessarily measured in pounds and pence earned, but by how much people like and enjoy the things you write.

So, how do you become a successful writer?writing with a quill

Find your niche
Writing is a massive and diverse field. You may be a fiction writer, enjoying creating short stories but even then, you need to know about genres and niches. Where do your talents lie? What fires your imagination as a writer?

If a story is in you, it has to come out

William Faulkner

But this doesn’t mean you should pigeon-hole yourself before you have had time to get your writing off the ground. Creative writing courses spend time looking at all kinds of writing and genres (including poetry and creative writing) as well as commercial writing for clients.

Find a market
There is a market for all kinds of writing, but you will need to spend time finding the right market and the right clients for your style.

There are various means of doing this:

Expect feedback
Writing is a creative art. What one person likes, another will not – this can make for a bumpy ride for many writers.

Don’t be frightened to write crap, because crap makes good fertiliser
Jessica Brady

There are differences in what your client or a publisher will want, but there are some basics to bear in mind:typewriter

Read, read, read and write
If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others:
read a lot and write a lot
– Stephen King

In order to be a chef, you need to cook food – but you also need to taste in order to check the seasoning. You may also dine out at other restaurants to see what other chefs are producing.

The same is true when it comes to writing. The more you read across different genres, the wider your own imagination will be. This is about how you express certain feelings and emotions in the words you choose.

Listening to radio plays and spending time at the theatre are also great ways to develop your writing skills. Why is it that when you listen to a radio play, the picture in your head is so rich and full? How did the playwright create this imaginative world for you to enjoy?

Keep at it
Every writer I know has trouble writing
-Joseph Heller

There are days when the words won’t come. There are days when it feels like torture. But then there are the days when the words trip off the end of your pen or appear in streams on the screen before you.

The important lesson when writing is this: keep at it. Keep putting one word after another, not worrying whether you have the comma or full stop in the right place until later on in the process. Create your characters: make them smile, make them cry, make them big and bold or make them shy, make them the bully and make them the victim.

Enjoy writing and enjoy reading because one day you could be
someone’s favourite author.

A nation of avid readers means a nation of people with high literacy and numeracy skills, as well as feeding the part of the brain that can often be squeezed by the stresses and strains of everyday life. We associate imagination and make believe with children but, for adults, the ability to imagine and dream is just as important.

But, there is another reason why reading is a great past time – writing.

What is creative writing?
The likelihood is, in answer to this question, you will assume it means fiction, novels, short stories and poems – and you wouldn’t be wrong.

But there are new strands being added to the definition of creative writing. The articles and blogs posts and, some would say the social media posts too, that are created on a daily basis also count as creative writing.

We have become so accustomed to creative writing meaning fiction, or non-factual writing, that it can seem a stretch of the imagination to think of articles on the web as creative pieces.

But they are. They take thought and imagination, as well as a sprinkling of creativity to put across what could be seen as a dry topic, in a fun and engaging way.

The process of writing

Firstly, there is no wrong or right way to write. Creative writing courses will not set out a prescribed writing process but it helps to understand the steps within a story. The next time you read a book or even watch a drama on TV, take note of what happens and to whom and, more importantly, when in the story it happens to them…

#1 Start, middle and end

In essence, there are three basic sections to a story, whether this is a screenplay, a novel or a short story. Thinking of this can be helpful in creating a structure to your story but consider this advice from author Billy Wilder;

In the first chapter, put your favourite character up a tree. In chapter two, set the tree on fire and in chapter three, rescue him.

This is, in essence, what needs to happen in your story. Your character needs to be introduced, the problem or issue working against them identified and then they need escape/solve it. Along the way, they could have many jolly japes and scrapes.

fiction-writing

‘Read a book Day’, an event marked in early September, is designed to encourage more people to read. Or, to try something a little different.

#2 Your writing style

There is some debate about linguistic fingerprint emerging in the forensic linguistic word, an idea that we all have a writing style that potentially, under scrutiny, give us away.

In many ways this is true. However, it can lead to some words being over used. There are also some words that are considered less valuable within a creative writing process.

Take the overused adverb ‘very’; if your writing is littered with this word, consider expanding your repertoire – the best way of doing this is by reading.

Also, by reading different genres and styles of creative work, you will come across a greater depth of word usage, sentence types, styles and general expression. ‘very wet’ will become ‘drenched’, or ‘soaked to the skin’…

#3 Be inspired

Everyday life is littered with inspiration – you may not be seeing just yet.

Creative writing courses will help you identify stories lurking in every crevice. For example, the face peering out of the window on the top deck of the bus, what are they running from? The lady sat in the passenger seat of the red car at the lights, why does she look so unhappy? The man who has delivered your pizza, why is he a delivery driver with such an expensive watch on his wrist?

These are just three examples of the inspiration you could come across in a day. The face on the bus may not be running from anything but towards irs, the lady in the passenger seat is not unhappy, just tired and the pizza delivery chap wears his grandfather’s watch, given to him the night he died…

#4 Set aside time

A deadline can be friend or foe. They can propel you forwards or they can panic you.

There are two hidden lessons here: structure your writing time and make time. It may be half an hour on a Tuesday night while the kids are at gym or Thursday morning before your afternoon shift start.

Hidden threats
The greatest threat to your writing is procrastination. Or is it? There is another threat, and one that strikes without warning.

Writer’s block is the fear of the blank page, an inability to write no words.

None.

At.

All.

The vast white blank space and the menacing, pulsating cursor combine to make your dread writing…

Creative writing courses can help develop your writing, as well as giving you a few hints of dealing with procrastination and the dreaded writer’s block. There is, after all, a novel in all of us.