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Radio Rotondes, in collaboration with Radio ARA #12 Ten lessons to develop your creativity
“Creativity is within each of us.”
In the last episode of this season of Radio Rotondes, we conclude our exploration into the creative world with 10 lessons. These tips summarize what we have learned throughout the season about cultivating creativity. Hopefully they will help you develop your own creativity. Even though we’ve spent an entire season talking about creativity, it still remains a mystery. So unfortunately, following these 10 lessons won’t magically turn you into a creative person. Yet, they will help you move into the right direction to harness this quality within yourself.
You’ll see that very often these creative lessons are basically life lessons because, as we have said time and time again, being creative is part of being human. So every time we’ve talked about being creative, we’ve ended up talking about life.
During this episode you’ll hear some familiar voices, as we illustrate our 10 lessons with some quotes from previous episodes. And you’ll meet someone new, another creative human: Luxembourgish multidisciplinary artist Diane Jodes.
10 lessons to develop your creativity
Here are 10 lessons that will help you cultivate your creativity. We’ve drawn these conclusions from previous episodes, from the different creative humans that we have met during this season of Radio Rotondes. These lessons may seem simple or mundane and yet, they are not easy to apply. These lessons in creativity are ultimately life lessons. As being creative is part of being human, when we talk about creativity, we always end up talking about life. (photo: Rakicevic Nenad via Pexels)
It is by being curious and by learning new things that we get out of our comfort zone. That’s how we find ideas that we otherwise wouldn’t have thought of! We must cultivate our curiosity, our thirst of learning and exploring new things, in order to be more creative.
It is by questioning things that we push things forward and come up with new solutions. To question is to leave room for change. Every creative person has one or more questions that they try to answer through their work. These questions guide their work and give their work purpose. Answering these questions becomes their source of motivation and inspiration. So try to find the questions you want to answer!
Passion and conviction are necessary to get you through the difficult times.
Developing a creative practice requires discipline and commitment. You need to put in the time. The reason why it takes time is because it is only by making mistakes, taking detours and breaks that we find our way. Things take time and forcing them won’t get you there faster. Give yourself time!
In order to be creative, you have to start from one initial idea and let it be your guide. You have to avoid wanting to control the end result too much. Leave room for the unexpected, for magic to happen.
Let’s stop pressuring ourselves to know it all. Let’s just start. You’ll learn along the way.
Your opinion matters, not that of others. We don’t know what others think, so let’s not fret about their opinion. Create for yourself first.
Let’s stop pretending to be someone else. Let’s show our true selves. Let’s reveal our humanity and vulnerability. Ultimately if we are truly ourselves we will find people with whom what we are trying to do will resonate.
When you create something for someone else, show empathy, listen and ask questions. We have to keep this person and their opinions in mind as we create, instead of getting lost in our own ideas. It is also important to listen to our colleagues’ and our loved ones’ feedback, even if it is hard to hear at times.
Even if you don’t know that things will work out, trust yourself and take the leap.
Our guest: Diane Jodes
Diane Jodes is a multidisciplinary artist from Luxembourg. She works with various media: she paints, makes prints, collages, creates installations and objects. In her work there is often a touch of humour and a reflection on the human condition and where the world is going. She describes her work as “a universal research on human nature, on the cycle of life that is birth, life and death, fears and daily joys”.
Diane is also the co-founder and president of the printmaking studio Empreinte, the only workshop of its kind in Luxembourg, where she also teaches etching. Finally, Diane is part of the Semaphore Art Studios in Oetrange, where she has a studio. (photo: Mila Hall)
