41–50 of 116 posts
I am one of these highly creative types, and I would say I do not understand my biology. After my PhD@MIT I joined the materials industry and filed over 120 patents in nine years. I definitely did not expect this to happen, and I have no idea where the ideas come from. I’ll just be doing my routine lab work and get showered with ideas occasionally. Edit: Someone below mentioned schizophrenia and its association, and…
I am one of these highly creative types, and I would say I do not understand my biology. After my PhD@MIT I joined the materials industry and filed over 120 patents in nine years. I definitely did not expect this to happen, and I have no idea where the ideas come from. I’ll just be doing my routine lab work and get showered with ideas occasionally. Edit: Someone below mentioned schizophrenia and its association, and…
IME music written this way feels more organic and natural vs 'trying' to write a song over a long time period
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I’m right there with you. I thought I wasn’t creative. The magic insight was that you just start doing the thing and creativity comes as part of the process. Don’t know how to start? Just start and the process automatically becomes breaking down the task into thousands of tiny parts that you then just do.
> the process automatically becomes breaking down the task into thousands of tiny parts One way I categorise artists I have met is engineer-type artists versus discovery-type artists. * engineer-type artists: definite goal. The artist has a defined goal in mind for a piece of art, they plan towards achieving that goal, and they produce their artwork. Learning and creativity within some of the steps. * discovery-type…
As a discovery-type it is sometimes really difficult to work with other people!
I believe that everybody has the capacity to be creative, and those who think they don't are impeded not by a lack of creative spark, but rather by their own inhibitions and belief that they aren't creative. Part of this is cultural; engineers are told by society that an engineer/artist schism exists and incorporate that meme into their self-image, writing off their own ability to be creative. This becomes a self-ful…
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I think you're speaking of interest and motivation, without which you won't try to be creative or hit the gym. But I believe the capability still exists within you, even if you choose to ignore it. Nobody is unable to be an artist because of the way they were born.
I am not sure if this is distinction without difference. A part of being an artist is, for me at least, the drive to do something. Myself, I write quite a lot (in Czech), I have published 7 books so far. I am not claiming to be a big artist, merely a mediocre one, but I notice that I don't really have a choice. I have to write something almost every day, much like a full toilet bowl has to overflow.
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The tenderloin is a neighborhood in San Francisco, one of the most interesting in terms of the street citizenry.
Oh jeez, I thought it was a take on the OP’s mention of neurodiversity within the post.
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I’m right there with you. I thought I wasn’t creative. The magic insight was that you just start doing the thing and creativity comes as part of the process. Don’t know how to start? Just start and the process automatically becomes breaking down the task into thousands of tiny parts that you then just do.
> the process automatically becomes breaking down the task into thousands of tiny parts One way I categorise artists I have met is engineer-type artists versus discovery-type artists. * engineer-type artists: definite goal. The artist has a defined goal in mind for a piece of art, they plan towards achieving that goal, and they produce their artwork. Learning and creativity within some of the steps. * discovery-type…
I lean more towards this engineer mindset, but know plenty of artists who just dive right in and start molding and hacking away. One of the big takeaways that I've gotten from observing them is the importance of just starting. Even if I don't know where I'm headed. If I persist in generating bad ideas I will eventually fall into a creative groove that is rewarding. It might take an hour or more to arrive there, but it happens.
The composer Carla Bley summed up the importance of her daily work routine succinctly in an essay: "If the muse strikes when you're in the kitchen, the best you're going to get is a sandwich."
I believe I also say this sentiment described a while ago in a long-forgotten HN essay. The writer referred to it as AIC: Ass-in-chair methodology. Just sit down and start working.
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I am not sure if this is distinction without difference. A part of being an artist is, for me at least, the drive to do something. Myself, I write quite a lot (in Czech), I have published 7 books so far. I am not claiming to be a big artist, merely a mediocre one, but I notice that I don't really have a choice. I have to write something almost every day, much like a full toilet bowl has to overflow.
There is difference between motivation and aptitude.
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"I believe that everybody has the capacity to be creative" Maybe, but I am almost certain that this capacity is highly unequal. Some people are like walking geysers of inspiration and you cannot suppress them culturally anymore than you can prevent the July sun from baking the sand. Others are decidedly low-voltage even when it comes to private creativity (such as decorating your own home). It is the same with muscle…
I think you're speaking of interest and motivation, without which you won't try to be creative or hit the gym. But I believe the capability still exists within you, even if you choose to ignore it. Nobody is unable to be an artist because of the way they were born.
One of the key indicator of creativity is how they modify their behavior after mass novelty is achieved. It's distinctively a schizoid behavior, where you shun something that becomes widely known or appreciated by "too many ppl". It's knowing esoteric facts/connections that allow neural pathways to discover unbeaten path, however its often not without risks. Many artists/actors/engineers/any line of work really remai…