The worst thing for creativity is NOT silence, the stillness of body or mind, nor procrastination.
The worst things for creativity are:
- Comparing yourself to other people and thinking that they have it all while you have not-as-much.
- Complaining and whining, coming from a place of lack of ideas.
- Thinking you’re not good enough and your art isn’t worthy of other people’s attention.
Just the thought of these things takes my creative energy away.
I have often thought about the quote from Jean-Paul Sartre stating: “l’enfer – c’est les autres” or “hell is other people.” It’s not only inside ourselves that our creativity lies but also outside of us as well. If you’ve studied Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s book “Creativity”, you’ll find out that our surroundings and our society have a huge effect on our creativity, and whether or not something is deemed creative at all.
I recommend the Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi book on creativity because it shows that there are two sides to creativity: creating and perception of the created.
Is creativity changing because we are more connected?
I believe that the perception of creativity is changing all the time. Through the Internet, our art is becoming visible to a lot of people who wouldn’t be able to see it any other way. Simply because the Internet makes it easier to search for. This leads to more possibilities to find a niche. More possibilities to connect with people who would love your art.