The problem with being creative is that sometimes you just can’t be creative anymore.
In the past on this blog, I’ve talked about quotes, mind blowing thoughts, and just random tidbits of knowledge. I find all these things to be interesting and engaging. Sometimes I just think your mind must be in motion at all times to come across what I like to call the “wow factor.” By this I mean when you stumble upon those thoughts that just make you question everything you used to think. These “wow factors” are what add to my inspiration. The problem with this is that sometimes, there’s a problem. These free-flowing thoughts just halt. It is in that moment that I become lost. Some people see it as an artists block, in my mind it looks a little differently. In my mind when this happens, it is as if Atlas accidently sneezes as he’s holding the world and for a moment my world is in complete and utter chaos. Why is this? Because for the creative person, this is a death sentence. But running out of ideas isn’t the only challenge artist face. In my major which is visual communications (AKA graphic design), I’m getting a bachelor of fine arts. Every class I take is in the realm of imagination and creativity. Now don’t get me wrong, I know I’m not wired to do anything else, but I wanted to take a few moments to explain what I feel like a lot of people in the world don’t understand about creative people. So fasten your seatbelt and hop onto the soapbox rollercoaster of an fine arts major.
1. People think you have it easy.
So many people think that living in the art department, life is filled with listening to music, creativity, and spontaneity. I’ve been told so many times this. They think that because we are BFA majors, we don’t necessarily have fixed deadlines (ie the phrase “you can’t rush art”), that we get good grades because all art is a matter of opinion, and finally that we don’t have to study or work in the same way other college students do. To answer that question all I need say is this. We have deadlines just like any other student. We also study just like any other student (for example, I get to study the history of art and graphic design, I get to memorize and recognize fonts, and I have to take test remembering dates, timeframes, art movements). We also get graded on skill, not just effort. Those that are more talented can put in less time and still get a better grade, just as those who naturally understand a subject like history or science may not study for a test and still get a better grade than their classmates that studied 3 times what they did.
2. Art majors are stereotyped
People think that to be an artist you must be strange or weird. And yes, for the most part, we are weird. Who isn’t? I have been surrounded by enough art majors to know that you can normally pick them out of a crowd. But if you actually sit down and talk to them, with an open mind, you find that they really are unique individuals with an interesting perspective. Personally, I find that someone who thinks and acts differently than me, really makes me question and know who I am and why I think the way I do. One final thing I have to add to that, not all art majors sit around drawing anime all day, wearing odd clothing. We are all different just like any other body of students within the same major.
3. Sometimes you just can’t be creative anymore
The final and most important problem creative people have is when you just cannot create anymore. Sometimes you just cant! For example, every class I take revolves around the creative process. Therefore for each class I take, we are constantly getting a new project proposal in which we must figure out the best and most creative solution. With a project of this nature for every class, sometimes your mind feels overloaded. On top of that, I work in the library creating all graphics, displays, coming up with ways to get ideas across in videos and online. I also do free-lace work to earn extra money on the side and for each client, I must put my best foot forward to give them a unique and interesting design that pleases them. To top it off, I draw the comic for every school newspaper. To put it simply, my life revolves around constantly coming up with new, entertaining ideas. And sometimes, I just have to do so much that I just run out. It is in moments like this that feel overwhelmed. I’ll sit up at night, trying to sleep, all the while trying to think of another solution, a better one than I have.
Here’s the beauty of it all, when I take a step back and relax. When I just sit down and enjoy myself, see some of my friends, talk for a little bit about nothing, when I just watch TV. Suddenly it’ll just come back, because sometimes the things that inspire you to be creative are the little things. The things that don’t always have the “wow factor.” Sometimes its the little things that become the big things. And inspiration is everywhere.
bluetoadfrog 