Lockdown got me thinking.

Do people think that creativity is only for certain individuals? That because they aren't arty, they aren’t creative? I have heard on many occasions from individuals that they will never have designer abilities because they never did art. Creativity is defined as ‘the use of imagination or original ideas to create something’ in other words, inventing new thoughts/ ideas through problem-solving and vision. I believe everyone is creative in their own way, each individual on this planet has different interests, hobbies, and passions. You can be creative in business and play. Problem-solving, brainstorming, design, are all forms of creativity. Allowing your mind to wander and to release the pressure from doubting your thoughts. The reason people struggle initially to brainstorm and come up with ideas is that they doubt their minds potential, they pre-empt the fact that they won’t be able to come up with 100 ideas on how to solve something, and yet if they didn’t have that expectation in the first place, they would be able to get those 100 ideas in a minute.

Doubting is a huge factor as to why people don’t trust their abilities, don’t believe they are good enough to generate endless ideas. The secret (which isn’t so much a secret) is to be free of pressure, if there is pressure then you force the ideas, this makes it harder to concentrate and also harder to work with long-term down the track of ideation. If you are peaceful and calm, things will flow naturally and I 100% believe this theory. I am not sure this is a theory, but I truly believe this is how creativity blossoms.

For those out there that are too hard on themselves, you need to step back and take a breather. If all individuals believed in their abilities, then we would have a lot more confident creatives out there.

As soon as New Zealand went into Level 4 Lockdown 2 days ago, the first thing I thought of was buying art materials to start new projects. I wanted to take the opportunity to get active with design and to allow myself to be at peace with art, to get crafty with different materials, and to try new things.

I wasn’t thinking of posting this as these were my late-night thoughts around what creativity was and what it meant to me, but I thought I would take the opportunity to get people to think about themselves, to question if they had ever doubted their abilities. I think too many people nowadays are scared of getting creative and allowing their minds to wander. I will tell you now, creativity brings peace of mind, it is just you and the art you are making, I can also tell you; if you were to design something and be were present, you would feel content afterward. Whether it is through dance, music, crafts, or even imagery you will be at peace from negativity and time. I encourage all those who are in lockdown, or even if you aren’t to try something different. Something that requires your brain to be present and free, trust me when I say you will feel so much better afterward. Getting out of your comfort zone and thinking differently will open new avenues of thoughts, techniques, and habits. If you have always wanted to try to make clay vases, then try it. If you have always wanted to try salsa dancing, then try it. You never know what you might find when diving into creativity, you may even like knitting!

In closing, I want to acknowledge that we are all creatives! No matter what you are into or what you do for a job, you can all be creative. Take the pressure off your minds, breath, and enjoy the ideation period because you never know where it will take you.