The Creative Habit

Because I’ve embarked on a journey to rediscover photography and writing in this new, all-kids-in-school-phase of my life, I’ve been thinking about creativity a lot lately.  Can talent be created, or is it already there, magically appearing like a genie beckoned with a simple rub on a golden bottle?  Can creativity be taught?  Can you teach a person to be an artist?  Can a person teach herself a creative skill?  Is it possible to remember things you learned in college before you had children?

I do not have answers to all of these questions. Yet. But, so far I can tell you that developing creativity boils down to a simple equation. 

Input=Output  

So if you want to be an artist or a photographer a writer, a musician, or a dancer, it follows that you should surround yourself with good art, photographers that you admire and want to emulate, writers that inspire you with their words, musicians who play with their heart, and dancers who move to the beat of their own drum.

In other words, what you put into your brain will come out of it in some form or another.  I found this to be true with writing. I need to read good work in order to attempt to write good work myself. The same goes for visual art.  I have to look at fine examples of paintings and photographs to remind my eyes to see good light and to compose elements within a frame.

But I don’t just read, and I don’t just look at examples.  I study them.  I look at how the artist crafts his work.  I ask questions.  How did this photographer light her subject?  How did he compose this picture? How could she have connected with the subject?  What is this artist’s view of the world? What did this writer bring to the piece from his own experience?  How did she structure this piece and why?  What is the sentence structure, how is the length varied, what is the tempo and why did the writer choose that beat? 

There’s a misconception that artists are born geniuses and don’t have to work at it.  That’s why it was a relief to read a book by modern dancer Twyla Tharp entitled The Creative Habit:  Learn it and Use It for Life.  Tharp shows her readers that you can’t just wake up and expect creativity to happen.  You have to work at it. 

Case in point:  Mozart.

Do you remember the film Amadeus?  In that movie, Hollywood portrays Mozart as a “gifted and undisciplined genius who writes as though touched by the hand of God.”

But Twyla Tharp writes,

“Of course, this is hogwash. There are no "natural" geniuses. Mozart was his father's son. Leopold Mozart had gone through an arduous education, not just in music, but also in philosophy and religion; he was a sophisticated, broad-thinking man, famous throughout Europe as a composer and pedagogue. This is not news to music lovers. Leopold had a massive influence on his young son. I question how much of a "natural" this young boy was.

Leopold taught the young Wolfgang everything about music…He saw to it that the boy was exposed to everyone in Europe who was writing good music or could be of use in Wolfgang's musical development. Destiny, quite often, is a determined parent. Mozart was hardly some naive prodigy who sat down at the keyboard and, with God whispering in his ears, let the music flow from his fingertips.

Nobody worked harder than Mozart. By the time he was twenty-eight years old, his hands were deformed because of all the hours he had spent practicing, performing, and gripping a quill pen to compose. That's the missing element in the popular portrait of Mozart. Certainly, he had a gift that set him apart from others…Still, few people, even those hugely gifted, are capable of the application and focus that Mozart displayed throughout his short life. …Mozart's focus was fierce; it had to be for him to deliver the music he did in his relatively short life, under the conditions he endured, writing in coaches and delivering scores just before the curtain went up, dealing with the distractions of raising a family and the constant need for money. Whatever scope and grandeur you attach to Mozart's musical gift, his so-called genius, his discipline and work ethic were its equal.

No one can give you your subject matter, your creative content; if they could, it would be their creation and not yours. But there's a process that generates creativity -- and you can learn it. And you can make it habitual.”

Mozart put a lot into his music.  He worked hard at it.  He surrounded himself with musical people.  He studied examples of good music.  He “devoted much time and thought” to his work.  Yes he had a natural affinity for music, but without the “application and focus” he never would have achieved what he did.  His input affected his output, or you could say his output was a direct result of his input. 

Twyla Tharp argues that creativity needs to be nourished to the point of habit.  She writes of devoting time to creativity every day.  So if you want to do creative work, plan for it.  Cultivate it.  Look around you for good examples. Read writing that inspires you. Notice things. Create an inner sanctuary where you can, even for a few minutes, listen to yourself and record your thoughts in whatever form you choose. Soon this practice will become a habit, and your creative juices will flow more freely and more frequently. The creative corner of your mind will wake up yawning and say, “You want to use me again?  I thought you’d never ask.” And you who have always wanted to be an artist will be able to call yourself one and feel that it is true. Because it is. 

Comments

[michelle]

I am developing creativity right now by randomly folding clothes in unique patterns rather than my traditional folds. I try different shots at throwing the diaper into the pail to keep up my athletic skills and you just don't know how I might configure that marble run for my three year old to test his 47 marbles on today. Watch out creative world! I am a Mother today! My painting may come back to me tomorrow as I draw images on the calendar to help my toddler who cannot yet read or to create a responsibility chart to hold my children accountable. : ) I am creative in how I find time for myself while singing one to sleep and nursing another - all while praying in my heart for a little less swelling in my ankles.

[lindy baker]

I think that some people naturally have talent towards something. I'm in baby mode so I'm doing a lot of reading on development. Some babies are stronger physically while others develop faster mentally. However, things can be learned as well. How would you ever know if you were a good dancer if you quit at age 5? Also, when I was dancing all the time it was known that if you danced next to someone in a certain routine you would dance a lot a like. What I'm getting at is I think there is both. I love that you put this into words. I think about this all the time.

[kayla]

I LOVE this POST!!I totally think you can DO ANYTHING if you put your mind to it!!!