Creativity Envy

Creativity Envy

Creativity.

This word holds a lot of power for me; I have always admired and envied the truly creative.

Creativity is defined by Webster's as:

“The ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations”

As a child I always gravitated towards the girls with the artistic talent. When I was in 6th grade, I would always ask my one friend to draw me a picture. This girl was particularly good at drawing caricatures with exaggerated features and big hair etc.

I studied my friend like crazy, but I could never quite replicate her talent. She saw things differently and she was able to translate them into a visual thing on paper in a unique way. I didn’t have that vision or that talent. But I did take away one cool tip from her that I still use today on occasion when I doodle. If you wanna draw the picture of the back of a girl sitting on her butt with her legs crossed Indian style, you can do so. First you draw a “W” then you modify it.

Brilliant Right?!?! I think so at least. I suppose it is a bit formulaic, but it works and gives me a sense of satisfaction. But it is not creativity; it is not a natural flow, it is not transcending a rule, it is following a rule.

Many people today are being creative and it just comes naturally. Take for instance my good friend who makes cakes: birthday and other special occasion cakes. Sounds pretty mundane right, “Oh she’s a baker.” Well in this case “baker” is not an accurate description. In this case my friend is first and foremost a creative. Her specialty is sculpture and her medium is cake(yummy). Essentially, she makes edible sculptures.

Who says cakes have to be simply sheet cakes or layer cakes or bundt cakes?

Where is the rule of the world that defines cakes as those forms?

My friend does a brilliant job of taking a person’s favorite thing or theme and turning it into a three dimensional, fun and interesting (not to mention delicious) cake. Essentially, she applies Webster’s definition of creativity: she transcends traditional ideas, rules, and patterns and makes something incredibly unique and new. She doesn't follow the traditional idea that a cake has to be a sheet cake or a layer cake to be a cake. I admire her creativity and her talent. To see more of her awe-inspiring work, you can go to www.goodgraciouscakes.com.

Then there are those who create something that just makes you say, "Wow! I would have never thought of that!

Take for example this great knitting pattern I found on Etsy. I don’t knit, but boy, now I really wish I did. Who’d of thunk…….a knit frog being dissected!! Brilliant, interesting, educational, visually stimulating – perfectly creative; transcends the traditional idea or knitting (hat, scarf blanket) and makes a frog. Not just any cute little stuffed animal frog , but a natural frog being dissected. Then this artist is creative one more step, she creates a pattern for those of us, who are not creative, to follow. To see more of this artist's inspiration ideas, please log onto the crafty hedgehog.

Now I am not necessarily the most creative person I know, but I do have some creative ability. Unfortunately, I still do not have the artistic ability I so badly crave. So I try to make due with what I have: a computer. I have created a wacky birth announcement using my computer and some great clip art. It’s not fancy and it’s not complicated, but it is funny. This card is tongue-in-cheek and it is creative: it transcends the traditional idea of a baby announcement, which is formal, blue, has no art to speak of, and is completely devoid of humor.

To view more of my funky and vintage-inspired ephemera and other vintage and antique items, you can go to my website FineLine Antiques or my etsy shop.

Then I am always so wowed when someone takes an old and or discarded object and turns it into something totally new. What about this idea....take used plastic bags and make them into something useful!!! The epitome of brilliant creativity - transcending the intended use of an item by making something entirely new from it....trash to treasure.

Look at this, plastics bags crocheted into a water bottle sling with a strap. Water bottle sling made by juani1.

Or this, a gorgeous handled clutch by Legacy.

Well now I am truly inspired to be creative and I think I will stop blogging to go rummage through my things to see what I can do to be creative. Or maybe, better yet, I will just keep searching, admiring and acknowledging all that have accomplished wonderfully creative pursuits.