What is creativity ? If you have it what do you do with it? is it all just ego? a sort of look at me I'm great kind of thing? Is it a gift or a curse? as a creative person I have to say at times I have thought of it as a gift and at times a curse.
If you are creative you see the world differently you often don't except looking at things in a straight line and can bring a different dimension to what ever it is that you are doing. The problem is that in Northern Ireland although thinking differently about things is desperately needed it is often ridiculed, misunderstood dismissed as crazy.
I came back to Northern Ireland with a first class degree, well travelled with an open mind and I found that in order to find a place in society here in Belfast I had to hide my creative talents. It is only when pretending to be less creative less, less open minded, less "different" that I started to get opportunities. Sad really when you think about it. It's what I think about when I come across yet another art student ever hopeful of hitting the "big time" what myth have you bought into?
The myth that just because your talented the world owes you a living. That if you commit your life to your creativity somehow you will be fulfilled? That the world will recognise and reward you for this?
Noel Coward said
" if you expect to be rewarded for being talented you might as well be rewarded for having eyes in your head, it's if you have staying power that's what counts"
I decided 12 years ago to change direction with my creativity I got annoyed with making and designing "things" and changed to helping people, communities, organisations. It's been quite an amazing time. It's taken me from presenting to Neil Kinnock and Newt Gingrich. Shaking hands with Clinton, having tea in the Americian ambassadors residence in Dublin. Visiting the Dail, European Parliament, standing as a candidate in the Peace talks, working with Hundreds of really interesting people, all of which just want to do something with their lives and needed a bit of help figuring it out.It's been an honour to be involved in a small way. All of this I could not have done without being creative and questioning.
During this time however when I visited an art museum my heart would sing "get back to this" get back to the core of your creativity. I would always draw while travelling keeping shetch books. Two years ago I decided to step in another direction and started a course at the Belfast Print Workshop http://www.belfastprintworkshop.org/ . Etching, what could be more timeless? I find that its an amazing process and have experienced a lot of joy and frustration working with it and when you go in you never know which one its going to be or if it's both on the same day.
People who know me a a consulting capacity find it hard to understand my "art praticioners" side, people who know me in my art praticioners side have a problem understand my "consulting side". The common thread is both require creativity, patience, professionalism, extremely hard work and ultimately give other people some kind of different perspective.
Next week I'm giving a talk at a two day creativity conference in Dundalk, lots of creative hopefuls buying into the myth. What am I to say to help them on their journey?
Which brings me to the large yellow sculpture at the top of the blog. Tomorrow my two creative sisters based at Lisburn Art Centre, Red Apple Arts are putting in a sculpture at the new health centre on the Antrim road 6 oclock if anyone is around. It's based on a piece of gorse acting like a large yellow beacon of health in North Belfast and having worked in the area for 3 years I can tell you North Belfast needs all the help they can get.
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