Nowadays, the talk about creativity is trendy and cool and everyone wants to be THE creative and tell you what to do. However, if you are a beginner artist, or learning to give in more to your creative endeavor, these are some creativity misconceptions you need to pay attention to.
As per usual, my articles are based on my opinions and my personal experience as a self-taught artist and as someone with decent experience in different lanes of the creative industry. If you don’t agree, feel free to share your thoughts (gently, though, because I’m sensitive).
Read more: 5 ways to instantly spark your creativity
12 Creativity Killers You Want to Avoid Today
Creativity misconceptions I keep coming across
Confusing creativity with productivity
Creativity is not productivity. Productivity is the act of showing up consistently, despite how you’re feeling. Productivity is measured in terms of output and input. Creativity, on the other hand, is a state of mind where the person has a great ability to use their imagination, knowledge, intuition, emotions, etc. to create original or innovative things.
We do not need to come up with original ideas consistently. In fact, the biggest cheat code for creativity is rest, energy restoration, inspiration, boredom, and other things that this fast-paced world is telling you not to do.
Making creativity more of a system
I often see people talking about creative routines the way they talk about their jobs. And I will not be a know it all and tell you that it absolutely doesn’t work to treat your creative endeavor like a job. But a creative career is full of surprises, and it’s not as predictable or as plannable as a systematic career. However, if you have the discipline to make everything in your life strategic, kudos to you. But remember, you will need to break your routine more often than you think.
Basing success on external validation
Your success depends heavily on your inner fulfillment. External validation is lovely and motivating. What other people think of your art determines whether you can sell it, exhibit it, find gallery deals, and so on. But the only way to keep creating and showing up to your creative inclinations is through your inner fulfillment. The mistakes that people see in your work and that you might be criticized for are portals to unexpected solutions and to your own personal and artistic growth.
Working up to your expectations
This is a creativity misconception that is rather cliché and tricky to explain. We all have goals for the art we want to create. Maybe we have role models, and art styles we would love to achieve but expectations are the enemy of creativity. Your art has an identity of its own. It groups a bunch of things rooted in your subconscious that, if you try to understand or shape into something understandable and normal, it will become generic work rather than a creative process. Give your art the freedom it needs to become whatever it wants to be.
Your art will outlive you, so create accordingly.
Enjoy creating <3
