Written by: Michael Landau

Mind expanding ideas from the Nussbreite™ community to the world.

Being open to new things
Understanding is better than hate

So… a lot of people are coming in to the bar and seeing creativity all around them. maybe they notice the paintings, or the custom built furniture, or the photos of butts on the wall, or maybe they see an incredible musician opening up like a flower on stage creating feelings the observer never thought possible. I have heard far too often things along the lines of… I could never do that. You have talent that I do not have. I never even have ideas that are creative or original. This is an ignorant way of thinking that hinders personal development. Everyone who would like to do something creative has the capability and should try it. Without trying how can you possibly say that it can not be done.

Now, I would like to open your minds to how you can begin with nothing but yourself and create something and why it can be beneficial for you to try. You do not need to start with the idea of making something perfect and meaningful, but with a curiosity of what is possible. If painting, you can start with any kind of stroke on the canvas. If writing you can start with the first word that comes in to your mind. A lot of the times, the creative process is started with something that seemingly means nothing and the meaning manifests during the process and sometimes even after it is completed. To create you have to dive into the unknown and see what happens. You just have to start somewhere. Anywhere. The leap can be difficult and seem worthless, but after you take it, the possibilities are infinite. What is your argument not to try? Every time any art is made it is an experiment. Even if you don’t particularly like something it can be looked at enough that you find something in it with meaning, or you can think about it enough to understand what you don’t like about it (which is also meaningful and helpful for understanding yourself). No matter what you do it will be creative because you are bringing something in to the world.

An original idea doesn’t mean that it has never been done, but that it comes from your own life. Anything that you take from your own life is unique to you and although many others may have experienced things in a similar way, it is not possible that people have seen it through your eyes. To create a song or write a poem or story that captures a way that you felt that meant anything at all to you can not only help you to understand why you felt certain ways, but it can open another persons mind to see their own similar situation in a different light. Things happen to you and you alone everyday creating your individual view on the world and the things that you can choose from to be inspired by are infinite. My goal in writing this is not to force you to be creative but to let you know that the possibility exists for everyone and that if it is something that you thought is not possible for you but you wish it was… I’m here to say it is. It starts by simply trying.

There is no such thing as talent. There is only openness to try and will power and determination. No one is born good at something. Some people are lucky to be taught to think musically or creatively at a young age but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t work for it, and it definitely does not mean that you should not try because someone else is better than you. There is no better, only different. A very trained jazz musician can mean a lot to one person while a very simple songwriter can mean just as much to someone else. Every individual has something to offer because every individual is an individual. So try if you want to and be amazed at your creations, and if you don’t at least quit bitching about why you can’t. ©