The stupidest possible creative act is still a creative act.
"The stupidest possible creative act is still a creative act. On the spectrum of creative work, the difference between the mediocre and the good is vast. Mediocrity is, however, still on the spectrum; you can move from mediocre to good in increments. The real gap is between doing nothing and doing something.” I read this quote a while back written by Clay Shirkey. The quote itself is pretty self-explanatory, and when coupled with my last few posts, you can really see where I’m going with this. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t think that CREATIVITY is this fantastical innate ability people are born with and rather more like a skill that can be learned, developed and honed. Sure, like all things, some are naturally better at it than others, but all too often we write off this particular “skill” as something one was either gifted at birth or will forever live without. Furthermore, if you consider yourself as someone who falls into the latter, even the attempt to create feels scary or almost taboo…let alone sharing it with others! However, once you begin to treat and think of “creativity” as an improvable skill rather than this god-given talent, it has quite a liberating and motivating effect. Like Shirkey said, “even the stupidest creative act is STILL a creative act”. Mediocrity is merely a stage! It’s Act I, and once you hop over the “real gap” of doing nothing and doing something, the performance can begin.