The creative type - non art related

[Shehaub]

All this talk of creativity has really had me thinking about what it means to have a creative mind. We speak of talents and how our creativity encourages us to experiment . The question I have is:
Does your creativity flow into other aspects of your life that are not related to art?

I am talking about how you attack mundane tasks, or deal with problems, or quite simply your daily life. Here is an example of something I do, that I blame on my creative side.

I have teen and preteen age children who have chores to do. Being normal children of their ages, they will try their best to get out of them. Instead of the usual punishment of grounding or yelling or whatever else I have tried in the past, I begin singing. I make little jingles up about how my kids are not doing their chores and go throughout the house singing them, while the kids are begging me to stop. (If you heard my voice and how bad I am, you would understand what a real punishment this really is) It is common to hear one of them say "Oh man.. you need to get your dishes done, because Mom is singing again!"

"Alexis does not do her dishes.. and you know its no surprise...
She spends her time putting makeup.. on her lips and eyes...
Alexis doesnt do her dishes. She worries about her beauty more..
but that isnt going to do her well .. when shes eating off the floor.."

It doesnt really stop there. I have been known to make a pretend fireplace out of paper bags and construction paper so that Santa Clause will have a fireplace to enter our house. I have made gingerbread man shaped biscuits, and various shapes in meatloaf sculpture. When we eat fish, my husband and I talk like seamen.. "Argh Matey!". It makes a pretty boring meal fun.

The point I am trying to make is that often my creative side gives me ways of problem solving that are a little unconventional. I like having the extra "tool" for dealing with daily life. My creativity has been a good friend through some financially tough times. I would have to say that my creative side is one of my best personal traits.

How about you?

[bethg]

well most of the stuff I do is pretty creative.
But maybe this is something not art related...but I can't follow a recipe to save my life....I always think of ways I would like it better (I hadn't tried the original yet..so it's not like I didn't like it in the first place. )
Sometimes my experiments are a great success. Sometimes they are not :)

Also I made the curtains for my house and christmas decorations such as stockings..no pattern or anything. I just thought about what I wanted.

When there is house work to be done, I sing too...but I dont' have kids, so I have to do the work myself. I do have a dog however and she seems to like my singing.

Beth

[alg]

How does my creativity flow into other areas of my life? My friends and family say I'm a good cook--I tend to take a recipe and change it so that it's closer to what I want. I also can remember colors--I've been known to buy separate pieces of clothing to go with something that is in my closet and the colors match perfectly. I've recently begun knitting and crocheting again (my grandmother taught me years ago when I was a teenager), and I'm creating wire and beaded objects. Some my own designs and some by modifying other's designs.
Creativity also helps at work--I teach middle school. I have to be able to switch gears (whether on a lesson or other classroom issue) quickly when something isn't working. I often tell my students that I teach art because I can't sing! It's a threat!

[talkingbanana]

I usually find myself going overboard on school projects, expressing my creativity that way.

Other than that, I write. A lot. It's funny . . . I'll be working on a story and I'll be frustrated because I'm not doing any artwork, so then I'll start doing some artwork and I'll get frustrated because I'm not writing . . . and so on and so forth. :D

[madster]

I was working as a temporary receptionist at a company, and they announced an "in-house" contest for marketing ideas to generate business. I asked if I could participate even though I was not an employee, and they said yes.

I submitted 12 ideas over the 10 days that the contest ran. The company was offering cash prizes for the top 3 ideas. About 6 weeks later, I was again temp working for this company when they had a company meeting, and I was called into it to find out that I had WON the top prize for the best marketing idea out of approximately 200 ideas submitted...

The most thrilling part was, the 1st place prize was to be $500. My idea was considered to be SO innovative, that I was awarded $1,000!!! The 2nd place award was given to the Marketing TEAM and was $500, split amongst 5 people...I was told that it was because my winning idea was "out of the 'box'," and partially because of the 12 ideas I submitted, about half of them were quite feasable for the company...

Life is too short! Express yourself everywhere! Sure, some will neither accept nor appreciate you, BUT, you never know when your creative spirit will be rewarded!

[Gisele]

Shehaub, I'm glad you brought that up. My creativity has saved my life; that's how I feel about it. Even in the times of low tide creativity got me surfing again. For the past few weeks I have found myself singing while driving, cooking, cleaning and even while grocery shopping...to my husband's great embarassement....without even realising it. I come to my sense when my husband and kids race to turn the radio on:D When I'm in this special mood I feel my creative juices flowing freely and life is a game. The winner is the one that has most fun:D

Creativity for me is first an intent...than a manifestation of the intent. It's more than painting and drawing. Now if I could create this inner vision on my watercolor paper...what would it look like?

Gisele:)

[debi-d]

I think as an artist therefore I am.
couldnt risist it just came out. On sunday my dad and mom were over for dinner and my dad said Pam (my sister) was always the mechanical one, lori (another sister) I have4 was the maternal one, etc ect and then he said well Deb she was always the artistsy one. Its true when I was a kid I always asked for art supplies, I have found that I can always make money with my art. But it does extend to my cooking, cleaning and the way I decorate my house, and raise my children. Even to the gifts I give other people. We went to a wedding where I took a ton of pic at the wedding and church, while the bride and groom went off for pic I took my to the one hour photo, while my husband drove I put them in an album and at the hall gave them to the bride and groom. The were thrilled, took them around and showed everyone and then had pictures to take on their honeymoon. They still talk about that gift today as being their most memorable
deb

[RobinZ]

Hey, I think raising kids is the pinnacle of creativity! A work of art! I used to put on a timer and we'd all clean like mad until it went off. They knew I hated chores as much as they did but we had to do it and then we could have fun.