📝 Creative Mindset
3 Ways to start cultivating and sketching a creative life
‘A creative life is an amplified life. It’s a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting life.’ — Elizabeth Gilbert
A creative mindset is a richer way of looking at the world and a more open, flexible way of thinking and living. I see it as a type of growth mindset (Carol Dweck’s book is an interesting read), but with the added component of creativity in it. It seems to me this type of mindset is the path to building that creative life that Elizabeth Gilbert describes: amplified, bigger, happier, expanded. More interesting.
Each of us has a different set of attitudes to approaching life, either in the personal realm or in the working environment. I have come to realise that having a more creative approach on a daily basis has had a positive impact on how I live my life as an architect and as an artist.
When I was going through some stuff in my mid-20s (I think we all Millenials have gone through that just after finishing uni), I unconsciously started nurturing a creative mindset: I journaled for the first time since being a kid and I started paying more attention to the world around me. That not only made me feel more motivated and confident in my creative endeavours, but it also built resilience in my life beyond artistic or career means.
There is plenty of literature out there on creativity. This is not a post on creativity per se (and I am not a creativity coach or an expert on the topic). This is a post on a small, actionable list of some habits that have helped me nurture this attitude toward life and work. They continue to do so. And most involve sketching. You’ve probably read them everywhere because they are basic and obvious. Nevertheless, we all need to be reminded of them. You can start cultivating them today:
Start your mornings with a creative routine.
Do something that helps you be imaginative in the morning. Something that encourages you to create, design, or reflect. It is relevant to do this first thing every day, it will help you set out the rest of the day with that creative mindset. If any doubt, just go out in the early morning for a walk. Nothing better than that, really.
This previous post will help you sketch your morning routine:
Look harder. Be curious.
Pay more attention to things. Ask (sketch!) questions - even if they are silly and obvious. Look beyond the surface into how things are made, how the light changes in the day, how people express their emotions, etc. I sometimes look under the lens of the what-if exercise to trigger my imagination. For example, I do this a lot when I wander around London: what if there were no cars and car parking spaces on this street? How would this street look like, and what will we be able to do in it? In my head, I am designing all the time.
A sketch experiment to help you look more intentionally:
Surround yourself with inspiring and curious people.
Creativity is an energy. And it is contagious. There are people who bring energy and there are people who tend to steal it. Go out and meet your stars, those who bring you light. I always get so much creative energy and ideas when I meet these friends. They always tell you about their projects, what they are working on, what’s on their minds, etc. They look at life with a brighter, positive lens.
Austin Kleon writes in his book Show Your Work! about the idea of finding a scenius - a group of collaborative minds - as opposed to the popular praise of the lonely genius - individuals with extraordinary talents that succeed creatively on their own.
Urban sketching is a great way to build a scenius:
Happy sketching! ✏️✨
Ana
Have you got any habits to build a more creative mindset? It would be great to hear about them! Leave a comment and share your thoughts :)
Love your sketch of the Pompidou!
For the Gen Xers in the house, the equivalent mid-20s shift happened with The Artist's Way. :)