Remember those art classes where only the "talented" students received praise? It's time to shatter that harmful narrative. The only real difference between an artist and a non-artist is that an artist never stopped creating. Like exercise isn't just for professional athletes, creativity isn't just for professional artists—it's mental training that helps you navigate life's challenges with greater flexibility and imagination.

Let’s dismantle the "good enough" barrier to reveal how creativity is actually a combination of mindset, process, and practice that anyone can develop.

As human beings, we experience hardships, challenges, and stressors. This is an inevitable part of the human experience. In this state, it can be hard to see outside our own problems, have hope, or make necessary changes.

This is where creativity comes in.

​Creativity is necessary because when we become overwhelmed by stress, our body is in survival mode, becoming fixated on our immediate environment, however, in order to change (or experience a new reality), we need to be able to expand our awareness beyond our current reality and see possibility outside of it…which requires creativity.

Creativity is driven by a combination of mindset, process, and practice.

Notice that product isn't part of this equation. This is where we as a society have gotten it wrong. We took art classes in school, learned technical skills, and were graded on our ability to perform those skills by judging the finished product. Same thing goes for other creative outputs - music, dance, and performance art. Often, the goal was to get really good at those skills to become professionals at that craft. And if you couldn’t meet those standards you were discouraged from continuing. Or if it wasn’t your goal to become a professional, you stopped practicing.

Being “good” then became a prerequisite for being an artist. But really, the only difference between an artist and a non-artist is that an artist never quit creating.

Unfortunately, most people quit because they didn’t see the value beyond the finished product.

Consider exercise. Most people aren't exercising to become professional athletes, but we still do it. We exercise to be able to move and live life to the fullest. You also create art to be good at life. Art-making is just another way to practice the skills needed to be successful in life. It's like training.

When we combine mindset, process, and practice to for the sake of creativity, we become more aware of our internal environment (thoughts and emotions) as well as our external environment (physical spaces, people, and our own behavior) to cultivate the necessary ingredients for becoming a conscious creator of your life.

Let's dive deeper into the three elements of creativity and how they shape the identity of a CREATIVE.​

Our mindset is our beliefs and attitudes. Fostering the mindset of a creative is about adopting new ways of thinking.
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​Have you heard the phrase your perception is your reality? How you see the world will ultimately shape your experience of it. So what you are paying attention to confirms what you already believe, meaning you have to be able to expand your awareness and consider different perspectives. Otherwise, what you experience is nothing more than confirmation bias in that you are attending to things that confirm what you already believe.

The tough part about mindset is that much of this occurs below the level of consciousness meaning we just aren’t aware of how we are creating our own reality. So we can’t just change it. We must bring it to awareness before we can do anything with it and we do that through the creative process.

Learning
​Be open to new information. Opportunities to learn new things are all around us. Pick books you wouldn't normally read. Listen to podcasts about a curious topic. Get lost in a YouTube vortex. Then being willing to challenge your current beliefs and consider new perspectives that foster positive change and support creativity.
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​Reflect on your internal environment
​Creativity thrives in a positive internal environment. Listen to how you speak to yourself. Is your internal dialogue a "Negative Nancy"?

As you create, you will notice more of your self-talk. Pay attention and work to replace negative self-talk with kindness, respect, and compassion for yourself. To have positive replacements at the ready, take the time to write some down. Google ideas if you have to. You may not believe it at first, but repetition will reinforce these ideas.
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​Be solution-focused
​Where attention goes, energy flows. When you give the problem all of your attention, it breeds worry and anxiety. Your problem becomes bigger and more overwhelming. Instead, ask yourself, "What could I do?"
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​It may be difficult to do, but trust that all things are working in your favor. You are capable of healing and are meant to evolve and change. Where you are now is not where you are meant to stay.

Creativity allows you to engage in a process. The creative process is a combination of the action and internal changes that occur during practice.
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​Through the process of creating something you are confronted with challenges or problems. And how you deal with those problems is a reflection of how you approach life. This process allows us to confront and embrace two huge problems we often face in life:

We all face constraints in life. Our resources (time, energy, attention, and money) are limited. We often view these constraints through a negative lens, focusing on what we can't do. But, what these limits actually do is force innovative problem-solving and push thinking in new directions. THIS IS CREATIVITY!  

Perfectionism is the desire to do something "right" or perfect, which can result in paralysis. Engaging in the creative process, we can overcome perfectionism by:

​Explore the two types of creative thinking
​Divergent thinking is the process of generating many ideas, exploring multiple perspectives, and embracing unconventional solutions. Convergent thinking is narrowing down ideas, refining them, and selecting the best one for execution.
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​Connect the unrelated
​Innovation often comes from blending ideas from different domains. Creativity thrives when connections are made between seemingly unrelated concepts.
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​Take time for reflection and incubation
​Creativity isn't just about active problem-solving. Taking breaks, letting ideas simmer, and stepping away often leads to breakthroughs.
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​Be persistent and iterate
​Great ideas rarely come fully formed. Creativity requires persistence - refining, revising, and pushing through obstacles.

With the creative elements of mindset, process, and practice in mind, we've developed The Creative Principles of The Everyday Creative Collective community.
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​We believe that Creatives:

These principles serve as guideposts and help us live our values. We do our best to embody the principles and live them daily.

During this show segment, we introduce four ways to interact with the material presented: A question to answer, a quest to complete, an aspect of creativity we've noticed this week, and a quote to ponder.

Out of the 3 components of creativity: mindset, process, and practice, which area needs more attention in your life?

Sign up for our newsletter, Creative Connections and get access to art therapy prompts. Then, practice!

The year 2020 in the midst of the global pandemic is an example of how our mindset shifted and we found innovative ways of accomplishing something.

"We cannot solve a problem with the same kind of thinking we used when we created it."
​- Albert Einstein