Including creativity into your day-to-day life enables a host of benefits that support all aspects of your life.
Creativity comes in many forms and given our uniqueness provides a broad spectrum of options and choices that we can take.
Over the course of my life, I’ve always tended to incorporate some form of creativity into my day-to-day life.
My first foray into my creative talents was as a t-shirt maker. I created one of a kind designer t-shirts then sold them at the Saturday markets in the central open-air mall, then on Sundays at the local market.
The intent wasn’t necessarily to make money, although it was great to receive something to cover the cost of materials but I used it more as a creative outlet.
This kick started my creativity and quickly saw and felt the benefits of using my creativity in ways I’d never expected.
Once I moved to Canada I continued designing t-shirts. I also began exploring other mediums including pastels, crayons, water colours and oil-based paints.
These experiences gave me confidence to continue into other areas such as jewellry design and sculpture.
I found myself spending more and more time at the Art Gallery of Ontario roaming the galleries studying the various artistic styles while forming my own brand.
Some of my early work was likened to that of the famous Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky. Admittedly, I took great inspiration from his work but also a range of other genres and artists.
As with my things in life your circumstances change and then so does your focus.
It was around this time that I was married and began a family which quickly took away any me time.
Not that I would change a thing, but my level of creativity changed to be more aligned with Zach and Sam. Making up bedtime stories and creating drawings on the sidewalk in chalk became my staples for the foreseeable future.
It was a time adaptation and change and one for which I was enjoyed immensely!
However, when my marriage ended, and I found myself a single father with time when I didn’t have the kids, I began the process of rediscovering my creativity.
For me it helped soothe my soul in a time of upheaval and change. I reopened my paint box and endeavoured to rediscover my love of painting and drawing.
Alas, it wasn’t to be. Somewhere over the years I had lost my desire with these mediums.
No matter how hard I tried the flow of creativity just wasn’t there.
Unconsciously I began exploring other ways to use my creativity and passion.
On one of my many business trips around this time I had a brief stopover in Hong Kong and was browsing the duty-free stores while I waited for my flight back to Toronto.
For some reason I was drawn to look at DLSR cameras and before you knew it I had impulsively purchased a Canon Rebel.
This camera was to become my starter camera and so began my obsession with photography.
From the very outset I found myself bringing my camera everywhere I went including the most innocuous places including the likes of the grocery store and coffee shops.
I found myself addicted to both the subject matter and the ways in which I could create by using light, colors and speed.
Over the ensuing years I’ve taken upwards of 600,000 photos and published a coffee table book of my photography from my travels in Italy.
However, it’s not the volume of work I’ve done that has driven my creativity.
It’s been the ongoing love affair with the ways in which I can capture a moment, or the way the light plays on a subject that has enamoured me.
One of the best things about photography is its ability to capture the essence of a moment and evoke emotion in those who view the images.
For me, evoking emotion from an image is the ultimate skill. Having the ability to touch someone’s heart with a lasting and indelible image is what I love most about photography.
I believe that creativity has helped my problem-solving skills by enabling me to approach an issue or challenge in a variety of ways.
I’m able to turn the issue or challenge in my mind and observe it from many angles and dimensions to seek the best way to resolve or portray what is in front of me, much like I do in photography.
Using my creativity also helps me adapt and navigate these situations more effectively by allowing me to think innovatively.
I also find that I’m less stressed when faced with an issue or challenge if I can engage my creativity when endeavouring to solve it.
Realistically we need to be able tap into and access all aspects of our mental capacity when problem solving and for me, creativity is the key.
Often when faced with these types of situations we go to what and how we’ve always done in the same situation, but without really thinking of broader or different options or approaches.
Being open to new ways of thinking and using creativity is both liberating and exciting as it offers up endless possibilities to live our lives
Until next week
Ciao!
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