Everyday Creativity
The truth is, I kind of stole this title! Everyday Creativity is an adaptation of the title of my sister’s article, the one she wrote for SOH (Sydney Opera House, for those not in the know, which was me until this week).
Of course I am super proud of my younger sister, Nadine Cameron, and I love to read all of her wonderful pieces but this one struck a chord that motivated me to relate it to the work I do.
Here I’ve plucked out some of the points Nadine makes in her article and responded to them through my own lens:
Throw out limiting beliefs about what it is to be creative altogether
For a long time when I worked in the corporate world, I forgot I was ever creative. Those memories of painting, drawing and designing childhood worlds seemed to me to belong to someone else entirely.
But what I began to realise, was that although I wasn’t creating ‘art’ or making anything with my hands, I was known for my creative skills in designing workspaces. When we moved offices we all had the opportunity to set up our little workspaces as we wished (and they were a more generous size back then, with many more options!).
I was called on, even by people who barely knew me, to arrange people’s spaces so the occupant could take advantage of natural light, have everything they needed within reach, fit more visitors’ chairs into their space or whatever was their particular priority.
Think about some of the things you do that could be considered creative.
Are you great at whipping up meals without recipes? That is creative; and is much more so than following a recipe.
Maybe you knit and can adapt a pattern beyond the original design. Or can you sew a garment without a pattern?
Perhaps you’re creative in the garden; all those colours and shapes and textures to play with and getting the timings of blooms and dormancy just right so it always looks nice.
And likewise with your personal style; colours, shapes, textures and numerous other elements to combine as you design an outfit is definitely a creative process. The more you think about what you’re co-ordindating and why, the better you’ll become at it.
That state of beginnerhood – of being at the very start of learning a new art form – can deliver immeasurable delights
I love it when clients contact me to tell me how they’re implementing their new-found style skills!
They might say how they’re enjoying looking at the world through a new lense since their Colour Analysis
Or how much time they now save when packing to go away or getting ready for work because they’re more confident about what goes with what
Sometimes I hear about compliments clients receive on their colour co-ordination or on how well they look (again, their new colour knowledge is responsible for this)
Learning to select clothes that they know will work for their shape gives immeasurable joy
Try out new ideas about ourselves, about our relationships, and about the objects around us in daring and original ways
Just as we might play around with other aspects of ourselves; trying new hairstyles and colours, embarking on a new career, relationship, or moving somewhere very different, we can try out new ways of dressing ourselves too.
Colour is something more people are becoming to appreciate after emerging from lockdown. Shaking off feelings of oppression and looking for lightness, joy and celebration naturally moves us away from the shadow of black and towards colour.
If we’ve gained weight (again, post-lockdown) we might try out new silhouettes. Instead of those skinny or slim fitting jeans we used to wear, trying out breezy, breezy palazzo pants or jumpsuits can be refreshing.
Perhaps the idea of wearing heels, ties or suits makes you shudder as you re-enter the workplace after years of WFH. There are plenty of ways you can present professionally without going back to wearing the same old things.
Finding fresh perspectives on things, and how that can give them new hope or zest for life.
Reading this idea, my brain jumps immediately to upcycling and remodelling things that already exist in your wardrobe.
If you’ve always loved that suit jacket but now the elbows are looking worn, what else could you do with it..? Can you cut off the sleeves and wear it as a long, sleeveless vest, open over something more casual?
If you no longer feel comfortable wearing that short dress, can you add fabric to it so it becomes longer? Can you shorten it so it becomes a tunic to wear with jeans?
And what about hats? If you’re worried about getting burnt now your hair is thinning but your current hat looks dated, there are milliners around who will reshape, redecorate or simply modernise the look of your hat.
I’ve always seen the act of putting together an outfit to be a creative one. I’ve written previously about the two kinds of people I meet in my work; those who prefer a capsule wardrobe and those who put things together based more on a whim. Both styles involve creativity. The capsule wardrobe person does the design upfront, whether that be each season or a couple of times per year when they refresh their wardrobe. The non-capsule person postpones the design until they put together a single outfit. But the creative process is there in both.