Day 229: Do you believe in your own creativity?

Sometimes I look at the world and think, how am I ever going to get anywhere with my creative skills? Does the world really need them? Do it even want them?

Even my some of my teacher tell me, 'it's so hard to break the industry. Most of you won't ever make it...'

Encouraging stuff, huh?

Well, this is the decision I've come to this morning because of an amazing teacher called Janine. In my lesson yesterday (and in many of lessons actually) she claimed our writing was better than an author that just one a prize for their book. She always says things like, 'when you get published' or 'when you send yours off to publishers.' She believes in us and the more you're told you can do it, the more you believe it. It gives you the motivation to carry on and believe that what you've got can make a difference.

So, what are you doing? If you believe in yourself and your creative abilities, you can do it! I'm here to say that creativity is important. It doesn't matter what the government says. It doesn't matter what our maths teacher says. Creativity is part of everyone and we got given an extra dose, so share it!

I wouldn't be writing this blog everyday if I didn't believe in creativity. So get out there and show the world what you got. If you think it's important, then it is! No one can do creativity like you can. You are unique and the world needs you.

Are you with me?

Day 228: Are you an inspiration catcher?

Do you ever wake up in the night with loads of ideas for your creative projects? Or just as you fall to sleep you get a really good idea, but you're too tired to write it down? Or maybe you wake up in the morning with fresh ideas on how to carry on...

Creativity in a part of me all the time and it never really stops working, but the trouble is I've got a rubbish memory!

The other day I had a really good idea about a conversation my two character could have, but I didn't write it down and now it's completely gone. No idea. Can't remember.

But, I'm telling you this safe in the knowledge that I learnt from my mistake (for once). This morning I woke up after having a horrible dream about being bitten by a freaky looking cat (which is weird, 'cause I really like cats.) Anyway, I suddenly had loads of ideas for my story (no thanks to the cat), so I got up and started writing. That was at 8:30 this morning and three hours later I've got 1000 words to show for it. (Imagine me with a smug smile right now!)

I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you have a flash of inspiration, don't waste it. Write it down, even if it's just notes and then get on with it. It's amazing how quickly your motivation can leave you, so catch the inspiration while you can.

I'm pretty sure you'll feel way better after.

Happy creating!

Day 227: Black Swan

This Friday sees the release of the highly anticipated Black Swan staring Natalie Portman. It's a psychological thriller about ballet and the conflicts between its perception of elegance and the realities behind the curtain.

The thing that stuck me about this film is how it has been born from creativity itself. This poster is the first one I ever saw for this film back in November last year. I was captured by how different it was from all the other film poster I see. No photographs, no fuss over star actors, just visuals. It's colours are minimal and full of impact.

The film is about ballet, which is creative, right? It's a film about the arts. Without the ballet, Swan Lake, this film couldn't exist and without Black Swan, the beautiful posters that advertise it couldn't exist. In fact, without swans, could any of it exist? (a topic for another day I think!)

Creativity, it seems, breeds creativity.

Just think about the things that you love creatively. Someone created that because they were inspired by something creative before that. Who knows, perhaps one day we will be the ones doing the inspiring. Our creative work will be part of the chain too...

What new creation would you like to inspire?

Day 226: Colaborative Creativity

Us creative types need to stick together, especially in times like these where the government seem to be squashing all the we love out of their national budgets. Perhaps with a bit of team work, we can make what we do stronger and get our talents noticed...

This year is my last year at uni, which means I get to do loads of cool creative stuff exactly the way I want to (woop)! As you might already know, I'm running a writing competition in a local school, making an anthology out of the entries and selling it for charity. I'm pretty excited about it, but, to be honest, I know very little about actually making an anthology. I can't do design and I don't know a thing about layout. That's where collaboration comes in. My friend Fleur is a graphic design student in her final year, so she gets to pick cool creative stuff too. To cut a long story short she's designing the layout for my anthology. She gets experience in her creative field and I get an amazing anthology. Both of us win!

Plus, another girl I met called Laura is dramatising a scene from my novel for her final year Film and Media project. She gets a project, I get a video to promote my story. All are winners! (Watch this space for video excitement!)

So there you go, proof that creative collaboration works and is really exciting.

Who do you know that's creative? Could you work together to help each other out and make both your work more exciting? ALL creativity works well together. You just need a little creative thinking to get it going...

Day 225: Should you put kisses in text?

So, I know this isn't directly related, but bare with me...

Me and my housemates were just having a chat about whether you should send 'x's (kisses) in texts. One of them said, 'well, if I text a boy I don't send kisses.' But I totally do. Am I giving them the wrong impression...?

For me it's kind of a signing off. I don't want to waste characters on writing, 'love/from Emma.' That's 8 characters, when I can just use one, 'x'. Everyone gets one kiss from my boyfriend to a work colleague.

The other day I had a convo with my sister who said, 'I only send you one kiss 'cause you only send me one. I send Grania (her best friend) three.' Cheek! Does that mean she 'loves' Grania more than me...?

I'm pretty sure this kind of confusion about texting politics is not new to you either. Don't you think it'd be better if everyone did the same thing? What we need is a code.

So, this is my creative proposal for today. I need someone to write a book about 'text eticate' and publish it everywhere. Only then will we find rest with this heated topic!

Whose with me? Whose up for the challenge? The world needs your creative input...

Day 224: Play with Imagination - Day 5

First of all I'd like to apologise for yesterday's entry. Technically it was today's, as I wrote it 19 minutes after midnight, but I hope you will accept it as Sunday's entry. This doesn't mean I've failed my blog challenge, right?!

Anyway, back to creativity...

Today is the last day of my mini imagination challenge (but that doesn't mean you can just stop using it!) It seems fitting to work backwards and go into my childhood, or anyones childhood for that matter. When I was young, anything seemed possible. I don't know about you, but I never questioned things people did in films. I thought people really could jump that high and that Robin Hood really was a talking fox. When you get older you start to rationalise things. When you watch a film you think, that wouldn't happen, that's obviously CGI...

So my mini challenge today is to talk to a child. Ask them question after question and see where their imagination takes them...it literally could be anywhere! Take on board what they say. How could you use their ideas in your creative work?

Start the conversation with an open question like, how do you recon we could reach the moon tonight? Or, if you were a forest animal what would you do?

Kids are loads of fun, so share it with them today.

Day 223: Play with imagination - Day 4

Ok, today I want you to give yourself 5 minutes. No more, no less. Set a timer and create a character.

Chose a name.

What do they wear? Why? Where do they live? How old are they? How do they live with? What do they do? What was their first memory? What do they want more than anything?

After the five minutes is up, the real question starts...

What are you going to do with them?