I was writing about something else for today. But then I read the NYTimes morning newsletter, and I had to respond!
The topic is creativity. There is a longer article that I did not read. The author of that longer piece is quoted in the newsletter, “There’s a definition of creativity that researchers use: generating something novel that is also useful.”
Generating something novel that is also useful.
When did we fully embrace the idea that something has to be useful, in order to have value?
I disagree. I think our most free and creative moments are when we engage with the world spontaneously, through a sense of wonder or joy.
I’m thinking of the amazing sand mandalas that are created and then wiped away. I suppose we could stretch the definition of “useful” to include a lesson in impermanence.
It makes more sense to me to drop the requirement of utility.
A while ago, I wrote about the strict morality of Immanuel Kant. Kant referred to how we interact with other people when he admonished us not to use our interactions as means toward some other end. He would, for example, not approve of striking up a conversation with someone because we think that person might buy something from us at some point. https://open.substack.com/pub/inwardjourney2020/p/immanuel-kant-and-eckhart-tolle?r=1mjt1h&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
It has been useful to me to stretch the concept to almost any activity. Am I walking so that I can get somewhere? Or am I walking because I am reveling in my interaction with the world around me in each step?
This helps me stay more fully present in all my actions.
Back to creativity. To me, creativity implies playfulness. Yes, we may be coming up with something novel, but not as a means to an end. Of course, that type of creativity is important as we strive to solve the problems we confront in Ordinary Reality. But when we tie our activity to some sense of purpose beyond the experience of the present moment, to some evaluation of usefulness, we miss something important: a sense of free expression, the potential to be present with wonder and playfulness as we interact with whatever materials happen to be nearby.
We don’t see two-year-olds scribbling with crayons to create something useful. We see them fully engaged with the process of creating. Someone once told me that this is the essence of much of modern art. It’s not about the artifact. It’s about the process.
Are you willing to step out of the prevailing success-oriented mindset and try some presence, some process, some pure play, and creativity?
Try this. Go outside. Stand in your doorway and look around. When something catches your attention, go over to it. Look at it. Listen to it. Touch it if you want. Play with it. When you feel finished, look around again and go over to the next thing that captures your attention. It may be a leaf, a butterfly, or a patch of sunlight. Engage with it.
Your success-oriented mind will not like doing this. But try to persist for a little while.
Or, pull out some crayons or colored pencils and some paper. Color. Don’t try to draw anything at first. Feel the way the crayon or pencil interacts with the paper. Use some unusual types of paper: an old map, a food wrapper, a cardboard box.
You can go back to your usual life in a few minutes. See if engaging in the process of creativity has any interesting effects on your mood, mindset, or how you perceive the tasks on your to-do list.
Let me know how it goes.
Happy Creating.