Is “creativity” a symptom of your brain searching for something interesting to do? Does intense, focused work sap your brain of the desire or the impetus to create? I’m curious about others’ experience.You've heard this from me before, so this is really for the others reading your LJ
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Well, I guess the proof of the hypothesis would be testing it by putting myself into a non-stressful situation. My experience of that during my unemployment was that it really didn't help much, but that could have been exacerbated by all the work I was doing in graphic design school at the time.
Dunno. I just thought I'd share the idea that "creativity" might just be an expression of one's brain's nervous energy. I don't think it's entirely accurate, but it was an interesting idea.
I don't see exactly that effect. When I'm in crunch, even if it's fairly intense, I'm still able to write. If it also has emotional stress such as abusive relationships with coworkers or worries about layoffs at the end of the crunch, I have to give myself a break from writing.
The second kind of stress is what I turn to SCA fighting or (when we were working together) Aikido to deal with.
Huh. You're very structured about how you write, though, aren't you, with word-count goals and such? What's it like to come home at 11pm for the third night in a row and face the keyboard? What inspires you to undertake that additional effort of writing, when your mind and body just want to shut down after a stressful week? And why do I find it so much easier to put hands to keys to write LJ posts than fiction?
Re reading for fun: depends on what you mean by "fun". I don't think I read for "fun" much. When I read before bed, it's 99% nonfiction; purpose-driven stuff like photography technique or blackjack guides or Buddhist stuff. 99% of my fiction reading is occupied by the stories I have to crit for DargonZine, which is usually more work than pleasure, believe me, especially when you're reading the seventh draft of an amateurish story. In fact, last night I finished the only real non-Dargon fiction I've read in over a year. The only fiction I read for pleasure: Pratchett, sadly.
Hm. I definitely know what you're talking about, though I find your conclusions kind of... odd. I don't think creativity is facilitated by idleness. In fact, my personal experience is just the opposite
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I think momentum is a key concept for me related to this topic. I think that creativity begets more creativity. Same with idleness, stress, etc. As iniren pointed out, you need a balanced mind (and a rested mind). Often the stressful lifestyle doesn't provide that.
On the few occasions where I've felt my work really challenged me creatively, I've found lots of energy for other creative pursuits.
Hmmm. I hadn't really thought of that, but perhaps it makes sense. I think I had some of that momentum during art school. And I think my writing career has also been of that streaky nature. I'll think about that one some more.
Well, that's why I posted it. If I were just whining about not having the time or energy, that wouldn't be a very interesting post. But the idea that creativity is just your brain's expression of "nervous energy" is at least thoughtful, if not exactly the formula for world peace
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If you feel weak and drained and exhausted all the time, unmotivated to engage in imaginative pursuits, then perhaps you suffer from the bite of the Creativity Vampire!
But really, I'd say that if you had a creative project that you were truly excited or passionate about, you'd look forward to coming home and working on it, even a little bit. I would submit that you're just as creative as you always were, but that the well of your imagination has run dry. You must refresh it with the blood of tyrants and patriots ... or is that the Tree of Liberty? :-)
Anyway, if you feel off-track, then seek out new sources of inspiration. Actively keep your mind open for ideas. It's much easier to be creative if you're doing something you want to, less so if you have to!
I dunno. I've got a couple stories that I'd dearly love to see written, but it just doesn't happen. But then the same is true of photography, or a book project (not writing) I'm working on, or redesigns of the DZ or Ornoth web sites... There's a lot of stuff that I really want to do, but the energy doesn't come. I'm by nature a laid-back, restful person, I think, and I don't seem to get enough of that, with my insanely stressful career, so the personal life kind of never materializes. (And, ironically, it's the career that gives me access to the technical and creative skills and tools I need to so many of those things.)
Maybe I just need to wait for retirement or something. Or give up cycling. Humph.
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Dunno. I just thought I'd share the idea that "creativity" might just be an expression of one's brain's nervous energy. I don't think it's entirely accurate, but it was an interesting idea.
Thanks for the response!
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The second kind of stress is what I turn to SCA fighting or (when we were working together) Aikido to deal with.
Do you ever get too stressed to read for fun?
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Re reading for fun: depends on what you mean by "fun". I don't think I read for "fun" much. When I read before bed, it's 99% nonfiction; purpose-driven stuff like photography technique or blackjack guides or Buddhist stuff. 99% of my fiction reading is occupied by the stories I have to crit for DargonZine, which is usually more work than pleasure, believe me, especially when you're reading the seventh draft of an amateurish story. In fact, last night I finished the only real non-Dargon fiction I've read in over a year. The only fiction I read for pleasure: Pratchett, sadly.
Thanks for the thotz!
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On the few occasions where I've felt my work really challenged me creatively, I've found lots of energy for other creative pursuits.
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But really, I'd say that if you had a creative project that you were truly excited or passionate about, you'd look forward to coming home and working on it, even a little bit. I would submit that you're just as creative as you always were, but that the well of your imagination has run dry. You must refresh it with the blood of tyrants and patriots ... or is that the Tree of Liberty? :-)
Anyway, if you feel off-track, then seek out new sources of inspiration. Actively keep your mind open for ideas. It's much easier to be creative if you're doing something you want to, less so if you have to!
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Maybe I just need to wait for retirement or something. Or give up cycling. Humph.
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