April 20, 2009
Learning
Creativity is not a stage of life, it is a mindset.
I don't know where or when it began, but there is a terrible misconception lurking out there that creativity has something to do with youth. While younger people might seem to be more creative (perhaps because they are less encumbered by established rules)--I can't imagine any thinking person would actually try to claim that ground.
If you need proof, you have only to examine the 65-year career of one of the world's most talented and prolific designers--Milton Glaser. Now in his 80th year he seems (to me) every bit as bold and interesting as he did during his days at Pushpin Studios in the 1950s and 60s. He was an innovator then and he is an innovator now.
What gets me on this rant is when I talk to a designer--sometimes as young as 40 or 50--who seems to think their creativity is somehow used up. Ridiculous. To me, what they have misplaced is their appreciation of the craft--the privilege of participating in the exploration of new ideas and projects--and the joy of helping others to communicate them.
Whether you're designing a brochure for an industrial manufacturer or a web site for a leading edge start up, it is entirely up to you whether your work is drudgery or grace.
A sampling of Glaser's work...
As Glaser explains it, "The possibility for learning never disappears..."
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I think most people associate creativity and youth because most people tend to get more jaded as time passes them by.
Commitments, pressure, disappointments; they increase with age for most people – thus the difficulty in retaining the freshness and naivety required for creativity.
What sets people like Glaser apart, is their commitment to staying creative, which requires a lot of effort and faith, and not everyone wants to put in that sort of effort or have that kind of belief.
My two cents. :)
Posted by: Winnie Lim | April 22, 2009 6:32 AM
Thanks for that Winnie.
I just don't know if being creative requires any extra "effort." To me it is the mindset you develop about how you are going to approach the day. I am certain I am a pain in the neck a lot of the time because I always question what I see going on. BUT, it keeps life very interesting. If you are always deconstructing, digging deeper, questioning why and how things work, you are never bored--in fact, you look at people who are bored as if they are crazy. To me, the only way you can be bored in the world of 2009 is if you make a herculean effort to be just that.
Posted by: chuck
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April 22, 2009 1:59 PM
I really agree Chuck, I am fifty seven, had a major career change about ten years ago to graphic design from product design (fashion jewelry)...
I look at the world like...what can i do with it? I love to learn, and that is necessary to stay current with today's quickly changing standards and tools...it is exciting to me and knowing one's tools makes it easy to be creative.
I have known that I was an artist since I was five. That is probably the only thing about myself that has not changed!
ah, the world still excites me!
Being older doesn't mean one looses one's energy or need to have an effect on one's space, even if it is a computer screen!
Jill Bell
Posted by: Jill Bell | May 11, 2009 2:08 PM
Thanks for that Jill. If you're bored In the year 2009, you're working at it.
Posted by: chuck
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May 11, 2009 7:28 PM