The 'Why Not?' Discussion

manoldonchev (69)in #creativity • 8 years ago

Let me ask again, maybe for the first time here but not for the first time in my experience... Can Creativity be trained?

I think yes. I am a professional photographer but my proficiency comes through journalism. However, I started on that path because of my love for arts and the aesthetics (but also purpose) of photography (and arts). I also have a master's degree in Psychology so I have learned about this vague but certainly present and powerful thing called Creativity.

Well, I think of myself as somehow lacking the inborn part of it.

To generalize it, I will define it here as being original. Thinking and acting 'outside the box'.

Now that is encouraging because that is something I can train to do - getting out of boxes. I just have to identify them.

The first one I would like to identify for us all is Rejection. Of ideas. So the exercise I decided to force upon myself was to wait before rejecting something and to ask myself:

Why not?

Let me tell you a story.

I drank my coffee in front of a four-year-old boy while I was teaching him to brushes and paint on paper. Probably watercolors, I don't exactly remember. He asked me if we could paint with coffee. I was about to reply with a negative, meaning most probably 'No, you little rascal, you cannot waste mine.'

But then I thought about it, immediately knew that I would be trying it for the next few days or weeks ans told him we could try and make another cup later and then paint some.

On the following weekend I made the image that you see on top of the article and my fiancee, experienced artist Silviya Shoseva, made the one that follows - a cleaner job by far:

Since I love both her and minimalism, I couldn't help but put it on my wall where it still stands. Actually, I've changed walls between then and now.

It turned out to be a very nice meditative exercise for me during the following few weeks.

I have to admit, when it comes to drawing or painting I am shy and reluctant to show my results but since I am writing about going over rejection (my own in the first place), why not?

It was all exercise, using favorite sketches or artworks as references, in a field where I don't have the time to get much better, anyway. But why not? Who knows where I will be in a few years? Maybe I will have all the time in the world to waste more good coffee and paper just to satisfy my soul. Maybe something good will come out of it.

Maybe some good artist among you will get inspired and do great stuff... Why not?

And also I thought I should start returning the favors and give away some of my work as free references to unknown artists. Those can be found on my recently made Patreon profile at https://www.patreon.com/manoldonchev - visit the featured tags Reference and/or Free Content by clicking on them below my Goals on the left. Some of the references will be free and some of the free content will be references. They are few now but in a few months there will be more.

Since I am all crazy about good art being produced I have made it my purpose to support that in ways that I find.

Which includes this platform. And I am happy that I was able o find more than expected. To connect to distant people and ideas and to witness the birth or growth of communities.

My latest discovery fits the topic of this article quite well. The #freewrite who were kind enough to make me feel welcome as a new member. And who have projects that could help you get out of the box. Read on, visit any of the links below and you will know what I am talking about.

.....

Did I need coffee
Or simply adopted it
A measure for time

This is my suggestion to @vdux - I think coffee, but maybe time is also not a bad idea. Maybe they were done before, maybe we could repeat them at some point. Learn about the project here:
https://steemit.com/contest/@vdux/the-one-haiku-contest-you-cannot-miss

Other freewrite projects:

https://steemit.com/contest/@freewritehouse/week-26-win-a-membership-in-steem-basic-income-tell-us-about-a-favorite-freewrite by @freewritehouse

https://steemit.com/challenge/@jayna/new50-wordshortstorychallenge-izk1rtmnh1 by @jayna

https://steemit.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/day-348-5-minute-freewrite-wednesday-prompt-vinyl by @mariannewest

Writing may not be your personal passion but it we all have the tools to do it so you can just take it as practice. Those challenges above are all designed to train your creativity and to help you meet other creative people. Of all the people I met on the platform before last week, the first one I can think of inviting to any of these is @tarazkp. Maybe he has history with the #freewrite community, I don't know.

I think I will be connecting to artists' and musicians' communities as well and I will even try to increase the bond between them in the future. More people may connect and write songs or draw illustrations for others. And we are given a currency to flow between us.

I just think 'Why Not?' It's up to all of us ('all of us' was previously 'the rest of you' - I think I've just upgraded my own soul).

Yours,

Manol

#art #writing #community #freewrite

8 years ago in #creativity by manoldonchev (69)

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tarazkp (80) 8 years ago

The coffee has a great feel to it but at 3pm and just about to get my first cup, I won't be using mine to paint with today.

Firstly, a short story.

My father was an artist from Malaysia (born in 1936). He was a finger painter in oils because brushes were expensive and hard to come by during the war years but by the age of 12, was getting paid to paint murals for movie openings. His art allowed him to emigrate to Australia during the 'white only' policy period. There, the reports about lead-based oil pants and health risks came out so first switched to brush and then due to price and access, he later switched to acrylic. Acrylic obviously dries much faster so he had to change his entire style of painting. He never forgot how to finger paint though.

We innovate ourselves on what we have available to us and these days, we have a massive amount available.

Secondly, creativity can definitely be trained and like you say, all that really needs to be discovered is what boxes we confine ourselves to and then, working out ways to deconstruct the walls. Know thy self, know thy chains.

Thirdly. Almost everything I do is a freewrite posted just after I write it. I am not a great planner for the future, I am more a thinker upon it. I am not part of any writing community but try to keep my eye on the material that pours out of there to support from time to time. Out of the 50 word story prompts I have seen some brilliant material.

What I like about the free-writes and fast-writes is that people can't help but explore themselves and I have watched as some who thought they would never be writers have blossomed into just that. This is what the content world is going to be, our content and talents rewarded by us the community, directly.

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manoldonchev (69) 8 years ago

Thank you for replying :) I enjoy most of what i read from you so I don't have to even wish you 'keep being yourself', because you will, anyway. But I still do. Wish well to you and anybody who does the same.

Now it's time for me to read more and write less. Still, I am new and I enjoy trying those new challenges. They really show me different perspectives.

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blanchy (65) 8 years ago

Those paintings are class! And made with coffee! That’s just nuts 😂😂😂. But I bet they smell great!

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manoldonchev (69) 8 years ago

Thank you :) Actually I'd rather have them without the smell of dried coffee. But what can one do... maybe avoid sticking your nose into it.

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blanchy (65) 8 years ago

😂😂😂.

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jayna (69) 8 years ago

Thank you for the mention, @manoldonchev! I’m always happy to see exposure for #fiftywords.

I love your artwork (and your fiancé’s), and find the discussion of whether or not creativity can be trained to be super interesting. I have thought about it a lot and am a bit of a fence sitter on that one. Art in all its forms is so complex. There is the desire to create, and the native predisposition of the creator, as well as an ability (or lack thereof) to listen, understand, and apply the techniques. All of that is at play. Which leads me to the conclusion that there isn’t a universal answer. Can “one” be taught? I think it depends on who that someone is. At the end of the day, I believe anyone can be taught to play the piano respectably, but no one can be taught to be a prodigy or a Mozart.

That said, many of us, with a combination of skill and drive, can achieve wonderful things creatively. And there is such joy in the pursuit!

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manoldonchev (69) 8 years ago

I also thank you! I plan on joining those #fiftywords challenges but I need... concentration. And some more time.

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