(if loving you is wrong), I don’t want to be right – August 2013

Do you ever have that feeling that you’re getting everything wrong?

You keep stuffing up at work, the cat’s gone missing, the pimple on your nose is angry and you’ve just cried in front of your colleagues.

All you want to do is become a Victorian-style hermit; live in a grotto, eat berries and develop your own language based on grunts and clicks.

And most importantly; not make any mistakes, ever again.

Or alternatively, you could channel that erroneous talent into something productive – like the creative process.

Creativity thrives on mistakes. Without it we would never learn, we would never discover new ways of thinking and doing. We would never see the world from a different perspective. We would never have our mind – or our life – changed for the better.

I know it’s hard to let go of control and give ourselves permission to experiment, particularly when we think the world is judging.

But consider the way that toddlers approach life. Their whole learning process is through trial and error. How many 1 year olds have given up on the whole walking thing because they fell down in the park in front of everyone and now they’re just too mortified to try again?

The trick is to understand why and how things happened, and then to build on that experience so that it becomes useful and informative.

So my challenge is to embrace the unexpected, enjoy the mess and fearlessly go back for more.

Getting it wrong in the right way

What’s your story (morning glory)? – April 2013

I’m not sure if I’ve ever explained why I’m here.

Why I’ve been gathering up bits and pieces from my surrounding creative world and posting these stories.

You’re assuredly smarter than me. Please forgive me if you are rolling your eyes and sighing in exasperation ‘Yes, yes we got that ages ago. Now life is busy, so get on with it’.

But I thought it worthwhile to take a moment and to state the obvious.

I believe passionately that creativity is a deeply enriching and vital quality that everyone deserves to have in their life.

Plus I’ve never been terribly good at keeping a secret.

It’s not because I’m maliciously indiscreet or a wilful gossip, but because I find great joy in sharing.  And I’ve long suspected that other people are much more intelligent than me, so I’m compelled to learn from others and pass on their wisdom.

I’ve long considered the question, ‘Why am I creative?’ Slowly I have started to form an answer intuitively felt, but rarely articulated (November 2012).

I’m also interested in hearing what more talented and creative people think.

So if you already know me, please anticipate that I will corner you in some foyer, studio, café, party, lounge room, skype session or office somewhere and ask you this deceptively simple question; ‘How does creativity benefit your life?’

If we have never met and we are separated by geography, anonymity, or my crippling shyness, I am genuinely interested in your thoughts too.

I invite you all to reflect on how you experience creativity, and how it contributes to your life.  Then tell me what you think.

I promise I will share your secret.

Over to you…

Words that save the world – October 2013

I strongly believe in the truth giving properties of baked treats.

That’s why I prefer to approach any conversation with cake. There’s something about warming your hands on a mug of tea with the scent of cinnamon in the air that makes us feel woozy with delight.

Well that, and the opportunity to talk about my favourite subject – creativity.

I was lucky to spend a cosy afternoon with two writers – Lili Wilkinson and Paul Gartside. I got them sugar drunk and tea soaked. And they revealed to me some secrets of their craft.

So if you’ve ever had to stare down a blank page, or wondered how you could make the world a better place, listen on…

connect with Lili:
http://liliwilkinson.com.au

@twitofalili

and keep in touch with Paul:
@mindlessmunkey

Joy to the world – September 2013

I’m more than a little excited about the project in this posting.

This project was a joyful experimentation flavoured with inexperience, ambition, successes, limitations, curiosity, mistakes, imagination and learning.

All covered in another cracking, sweet shell of joy.

Yes, it was the crème brulée of creative projects.

I’ve made a short film (you can click here and watch it now. But if you could wait a sec, I’ve got a bit more to share with you).

Because I’m more interested in celebrating the creative process rather than just the outcome, let me tell you a little about my experience.

Firstly, I was inspired by the artist Simryn Gill to make paper pearls using books that hold meaning for friends. Simryn Gill is astounding and I marvel at the depth of her thoughtful creativity and talent (go on, do a quick search on her work and come back).

Then I made a film on an old smart phone demonstrating how to make a necklace. I used editing software that came with the computer and I learned the technical skills at the school of You Tube tutorials.

The whole house became a percussive instrument as I collected unusual noises for the soundtrack.  I learned where and when is the best place in the house to record clean sound (under the doona, 1am).

I rigged up scaffolding of cake racks and yellow pages and wedged rulers down the backs of couches to get the camera propped at the right angles. And in the middle of Winter, I waited for sunny filming days.

I had a lot of fun, shared many laughs with star performer, Anna, and felt privileged to offer her the pearl piece.

And the whole film itself was a creative process about exploring a creative process.

It’s scruffy, patchy, playful and just perfect.

I invite you to watch my very first film – just click on the image below.

Enjoy.

Tall cakes and true tales: Telia Nevile – September 2013

I’m on a personal mission to articulate why we are creative. It’s easy to feel the answer, just sometimes harder to put into words.

So I think the best, and most delightful, way to do that is to talk to the experts.

So that’s why I’ve left this post to the thoughtful, intelligent tones of artist Telia Nevile.

It’s a podcast, the first in many conversations I’m having with interesting people. We sit down with tea and cake, and chat about how creativity plays a role in their lives.

To listen click here, or below…

You can also find Telia’s work online here:

telianevilephotography.virb.com

interiortheatre.weebly.com