Sometimes I wonder, "What happens if I run out of ideas?" I think that worrying about running out of ideas makes you run out of ideas, kinda like a self-fulfilling prophecy. On the other hand, trusting that you will never run out of ideas can be a self-fulfilling prophecy that you'll never run out of ideas. Nothing squashes my creativity like the fear of not having any creativity.
I'm thinking about this because for a week in February and now a week in March, I have had huge gluts of creative energy and I wonder when these happen if I will "run out" of creativity sooner, if I will somehow 'empty' myself of creativity, leaving a void where all the already used ideas just spin around and around with nothing new coming out.
Do you see how my mind spins?
But never fear! I have decided that I can never run out of creativity because there isn't a 'limited supply' of creativity in the world (or in me). It's possible that if I am constantly taking in new ideas/images/sounds/textures that my store of creativity will always be replenished.
People will often say things like, "How many ways can there possibly be to make a granny square?" and I've decided the answer is something like, "How many notes are there in music? 7? ... and how many songs are there in the world?"
Actually there is 12 notes in music, and that's if you're thinking western music - apparently in India or some eastern countries, their virtuoso's are able to half the notes of ours, so they can sing between F and F# - crazy.
ReplyDeleteBut who's counting, I think there is no limit to creativity, it's only when you start thinking about the end of your creativity, does creativity end. How did generations before get us to a day where we can talk over phones, cell phones, internet, etc... I'm sure they never thought a day would come when someone combined "face" and "book" to make a network of unlimited possibilities. It's only the beginning! Besides there will be a day when someone wants a crocheted Kindle holder :-)
Great post. I've often worried about the same thing. But I figure that if no two snowflakes are alike, then who am I to worry about a finite amount of creativity in the world?
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