In starting the new year, my thoughts go to goals and resolutions, as I am sure they do for many of you. This year, as with every other year, finding and nurturing creative pursuits is high on my list. Early in January this year, however, my mind turned to how I define creativity.
As I understand it, creativity is bringing together things that have not been brought together before or bringing together things in a new way. This is not restricted to end result and cannot be; in fact, I define that as a separate entity. Being creative and using your hands to express that creativity are both important, but can destroy each other if always linked.
Despite the creative results of something like “Ikea hacking” on a building project, sometimes I just need a table with four (4) chairs, not four (4) low tables with one (1) really high chair.
One may feel the need to be creative while painting on a canvas, another while building a new deck, while yet another while reading and thinking about what they read. Bringing thoughts together on divergent subjects is a creative process as you can create new thoughts and expand on what you had previously understood. I see creativity as the thought process which may or may not result in something concrete whether on a canvas, in my backyard or on a piece of paper.
This year I will continue to seek my creativity and continue to explore the diversity of life.
Beware the perilous rapture of shrinking your world to the tribe of the saved, the cheerleading good guys who brandish the same slogans, curse the same enemies, thrill to the same saints” ~Todd Gitlin
Thank you for reading.
Craig Sellars is a passionate Canadian public servant and biologist. Connect with Craig on Twitter @CraigSellars. While he works as a public servant, this is entirely his own initiative and what is post here does not necessarily reflect the view of the government, his office or his position therein.
