My future starts when I wake up every morning… Every day I find something creative to do with my life. – Miles Davis
A creative genius, he was.
What does that mean?
I believe his quote is saying that he is always thinking about creating. For him the future begins anew every single morning. Each day is another step in his creativity, and a chance to do something special.
How empowering is that? Wow! Think about that for a moment. How wonderful it must be to think that every morning is a new start on the future. Leaving the previous day behind, and starting anew! Each day is another chance to be creative.
What a wonderful a creed to have, as an affirmation for each morning! What do you think would change in your life if you thought in those terms? I know it would help me and my life just a little. 8)
Why is creativity important?
Time for you Ben Stein voice: “In a world of dull monotony, who needs any creativity?” But seriously, while we might not be writing multi-platinum Grammy winning BeBop/Jazz albums, we still have creative urges. Even dullards like myself.
What is your creative outlet? Do you sing in the shower? Drum on the steering wheel when your favorite tune comes on the radio? Do you daydream or play games in your head while walking, sitting or are otherwise mentally bored? Do you have fun eating your M&M’s in a special sequences? Do you doodle, paint or use a stick to make lines in the sand? Knitting, crocheting, sewing, cooking are also ways to be creative.
These are all creative outlets, and there are more, far more than I could list in this short post. But even the most boring people you know have a creative side to them, you just don’t get to see it. They might even have grown blind to their creativity, but it’s still there.
Creativity is how we express ourselves, how we find joy in an otherwise dull day. We’re each unique in how we express our creativity, sometimes in a single powerful direction (like the Miles), or in many different fields (like Edison or Franklin). To me, life without any creativity would be an unpleasant place to be. What do you think, could you live without expressing creativity in your life?
Where can I apply this in my life?
I want to take a second and differentiate between individuality and creativity. Individuality might involve dressing differently, a specific hair style or having tattoos. Creativity is dressing differently each day, changing your hair style or designing your own tattoos. Do you see the difference?
Take a moment and think of what you do when you get bored. For a great many people, this is one of the most common starters for their creativity. I tend to tap my feet or fingers (or drum with pencils or hum or …). For me, rhythm and music are one of my main creative outlets. How about you? Grab some paper and write a few of these activities down.
Now that you have a few ideas of how you express yourself in a creative manner, pick one that you enjoy doing. Don’t base it on what others say you are or aren’t good at, this is about you and what you want to do.
Some considerations you might want to take into account include the amount of time it might take, the expense compared to your cash flow, and how well it works at work (or if you can blend it into your work).
For me, singing, tapping and music in general happens in the morning, in the car, most any time, almost all the time. I have a sound track running in the background of my mind (usually the latest ear-worm from the radio, CD or my music collection).
I also express creativity in how I solve problems and how I write code. I stay within our company policies and best practices, but I have my own way of expressing myself in software, and in the comments. Can you find a way to be creative that works well when you are at work?
Now that you have some ideas as to what you do, and what you can do more of, can you find some time to ‘do your thing?’ Can you get some quite time, some alone time, some time to make some noise, some time to hang with friends, some time to do what ever it is you need to be creative? Can you work your ‘thing’ into your schedule? Can you involve other friends (or meet new ones)? If you like to sing in a choir or play in a band, you’re going to need to find some people, right?
So strap on your creative thinking cap and get your own version of this quote as a powerful affirmation for each morning. Then spend some time each day exploring some of the myriad ways you can be creative. Get busy, be creative, and have fun!
From: Twitter, @spikehumer
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/milesdavis392896.html
Photo by RuiBritto
