Creativity

Rant.
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A friend of mine said something very curious to me today. We were discussing our writing and all the poems & stories we have created, when she said:

"I don't think I'm a good writer. I have no creativity. I think it's the same for a lot of people who don't write. If you have no creativity then you won't be a good writer, you know?"

This to me was an incredibly ignorant thing to say, though I understood her point of view.

We suffer from a lot of mental blocks. They often bring our creativity to a sudden halt and for writers, this can be fatal to what we do. However, to say that you have zero creativity is simply not true.

Humans create. It is something we all do. Our entire purpose, the very meaning of our existence, is to first experience, and then to create.

Everything around us floods inspiration for creativity. Often, it is only a minor influence, but occasionally the inspiration will be so large that it will drive us to do something with it. It is in our nature as human beings.

In the case of my friend, she believes herself to lack creativity due to thinking her writing is not original enough and because she struggles with new ideas.

I suffer from the exact same problem. Often, as many of you already know, I can go for long periods of time without writing anything, and it's all down to writer's block. I struggle with coming up with ideas and plots. I always wish for my posts to have some kind of purpose, thought or meaning. I can't write simple poems or stories, it's just not what I do. This can be an incredibly slow process and often I come to the conclusion that I am just a terrible writer. I get lost in the writer's block and try too hard to think up an idea, rather than letting it come to me first.

Yet, to say that I have no creativity because of this, would not be true. That is the thought process I believe my friend to be going through.

Many people share the same thoughts as her and to them I ask, "What drove you to that conclusion?"

I bet the immediate answer would be that they can't draw, or write. That because of this, they have no obvious form of creativity.

Creativity comes in many forms.

Just because you can't write or draw, doesn't mean you do not possess it. You could be a great mathematician, a scientist, a businessman, teacher or designer. Creativity is required for these things as well, not just art.

You adapt creativity from that around you. When you hear, see, smell, taste or touch something in the world that triggers an idea, that is creativity. It may not be a blatantly obvious inspiration, but it is there all the same.

If you are aware of this, then inspiration can always be found. You will begin to notice things that inspire you and this will create a pattern. You'll see ideas everywhere, and these will all point to similar things, creating the pattern. As long as you trust in your own creativity, being aware of this will act as a catalyst for new ideas.

To deny yourself of creativity, is to deny yourself of humanity. Everyone has limitless creativity. We create our own limits with the way we think. If you tell yourself you have no creativity, it will become true.

You are creative. Do not ever tell yourself otherwise. You must get rid of all your delusions in order to see it. Become aware that your creativity is in fact, natural and a part of you. Tear down the barriers you have set up in your mind, and creativity will surely be found.

Creativity is required to become a good writer. My friend was right about that. Thankfully, that is something we all possess. Creativity comes with being human.