The creative process, I'm worried about it.

[milkbaby]

Most people I work with don't really do anything and are only distinguished by the different TV shows they prefer.
I was showing a coworker one of my recent creations (maybe the fifth one he has seen), when it suddenly became clear to me that he thought I was simply designing them and then having them made somewhere.
"what? how can you shape metal at home?...I can see shaping wood, but metal?"
People I know are creative, but mostly in a very digital way.

It's hard to be creative when one is anesthetized by television, and now the internet and social media. It truly is the opiate of the masses giving them relief from the pain of having no meaning or direction in their lives.

While I believe we can encourage creativity, there is likely a baseline genetic difference between individuals.

I am happy to be a hobbyist as I get to ignore trends and requests. I only make what I personally want to make. I like having the ability to find out so many things on the internet and then testing them out myself. Still the best lessons that stick with me are when things went wrong and I learned something from it. No risk, no reward, but it's also important to consider what rewards we are chasing!

 

[A.McPherson]

Interesting that Mushin has been brought up...
as a martial artists I’ve always considered that is a mindset that you can really only achieve once you have really mastered the basics.
It’s a state that we sometimes call “the knack”. You are doing one technique and subconsciously you position yourself in a way that causes your opponent to injure themselves on you, without you doing any extra work.
It’s pretty cool when it happens.
But. It only happens when you are not trying to do it.

 

[Fred.Rowe]

But. It only happens when you are not trying to do it.

That's it; it happens without thinking about it. Mushin. It is also the reason a skilled martial artist is not created in a day or a week, it is measured in years of training so that it becomes as natural as taking a breath.