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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that really boring people see highly creative people as children?

388 replies

Heroine · 23/01/2011 22:07

I AM JUST SAYING..

I had a weird thing happen, I am quite creative and like decorative stuff and cool quirky things and someone who I thought was on the same wavelength gave me a real dressing down when I showed her some cool japanese quirky notebooks I bought - with that sort of stylised fluffy, hearty, pop=art style, she sais the thought it was childish and unprofessional. (!). i thought it was just fun..

It made me think that all the people who make the rules about what is 'professional' are really just all the really dull tedious unimaginative types and that is why they think creativity is likely to diminish performance - because they can't handle it and it freaks their boring little heads out.

(I know this might seem to conflict with my 'women who run fluffy novelty businesses' thread, but I'm just saying (and not explaining well) that the dull people seem to never be interested in anything, and seem to make the rules, and the people who went wild and got into interestingb things in their teens and 20s but had to droip them because the dull run the world, are seen by the dull people as 'only having childish ideas'.
It seems a bit sad - does anyone see what I mean?? It seems to be getting worse as women have more serious jobs - I get it but as I'm a bit 'consultant-ish' I can ride above it, but it seems that somewhere there is a book that says you can't be clever or get things done or reliable unless you think and dress in a dull boring way.. and that makes no sense to me..

sorry for going on, but I think there somethin in my uncomfortableness at being thought of as childish when I think of myself as an adult who has some sense of humour and creativity.

Am I being unreasonable??

OP posts:
Original poster
Heroine · 23/01/2011 22:56

I said some finnish! keep up!

OP posts:
blinks · 23/01/2011 22:56

who knew stationary was such a contentious issue.

tethersend · 23/01/2011 22:57

Gilbert and George look very boring.

Conversely, I was art school for three years with some of the most boring people known to man.

'Quirky' usually equals incredibly dull IME.

Guitargirl · 23/01/2011 22:57
Grin
Original poster
Heroine · 23/01/2011 22:57

its stationEry.. 'envelope' people../ god .

OP posts:
Original poster
Heroine · 23/01/2011 22:58

I don't think a picture of a shit would count as 'dull and boring' in an accountants..

OP posts:
tethersend · 23/01/2011 22:59

x-post, mutznutz Grin

Lotster · 23/01/2011 22:59

So people who share your interests are interesting and everyone else is dull?

I'm amazed you ever learn anything new making you world so small. Which is to me, dull.

Perhaps you were offended by a comment from someone in your OP but to come on here with such impotent rantings, YABU.

GetOrfMoiLand · 23/01/2011 23:00

Heroine - are you 17 years old? You seem like you don't know much of the world but have that infuriating teenage pretentious knowledge.

coldtits · 23/01/2011 23:01

you know that this 'cliques' you're on about ... you know they're real people, right?

you do understand that each and every one of them has a quirm that you might chuckle to find out, such as - they can't wear socks with seams, or they have to have their hair pulled to achieve orgasm, or they will only eat co-op brand cornflakes, or they count how many seconds they pee for, or they have 2 boiled eggs evcery Sunday, one hard, one soft ...

People don't have to be just like you to be interesting. Maybe the people who buy dull stationary where flurescent pink underwear, maybe they drive to a different Roman re-enactment every weekend, maybe they are the 'master' in the master/slave online relationship ... you don't know them. You only really, truly know you.

weedle · 23/01/2011 23:05

Hero - I've read your thread and I'm wondering what you do?

PS They're selling T-shirts like your note pads in Primarni at the moment :)

Original poster
Heroine · 23/01/2011 23:05

I don't want to think about chuckling about other people's quims, that seems highly inappropriate. I did know a girl once who liked to have her hair pulled when he orgasmed.. but that's beside the point. What I was saying that some people think that anything creative is childish and silly.

OP posts:
catinthehat2 · 23/01/2011 23:06

GOML, I've already decided she is upper VIth, and she hasn't denied it you know....

RobynLou · 23/01/2011 23:07

but you seem to have a very narrow idea of what 'creative' is... something can be very 'grown up' looking but also very creative.

and it's narrow ideas/minds which are dull, not notebooks.

coldtits · 23/01/2011 23:08

Ahhh but that's my point .... I'm certainly not saying you're not creative ... but is a cartoony notepad a symbol of creativity or did you just like it?

And does your colleague think creativity is childish, or does she think that things that are aimed at children are childish?

coldtits · 23/01/2011 23:09

I quite like the idea of chuckling at people's quims.

GetOrfMoiLand · 23/01/2011 23:13

"its stationEry.. 'envelope' people../ god"

The only people who say 'god' in exhalation at the end of a sentence in exasperated tones are teenagers.

actually ... dd, is that you? Grin

straightoutofthebottomdrawer · 23/01/2011 23:16

If someone thinks your notebooks are childish, that means they think your notebooks are childish. It doesn't say anything about their opinions of creativity.

If you are a creative person now, then you would stay creative even if you had plain notebooks, surely? Or is the problem that all the 'boring' people then might not realise how creative and zany you are? Is there nothing else to show them this apart from your choice of stationery?

lifeinlimbo · 23/01/2011 23:16

aaaaaaaaeeeeeeeeeeerrrrgh

I was going to say something witty and creative but this thread has drained it out of me.

TiggyD · 23/01/2011 23:17

Children are the most creative people in our society. As a result, to be creative could be seen as being child-like.
Fluffy stationary folders are not necessarily a sign of creativity. They are also the sign of being a big soppy girl.
Creativity and individuality aren't welcome everywhere. Why else do some places have a uniform?

Original poster
Heroine · 23/01/2011 23:18

PPE?

OP posts:
blackcoffee · 23/01/2011 23:24

coldtits you are on a roll tonight, I feel quite inspired by you, as a volvo driving single mother in the heart of the dull midlands
but it's in my head!
I wish you'd ask your question

blackcoffee · 23/01/2011 23:26

also when has being a consumer been creative?
make your own wild notebooks if you must

edam · 23/01/2011 23:30

Everyone's right that choice of stationery does not indicate anything about creativity. Many people who spend their working lives creating use plain stationery. The signifier of creativity is whether someone creates.

I work in the media, with designers and art editors and writers. Some of them wear interesting clothes, some of them very plain, some of them very unfashionable.

Mel's right that when you are coming up with ideas about whatever your passion is all day, you often don't want to waste your energy being 'quirky' about clothes or stationery or anything else. Lots of creative people work ruddy hard. Their energy goes into what they do, not posing (although this is not universally true.)

Same for decision making - if you have a fairly senior post in an organisation, you often don't want to make decisions about where to go for a drink with your mates. You've been making important (in your environment) decisions all day long, last thing you want is to have to do it again in your spare time.

Lotster · 23/01/2011 23:40

Blackcoffee Grin at "wild notebooks"

you're spot on though, creative would be creating them (see BOF's Murakami table) not buying (in) to them.