The Creative “I” — Defining Creativity

• What do you do for a living?
• Do you consider yourself creative?
• How would you define creativity?
• Can you talk about your creative process?
• What does creativity mean to you?
• How does creativity affect your life

It was no problem deciding who I wanted to interview for this assignment. It just so happens that I am going to marry the most creative person I know. My fiancé Chris Bursley is a talent musician, teacher and composer. Chris defined creativity as “coming up with a non conventional solution to solve a problem” and “thinking outside of the box while using materials in a unique way”. When it came to defining his creative process he struggled. He said that often gets asked that questions and finds it difficult to answer. Personally speaking, Chris’ personality type is unorganized and off the cuff. He said that rather than having a conventional organized process he really use more of a prep method. By becoming aware of trends, music theory and styles he can be more flexible with the process. He finds that sometimes having a plan can sometimes stifle his creativity. Another great thing Chris said was “Creativity isn’t always about making something new”. Chris enjoys “reusing something that already exists and changing the way we look at it or hear it”. When I asked Chris what creativity means to him he replied “Creativity is my form of expression. It is a release, a rush and very exciting.” The last question I asked Chris was; How does creativity affect your life? His reply was sharply “a pain in the butt!” I asked him if he ever feels pressure to be creative or have a stunning creation and he simply replied “Nope.” Chris ended with “Creativity is a huge source of pride for me. Sometimes I get the best ideas in the most inconvenient places and have to hope I can remember it later, sometimes it ends up being a lost idea. If it weren't for the idea of creativity...I don’t know what I would do.”

I think what I took away most from mostly the interview and somewhat of the reading is a better personal definition and understanding of creativity. I view creativity as a muscle. Being creative is being able to access or engage that muscle to be innovative. The more we practice engaging that muscle the more efficient we will become in accessing our creative juices and producing a quality product. I was so happy to learn that Chris had a non process for his creative process. I too often go in without a plan. I do find that it holds me back and prevents me from exploring different avenues. I also find being creative can be exhausting. Unfortunately depending on my job at the time or the project I am working on, how creative I am and how I execute the performance of that muscle is directly related to my livelihood. I need to learn how to not only more easily access my creative muscle to utilize its talents but I also need to disassociate the pressure somehow. The pressure is stifling and stressful. I have learned a few things in this class already that have helped me such as the perceiving assignment. I now know how to take some time to look at what was and then redefine it in my own way.