June 8th Creativity Boot Camp Day Three - Buzz Kill....

Journal Prompts: Now it’s your turn. Name some of your biggest creative buzz kills, including a person or two, and disarm them! ....For example: A classic creative buzz kill is thinking that you just don’t have the talent that other people have. But the truth is that most people are born with a drive that they work on and perfect which then becomes a talent. For proof of this, try to dig around online and view some of your favorite artist’s early work. Everyone starts somewhere…and for most of us, it’s at the bottom.

As I mentioned yesterday I have always felt that need to create. From knitting, crocheting, drawing, building, photography, scrapbooking to whatever moves me. I love to write and I am not always the best at it, but I get my thoughts down and move forward from there. But having a "creative buzz kill" really bites.

In our society today I see that it is not one person, place or thing that can bring us down, but more like a whole group or "society" that can bring us down or back down to the start of our creative places. But I am always reminded of a great song by Harry Chapin that details the stiffleing of a child’s creativity:

Flowers Are Red

The little boy went first day of school

He got some crayons and started to draw

He put colors all over the paper

For colors was what he saw

And the teacher said.. What you doin' young man

I'm paintin' flowers he said

She said... It's not the time for art young man

And anyway flowers are green and red

There's a time for everything young man

And a way it should be done

You've got to show concern for everyone else

For you're not the only one

And she said...

Flowers are red young man, Green leaves are green

There's no need to see flowers any other way

Than the way they always have been seen

But the little boy said...

There are so many colors in the rainbow

So many colors in the morning sun

So many colors in the flower and I see every one

Well the teacher said.. You're sassy

There's ways that things should be

And you'll paint flowers the way they are

So repeat after me.....

And she said...

Flowers are red young man

Green leaves are green

There's no need to see flowers any other way

Than the way they always have been seen

But the little boy said...

There are so many colors in the rainbow

So many colors in the morning sun

So many colors in the flower and I see every one

The teacher put him in a corner

She said.. It's for your own good..

And you won't come out 'til you get it right

And all responding like you should

Well finally he got lonely

Frightened thoughts filled his head

And he went up to the teacher

And this is what he said.. and he said

Flowers are red, green leaves are green

There's no need to see flowers any other way

Than the way they always have been seen

Time went by like it always does

And they moved to another town

And the little boy went to another school

And this is what he found

The teacher there was smilin'

She said...Painting should be fun

And there are so many colors in a flower

So let's use every one

But that little boy painted flowers

In neat rows of green and red

And when the teacher asked him why

This is what he said.. and he said

Flowers are red, green leaves are green

there's no need to see flowers any other way

Than the way they always have been seen

This Song has always helped me see things from the child’s eye and allows me to help my children to be creative and open about their creations.  So if approached by a person that wants to rain on my parade, what can I do? FORGETABOUTIT! Be who you are when you are and whenever you wanna tobe! Who are you being creative for? You or THEM? Make a choice and then deal with it! Disarm my buzzkills? Well I do not disarm, I like to plant one right on their lips and make them see that creativity is "in the eyes of the beholder"! Lame quote but true!