I believe that we in the middle of a great flowering of creativity. We are surrounded by creative pursuits. It’s everywhere. Maybe it’s because I\u2019m writing a novel that I\u2019ve started to notice it. When my wife was pregnant, I was suddenly surrounded by pregnant women, but the regional rate of prenancy was the same as it ever was. For sure, there is some of that going on – but it\u2019s not the full story. I think there’s more creativity now than ever. Here\u2019s why. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I work in a small tech department, writing software for independent pharmacies. It\u2019s not the most creative business domain in the world, and yet I’m surround by creative people. Just in my small team there is<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that is only counting traditional creative pursuits. There are also gardeners, bread makers and brewers in the same team. In my wider circle of friends, there are three poets, a few musicians and my hairdresser\u2019s friend has just finished a novel about a time-travelling forensic scientist. There are a lot of people in my small corner of the world who are quietly creating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I finish Softening, I could publish it. Simple as that. I don\u2019t need anyone\u2019s permission. I don\u2019t need to convince any gatekeepers to let me in. I don\u2019t need to be super lucky or super rich. I could compile it down tomorrow and get it out there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s the same for my artist friends. Their output can be published and pushed out just as easily. The stand up comedian is slightly different, but even then there are a lot of open mike nights where he lives. It\u2019s not that difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The downside is that there is more competition and alternatives to your stuff than before. There are less people making a living but more people making something. I\u2019m comfortable with that. Let a thousand flowers bloom, even if the individual plants don\u2019t get paid a whole lot for their efforts. Anyway, I’m convinced Charles Dickens thought there was too much competition as well. The guys painting caves after the woolly mammoth hunt probably felt the same. It’s a universal feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Creativity loves company, and it\u2019s never been easier to find your creative tribe. I live in a big city<\/a>, but it\u2019s not the centre of the cultural universe. Even so, I\u2019ve been amazed how much support and encouragement there is for writers. Just off the top of my head there is<\/p>\n\n\n\n And that is before I have to go online, or even out of state. I\u2019m not the best at networking, but even\u00a0the unsure and awkward can find their tribe. There are plenty of people around to sympathise and work with.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not everyone is the same. The number of perspectives on offer has multiplied and continues to do so. One voice, becomes many, becomes a wealth of creation. I won\u2019t guess at the views of various minorities and marginalised communities – that never goes well. I\u2019ll just briefly note my own. Two years ago I was the least diverse of all the voices – white, male, heterosexual, and reasonably affluent. Yawnsville – we\u2019ve heard it all before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now I\u2019m neurodiverse. I do have a particular perspective on things after all, and it feels that I have something to say about it. I\u2019m not a standard digestive biscuit. I\u2019m a fig roll, and on my better days I might be a chocolate hob nob, and I want to write about it. I\u2019m compelled to get it out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a side note, I also think there are more people diagnosed with ADHD now – it\u2019s better recognised. You don\u2019t have to be a horrendously behaved seven year old boy to get the meds anymore. The diagnosed can go from being paralysed stress jellies, to idea factories in overdrive. It\u2019s what happened to me. It\u2019s another drop in the ocean of creativity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are all busier than ever, and yet a lot of us have a bit more time to do what we want. Creativity breeds in between things. A bit of space in a busy life and suddenly we are dreaming up ideas for an online dog rental service, or we\u2019ve stencilled a mural in the hallway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And things will only get better. The day will come when AI rules the world and I’m looking forward to it. We\u2019ll have even more time for creative pursuits. When we are pets to a super computer, we\u2019ll have nothing better to do than write a ten part epic romantasy<\/a> series. Our AI overlords will love it. They\u2019ll find our human creative efforts endearing. They\u2019ll encourage our work and feed us lots of doggy treats to keep us inspired. We\u2019ll charm their silicon chip socks off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s my favourite mantra – no one is looking so do what you want. There are so many options out there. Doubt tends to cloud the writerly mind, but pushing another creative endeavour out into the public domain is really low stakes. Chances are that no-one will notice. Publish a blog post, write a poem, create some fan fiction, distribute your short stories. Why not? No-one is judging. No-one is waiting for you to trip up. No-one is bothered really. Everyone else is too busy with their own stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So just do it. And if someone does notice – well that\u2019s what we all secretly want anyway, isn\u2019t it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Photo by Karen Uppal<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I believe that we in the middle of a great flowering of creativity. We are surrounded by creative pursuits. It’s everywhere. Maybe it’s because I\u2019m writing a novel that I\u2019ve started to notice it. When my wife was pregnant, I was suddenly surrounded by pregnant women, but the regional rate of prenancy was the same 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Chocolate Hob Nobs<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
AI Overlords<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
No-one Is Looking<\/h1>\n\n\n\n