Who Says You Can’t Wear Purple Shoes?

Is creativity something we're born with or is it learned?

When I ask my audience how many people think that creativity is learned or something you are born with, I am always amazed at the response. Most think it is something you are born with. I guess in some respects that is true, certainly if you look at the artists in music, theatre, dance, art and all the other areas we consider creative arenas. In the movie Father of the Bride 2 Steve Martin’s character, having just been told that he is about to become a father again in midlife, screams at the doctor that men his age don’t become fathers. When the doctor informs him that Picasso fathered a child in his seventies he screams: “But he’s an artist! Artists can do whatever they want to do!”
We are all artists of our own lives. We are all blessed with a creative spirit and that gift can be used to paint the creative life we want to enjoy. I also believe that we all have untapped potential and the ability to unleash our creativity if we have the desire to do so. Creativity is like a muscle and must be used or it will atrophy. Most people don’t know how to tap that creative spout. Sometimes just trusting your intuition serves to empower your creative side.
We could virtually do away with problem-solving and conflict resolution if we just developed our creativity. Whether in the classroom, the boardroom or even the bedroom for that matter, creativity wins. Joseph Chilton Pierce once said, "To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong."
Of course there are the obvious ways to develop it such as reading books on the subject, listening to tapes, attending seminars and all the other standard ways. Then again, that wouldn't be very creative would it? I think that everyday we have opportunities to test, to challenge, to grow and to build our creative muscle if we just open our mind to what Zig Ziglar coined as "possibility thinking."
Sometimes we need to look at life from a “what if” standpoint and act accordingly. Our best solutions come from our ability to stretch the parameters of our comfort zone and live or else at least “visit” outside the box. I remember a creativity program I was doing at a hospital in Canada; one of the participants named Mary was having a great deal of difficulty in exercising her creativity. She shared the following story with the group:
When Mary was in elementary school the teacher asked the class to draw a picture of a house during a blizzard. When the teacher was correcting the papers she gave Mary an F on her paper. When Mary questioned the teacher she replied that the paper was blank and therefore she got an F for not participating. However, in Mary's young creative mind, she had done exactly as she was instructed. Mary was not trying to be a wise guy or avoid the assignment. In Mary's eyes the blank page was her way of seeing the blizzard, that everything was covered by the white snow. From that day on Mary never tried to see things as she saw them but always as she was supposed to see them. What a shame.
We often take an uninhibited child and tell them to stay off the grass, color between the lines, paint by numbers and then we wonder why we have so many creatively constipated adults. My favorite teachers were the ones who inspired me with the opportunities to work outside the lines. The ones themselves who deviated from the curriculum far enough to keep the students engaged and challenged and close enough to keep the powers that be satisfied.
Here are some ways to foster your closet creativity:

• Think like a child
• Travel – experience new culture, languages, people, food, arts
• Analyze your dreams
• Try new things - hobbies, movies, sports, books
• Expose yourself to diverse cultural interestS - opera, ballet, theatre
• Listen to different types of music - classical, country, soul
• Visit museums, aquariums, exhibits, country fairs
• Read about famous characters, people who inspire you
• Hand out with eccentric people (yes, that would be me!)

After a defining moment in my life I decided to live as fully and as creatively as I possibly could. Yes, even wearing purple shoes. I am Grey Poupon in a yellow mustard world! I believe it has afforded me opportunities far beyond those who always play it safe and by the rules. To me, life's only rule is that there are no rules. Perhaps that's why I am a serial entrepreneur. My mantra is “Be outrageous, it’s the only place that isn’t crowded."
My son Jason has grown to be a creative person in life and in spirit. Even as a young child it is a trait to be nurtured. Sometimes it is frustrating for those who must bear the brunt of our curiosity. His teachers always found him "challenging." I believe it is a great strength to be curious, to be searching for the less obvious as long as it provides us with a basis for growth and does not stifle. To be creative, to take risks, to challenge the mundane, to me is to have a sense of self. To not do what is always done, to not follow the pack, to be curious is in itself the essence of creativity. Be a maverick.
I believe words are a stepping stone to the “whys” of life. I like to think of myself as a wordsmith. I went from dance choreographer to word choreographer. Jason has taken it one step further, he memorizes his word a day calendar and uses them, as he is a proponent of continuous learning. Creativity takes effort.
Be the salmon…swim upstream. Be the contrarian.
Creativity is, can be and should be fun. Use your “what if” mentality, challenge the status quo. Be observant and use every opportunity to break the rules. Alright, alright...start by just bending a few.
Wear purple shoes!