Keeping Your Creative Spark Alive

-- by Kay Milam

Every person has a special uniqueness, let's call it the creative spark, residing inside. They may be unaware of this gift and may even deny its existance. Many times, the cares of life, burdens and demands of family and job, do much to contribute to the creative spark's demise.

For most people, this spark flares the brightest during childhood. Then, flutters, sputters and dies, or at least goes dormant, during adulthood. Happily, this creative spirit can be acquired and stirred, to flare and burn brightly, when properly nourished.

The question is asked, "How do we become creative? If the spark is still there, only lying dormant, what is needed to flame it into life again?"

Becoming creative requires a new way of thinking. Our usual way of seeing and thinking is so literal. We look and see only a blue flower that is short, medium or tall, or a weed that is tough, green and tenacious. Not having noticed, that, there are a certain number of petals on the flower or the special arrangement of the leaves on the stem; we only see the obvious and miss the essence. We must learn to see and think with an intense, extreme curiosity.

Taking an idea or object out of its natural setting and seeing how it can be used differertly, will stir the creative juices. Imagination builds on itself. One idea leads to another and in this way, creativity blossoms and grows.

As an artist, (webmaster,painter,dancer,sculpture,letter writer,etc.) with the purpose of creating art in one form or another, it is imperative that we develop and nourish a fun, childlike way of seeing.

We must rethink how we look at the world around us. It is through exploration and experimentation that we keep, nourish and expand our talents, ambitions, desires and creativiness.

All forms of art (books,paintings,sculpture,dance) are dependent upon the originator or performer. They are non-existant without the dreamer.

A lump of clay remains a lump of clay, until the artist takes it into his/her hands and works it.

No two works can ever be the same, this artist/creator, brings different thoughts, ideas/ideals, dreams, and visions to any work of art. The materials to be used, are totally dependent upon the dreamer's hand and mind.

A work of art can be great only if the artist is great! By this I mean, that his ideas, his dreams, and his visions are out of the ordinary. He has learned to see with freshness, curosity, and intentness.

The art work's uniqueness rests in the artists search and discovery process; search of self, and search of his environment. Exploring, experimenting, seeking and searching, are ways to stir and nourish our creative imagination.

Look at your materials in a new light. Use them in other ways than they were intended. Work large, work small, work different. The imagination can be cultivated and enlarged. One idea leads to another. It just takes the desire to learn and the effort to do it.

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About the author:
Kay Milam is a professional artist and teacher. Visit her site for art lessons, mini art courses, ebooks, and good art.. http://www.milamstudios.com