Creative Recovery

By Robert Hughes

Give yourself permission to be the unique individual that you are!

You are the only you in the world, and as such, possess a unique set of gifts that are completely different than that of anyone else in the world. It is how you choose to utilize your gifts that will make a difference.

Celebrate You Uniqueness!

You feel that you are different. That is because you are! Your DNA and your fingerprints, for example, are completely unique. It is this “built–in” uniqueness that gives your creative efforts distinction. You are the only you that has ever been or ever will be! You are unique, and as such you will begin to discover that uniqueness. You will begin not to fear uniqueness! You will start to see the benefits of discovering yourself. As this discovery process evolves, you will become much more receptive to the idea of celebrating your uniqueness. As you begin to truly celebrate your uniqueness, creative possibilities that were never before available, will reveal themselves in a unique fashion. With possibilities, all things are possible!

Give yourself permission to have a creative mindset!

Look around the room right now. Find two things that are Red! Do you know why you were able to find things that were red? It was because you had a “red” mindset! Not only did you have a “red mindset,” you gave yourself permission to have a “red” mindset. Since you gave yourself to have a “red mindset,” you found what you were looking for! If you give yourself permission to have a “creative” mindset, you will, likewise, find what you are looking for.

Do something BEYOND that which you would normally do!

This is not exactly the same as just being different! Many people seem to believe that being different is the key to creativity. This is not a bad thought, but just different alone is not the answer. To do a thing and then go further or beyond by being yourself, is the key. This act will be different, but each individual is unique and as such, will posses a unique potentiality towards creativity.

Think!

In the heat of the creative battle, we often forget to think. In the absence of thought, we will only respond to circumstance by doing what has always worked. What has always worked, is not creativity, it is what is! “What is,” is a formula! What is yet to be is the real goal.

Think, “What Else?”

Almost all things have another meaning. Reportage, either in words or in images is the “objective reality” of the thing. Metaphors and similes, however, are the language of the arts. These powerful tools will aid us in establishing new meaning for the thing before us.

Un-Control!

Many seek to control the circumstances surrounding their own lives. Furthermore, they believe that the proper response to circumstance will produce the desired creative result. The creator is not motivated by circumstance or a response to it. The potential creator understands that creation occurs independently of circumstance. Creation is not circumstance and circumstance is not creation. As you begin to Un-control, you start to understand that the control you seek is the exact same control that has led to the production of all the formulas you now want to break free from. The chains that bind you, are the “chains” of control! You can manage control!

Un-Learn!

Un-Learning is very hard. You don’t learn something to do the opposite. You learn a process to understand how to do something. Once a thing has been learned, it is very hard to break free. One can begin to un-learn when two things take place. First, is to become aware that one is ready to un-learn, and second to un-learn by replacing what you know with new and different thoughts.

Be Aware!

Be aware that new and exciting possibilities exist! To be aware is to be open to something. When we are open to the TRUE nature of our desire to create, it is then that the creative possibilities reveal themselves to us.

Suspend Self-Limitations!

Suspend self-judgment. A creation takes time to assimilate. The more you assimilate, the better you become at it. Self-imposed limitations are the real killer of creativity!

Realize the TRUE Potential in Failure!

Fear of failure inhibits creative success. It is failure and self-doubt that makes great creators great! The potential creator welcomes failure and understands the powerful potential that failure has to offer. (Only the “performer” who believes that perfection is somehow, creation, expects to be perfect in response to circumstance.)

Understanding Your Fears!

It is perfectly natural to have fear when it comes to issues surrounding creativity! Fears will begin to dissipate through the paradox of confrontation. In other words it is when you confront your creative issues that they begin to dissolve and begin to become un-fears.

Believe!

This may be the most important step of all! Someone in your past has suggested that you are not all that creative. If you actually believe this, then you will not be creative! If, on the other hand, you begin to understand that a negative judgment based on past work, by someone who is not even qualified, is most usually not based in fact. These comments are usually made by people who actually believe that doing something “secure,” is the only way to have a life! They are silly enough to believe that doing something you love is silly. When you come to understand these things, then you will begin to assimilate a belief in your greatest natural creative resource ... yourself!

There is no “RIGHT” answer!

Creative researchers have been able to determine that the most innovative answer lies somewhere between the third and the seventh solution. The FIRST answer is hardly ever the most creative. The first answer is merely a beginning!

There Are No Rules!

Repeat after me. Rules are formulas! Formulas produce variations of “what is!”

The first rule of Art is “there are no rules!” The 2^nd rule is “go back to the first rule!”

If you made it this far, stop reading and go create something!

Contact Robert Hughes Photography at: (614) 488-2769 / roberthughes@ameritech.net