With the increasing demand for “content” in so many channels of entertainment and other media, are people who write, create illustrations and movies and other artwork highly respected, in high demand and getting great compensation?
Not so much.
According to at least two people in a position to know, the present “system” is far from encouraging of artists.
How does being a mother affect a creative woman, especially someone engaged in a career in the arts?
“The motherhood thing – I think of it like a marathon, except a marathon is over in a day. It’s an endurance test and it’s something you absolutely can’t stop for a second.
“Part of what makes it really cool and interesting is almost anything [besides motherhood] you commit to, you can take a breather.”
Caren McCaleb “is an award winning documentary editor and filmmaker. Her work has shown on PBS, A&E, and at numerous film festivals including Sundance, AFIFest, and the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films.” [From her site: www.carenmccaleb.com]
The image is from a new documentary Lost in Living – “the story of four extraordinary women who share their personal triumphs and struggles as mothers and as artists and who uniquely define for themselves what it means to be a woman in our modern world.” [From statement by Director Mary Trunk.]
“Anxiety is the great silencer of the creative person.” Eric Maisel, PhD
One form of anxiety is so-called writer’s block. This photo is Nicolas Cage as screenwriter Charlie Kaufman in the movie “Adaptation” — a great film about the kinds of insecurities, anxieties and distractions that can so often affect us as creative people.
Therapist and creativity coach Eric Maisel, PhD notes there are many different kinds of anxiety around creative expression, with different symptoms, including procrastination.
Creativity coach Lisa Riley describes a common scene for many creative people facing a blank screen or page or canvas:
“You sit down in front of the computer facing the stark emptiness of your blank screen. Nothing comes to mind.”
She points out, “Feelings of self-doubt, criticism and negative beliefs can produce anxiety around the creative process.”
Continued: To Be More Creative Deal With Anxiety
~~~~~
“If there is one word that makes creative people different from others, it is the word complexity. Instead of being an individual, they are a multitude.”
That is a quote by creativity researcher and author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who describes a number of pairs of “paradoxical” traits exhibited by creative people, such as both convergent and divergent thinking; extroverted and introverted; humble and proud.
See my post The Complexity of the Creative Personality and my SlideShare presentation below.
In his book Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention he makes some interesting comments about evaluating artists using projective tests like the Rorschach (ink blot) or the Thematic Apperception Test. (more…)
“Neither E = mc2 nor Paradise Lost was dashed off by a party animal.”
That is a quote by science journalist Winifred Gallagher, who notes: “The glory of the disposition that stops to consider stimuli rather than rushing to engage with them is its long association with intellectual and artistic achievement.”
Gallagher is quoted by author Susan Cain, who declares: “Without introverts, the world would be devoid of: the theory of gravity; the theory of relativity; W. B. Yeats’s “The Second Coming”; Chopin’s nocturnes; Proust’s In Search of Lost Time; Peter Pan…”
Cain adds that Psychologist Carl Jung noted “There is no such thing as a pure extrovert or a pure introvert. Such a [person] would be in the lunatic asylum.”
Cain says, “This is partly because we are all gloriously complex individuals, but also because there are so many different kinds of introverts and extroverts. Introversion and extroversion interact with our other personality traits and personal histories, producing wildly different kinds of people.
“So if you’re an artistic American guy whose father wished you’d try out for the football team like your rough-and-tumble brothers, you’ll be a very different kind of introvert from, say, a Finnish businesswoman whose parents were lighthouse keepers. (Finland is a famously introverted nation.”
This series of posts offers articles, books and other resources on developing creative thinking and innovation, and enhancing our creative expression.
My other Creative Mind posts, hopefully, do that as well – but these new posts specifically provide brief excerpts of selected material by other authors that have a more “how to” flavor. Feel free to make any comments or suggestions.
Creative Thinking: How to Be More Creative (with Science!)
by Gregory Ciotti
“Have you ever wished you were more creative? If you do creative work, have you ever suffered from a creative block and been stuck wondering what exactly is wrong, and how you can get yourself out of it?”
~~~~~~~~
Can limitations make you more creative? Q&A with artist Phil Hansen
“The theme of transcending constraints and roadblocks was a major theme at TED 2013. While Hansen said in his talk, “Embracing the limitation can actually drive creativity … We need to first be limited in order to become limitless,” filmmaker Martin Villeneuve echoed the sentiment in his talk about making a sci-fi movie for $2 million.”
~~~~~~~~~
The Creativity Summit [Free online program]
Hosted by Dr. Ron Stotts – “16 Top Thought Leaders, Business Experts, & Entrepreneurs Share Their Creative Approach to Ever-Expanding Success and Personal Fulfillment. A no-cost event.”
“We hear phrases like “think outside the box,” but how can we actually do that? It feels like there’s no time to explore. No room for passion. No patience for ideas that don’t conform to what’s already known and accepted.
“This mindset, this culture, this game plan for ‘success’ ends up smothering your greatest asset in achieving the success, wealth, and fulfillment you’ve been dreaming of. So what is that greatest asset? It’s your creativity.”
> For more posts on success and creativity as an entrepreneur, see my sites:
The Inner Entrepreneur and The Inner Entrepreneur / Facebook
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More titles listed in the post:
How to be Creative by Paul Thagard
11 Ways You’re Already Creating Every Day by Kris Emery
Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling by Emma Coats, Pixar’s Story Artist.
Twelve Things You Are Not Taught in Schools About Creative Thinking by Michael Michalko
How To Be More Creative - A List By Gail McMeekin
Read the post: How To Be More Creative
~~~~
Dancer Martha Graham commented:
“No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.”
Another quote on that idea is from Zadie Smith:
“Tell the truth through whichever veil comes to hand — but tell it. Resign yourself to the lifelong sadness that comes from never being satisfied.”
The acclaimed novelist, essayist and short story writer offers more advice on creating in the post Zadie Smith’s 10 Rules of Writing, by Maria Popova.
Smith is among the finalists for the Women’s Prize, known formerly as the Orange Prize, for “NW: A Novel.”
The urge to create, to keep on creating, always seeking the next project, can help fuel achievement – but also dissatisfaction. Perfectionism can also be part of it.
Continued: Never Being Satisfied
~~~~
The Creative Mind provides information and inspiration to enhance creative expression, including quotes by researchers, psychologists and artists, plus resources such as books, programs and articles.
Site author: Douglas Eby, M.A./Psychology, is a writer and researcher on the psychology of creative expression and personal growth, especially for high ability adults. He is publisher of the Talent Development Resources series of sites.Amazon.com Author Page.
Developing Multiple Talents: The personal side of creative expression.
The Creative Mind: Identity and Confidence
Being Highly Sensitive and Creative
