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

[Heroine]

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??

Heroine - I'm genuinely interested - is what ways are you highly creative? To me, being creative is not about your lifestyle or consumer choices (eg buying "cool" stuff) but what you actually create. Do you paint or write or design or make clothes or craft? Sorry if you've mentioned this already.

As an aside, my DH was once a very conventional-dressing/looking scientist (on the outde, very dull looking, actually - though of course very handscome ) but his science was mind-blowing and extremely creative. He definitely was/is highly creative. I'm a writer and like to think of myself as creative too. But this has nothing to do with what I buy...

Oh dear Lord...

Are you channelling Homer Simpson from the episode where he rediscovers his hippy roots and forces the 2 older guys to go and 'freak out' the 'norms'??

Because that's what you're coming across as. And it's quite embarrassing.

I know I'm deeply childish (we had some time and motion people come in and assess our personality types and I was down in the bottom right hand corner that signified childish and anti-authoritarian - I'm amazed I'm still employed, tbh) but I'm deeply uncreative. Yes, I make pottery, bake and ice sculptural cakes and direct amateur theatre in my spare time, but I nick all my starting points from other sources , so I wouldn't dare call myself a true creative.

And I tend to write things down on bits of accountancy paper I've pinched from DH's desk...

And I use the word Deeply too often.

OP have you ever thought that maybe it's the way you present yourself. Some people who are ostentatiously creative choose to present an "I don't care about sensible, worldly things" attitude which is fine as long as other's don't have to pick up the pieces. Sorry if I sound a bit bitter - mu uncle was "creative" which he seemed to think gave him a "get out of jail card free" for becoming involved in anything practical, difficult or unpleasant (i.e. caring for aging relatives). My "uncreative" mother was seem as a "drone" who needed to carry all the responsibility. I've seen this in other families too. Not saying you are like this BTW but maybe it isn't just about the way "boring" people see "creative" people, but how creative people present themselves and view "boring" people?

People who try to be cool never are .

:) I love the idea of dull people being 'drones' that does feel kind of right .. what was good about that homer episode is how the hippies and tie-dyed people are really duplicitous capitalists.. :)

Heroine: Please describes the ways you think you are creative!

describe

Just as an aside, I note that "creative" is right up there with words like "free spirited" or "imaginative" as words a lot of people like to apply to themselves when actually they have pretty much no more relation to that person. The people I've known who are genuinely, staggeringly creative and imaginative (be it writers or artists) certainly don't use those words about themselves and certainly don't wear it on their sleeves by how they dress, where they shop etc.

And agree with ArcticLemming that these words do frequently seem to be "get out clauses" for people to do what the bollocks they like with no responsibility or thought for others. E.g. friend of a friend who works very hard supporting the family whilst her DH over the last few years has been variously a writer, journalist and setting up a music agency business. All of which involve him sitting around on his arse doing very little whilst she vigorously defends him for being "too creative" to be tied down to a normal, boring job....

I have always found creative people are unconscious of the fact. They are, in a word, original, in a way that seems natural and unforced. They look at aspects of the world in a different way to most people. This is not necessarily a better way, but it is often more interesting.

I admire creativity because it is so refreshing and life-enhancing, and I really wish I had a bit myself, but I guess I will always be a John Lewis sort of person .

Woah!...

Well OK..

3 novels underway - one about women meeting up after lives shatter their relationships - on hold when I found that there was a) a lot of this crap and b) sex and the city started and there are some similarities in the 'types' (though I had three 'types' and a central narrator who was a stay-at home family woman who diligently kept in touch with the other's lives through people they knew and kept faith in their bond when the others didn't...)
one with a male character actively destroyed by his wife so she could collect the money
and one about a Doctor who cuts up bodies in his spare time (illegally).

I have a book af TV ideas 20 of 30 of which were written on a train journey going to visit a pal of mine working for Maverick

My hobby is punk-style embroidery ( tho I also like making my characters wear twed caps so I can embroider AND weave).

I am sort of playing occasionally as a 'band' with a pal of mine - its very basic but fun.

I attend life drawing classes once a week

I get published in newspapers about twice a year (NOT as a criminal funny bods).

I work typically for organisations that are poorly resoirced but need a dramatic increase in income (private) or activity/performance (public sector) which requires professional creativity

I am also a semi-professional artist as of december when I sold some of my work.

So my magnetic shopping list notepad isn't really going to cut the mustard is it?

YABU & you sound about 10!!!.....if you're not, you need to grow up a tad, & thats not relating to your choice in notebooks, but your childlike attitude & sweeping generalisations

& for the record, the cool, quirky & creative people whom I personally know, tend to be the ones calling the shots, whilst the dull bods do their accounts

(& FTR not to pigeon hole all accountants as dull either, I've known plenty who aren't & have known dull boring designers too

Yes! Drones! I like!

By the way kiddos I have just been writing the bit of the divorce book from the teen daughter's perspective .. so perhaps there is some bleed (NOT THAT KIND LOL!!!!)

Heroine - finally you have answered the question many posters have been asking of you these past 7 pages so THANKS [smiles]. Many of us were curious as to what you actually did creatively. Best of luck with your endeavours and keep on going .

ooh! handbags!! Its weird that my frustration made y'all so curious!!! :)

PS, keep going with the novels and TV ideas (have you completed any of them and submitted?). I'm a fulltime published novelist now but it took me two unwritten books (submitted) to actually get to where I am now (and loads of half written, un-submitted manuscripts).

Ah well, novels not completed by a long chalk and I think in one I havn't really found the right 'voice; and will need to perhaps re-write all.. problem I have is that the writing type of creative seems in conflict too much with the work type of creative and it takes me a long time to get into writer character.

When you say you submitted unwritten books is that the synopsys and example route?? Is it effective or only when you are already accepted by a publisher??

I never sent queries of novels I never completed. With completed novels I submitted synopsis and first three chapters to agent.

Thing is though, actual real creative people don't generally feel the need to advertise it with "wacky" fluffy pompom pens. They just are.

I found myself in a meeting recently with only my daughter's pixie notebook to write on, so got it out and used it. Only one guy gave me a wink (I think that's what he was winking at, anyway).

Maybe you'll find the right 'voice' when you find the right notebook. Have you tried Garfield?

Maybe you are creative , but you sound like a creative twat.

heroine I am a writer and i have to tell you I planned my last five books on a box of outdated headed notepaper from DH's office.

I use whatever biro, pencil, chewed felt tip comes to hand.

There is nothing wacky, or funky, or cool about we whatsowever.

Yet I make my living from making stuff up and writing it down.

That said, I do think creative people tend to be outliers in society and that we are a little other. Onlookers find us off key and often adversly comment. Particularly those who fancy themselves as creative, but actually don't do much more than chose cushion covers.