I swear, sometimes my life feels like an episode of Seinfeld.
I'm in the car on the way home from that pottery class I told you about. It was fun but not as productive as I had hoped. You know, James bought me the pack of 4 classes to help me make new friends since we moved (super sweet).
But I show up to this class all bright hair and ready to make some new friends, only to find out I am literally the only person in the class.
Which I mean ~cool personal pottery class~ but not exactly what I was going for. Anyways… the teacher is really nice and I’m still happy to be taking the class.
There’s something so satisfying about making something with your hands, taking a big lumpy ball of clay or dough and turning it into something useful (like an ashtray or bagels).
Whether you label yourself as creative or not...
Everybody on earth is creative, regardless of your occupation or self doubt.
This misconception of creative people vs. non-creative people is made up because we all want an easy one-size-fits-all answer.
To fit ourselves into a category so we can look to others and be like “hey do you have any idea wtf is going on?”.
And when I think about it, like most things in life, that one-size-fits-all approach might get you things like the world-wide blanket sensation we know as the Snuggy, but it won’t come in that handy all year round.
But really, the approach to unlocking creativity in anyone is dependent on their interests, skill set, learning and communication styles which are all different and evolve for each individual (for real, thank god I’m not the same person I was in high school).
Remember our 10th grade art teacher and his obsession with puppets? Nice guy, strange hobbies, but I remember him always gesturing broadly to the room and saying shit like
“creativity is everywhere.”
Until I went to MassArt I was like
“okay puppet-man just tell me how to draw better”
But after leaving art school and now working in tech I see what he meant.
I’ve seen spreadsheets that are just as beautiful as masterpiece at the Louvre. I mean, have you seen how small the Mona Lisa is in real life?
Any who…
Work is okay. I love what I do, really!
But there’s something about being in a marketing role that can be so lonely (and no it’s not just because I’m isolated on the other side of the country away from all my friends and family).
Honestly, it’s weird to say but most days I feel like big bird. You’ve seen that meme of big bird right?
Sitting there around a conference table of white dudes with my big yellow feathers, squeezing myself into one of those dumb office chairs that squeak no matter how damn expensive they are, sitting around a table of super smart people who have a way more impressive backgrounds than me — my art degree looks like Sesame Street compared to their ivy league degrees (aka Coolsville).
But for the same reason I squirm my feathers in my squeaky office chair, I think this impostor syndrome could maybe work to my advantage.
I like to think of myself as a communicator or translator. Highlighting and communicating varying perspectives in order to achieve a mission or vision. And it made me realize that bringing new perspectives to light is not only something I’m passionate about, but my superpower. Sensitivity is my superpower.
Saying that reminded me of this quote I saw on one of those cringe Homegoods signs your mom would buy:
“Beware of artists. They mix with all classes of society and are therefore most dangerous.” — Queen Victoria
Replace the word “artists” with creative, marketer, creator or whatever, and you’ll realize that it’s not that the “artist” truly fits every class of society, but that they are able to create work and communicate a message that resonates broadly.
This is because they look to understand and empathize with each group of people, understand their pain and represent it, which at the core is sensitivity in action. I wonder why people say the phrase social butterfly when really you want to be like a social chameleon, ha!
Had to call you before these thoughts escaped me. Wish me better luck at my next pottery class and let me know what you think; am I on to something or have I been watching too much of The Crown? Gotta go, pulling into the driveway now. Chat soon, bye!
Everybody's Creative | Sorry I Missed You (1)