It started with a notification on Facebook, telling me what I did 6 years ago. Apparently I had written the first blog post about my year abroad and set it on my profile. Out of curiosity, I clicked, and read... and I was struck by the writing. Not because I thought it was particularly accomplished, but because it felt like I was reading a version of me with more excitement, and zest, and... well, the word that came to mind was creativity.*
Creativity is a word that gets bandied around, to mean anything from baking a particularly good cake to pushing the boundaries of performance art. What does following a recipe have to do with new concepts? Something new, that didn't exist before, has been created. The thing that gets me about this idea of creating, is that straight replication doesn't work in the same way. Sowing 100 identical dresses would not embody creativity or creation in creativity's sense, at least not after you had done enough to master the process. It would develop skill, of course, and craftsmanship. But creating a new style of dress, each time, or adding new tucks, pleats, patterns; you have created something you have not before. I think about the routines I might look to when I feel a little flat, to see what I am neglecting. Routines bring a balance in us that is nourishing - regular sleep, running, cycling, whatever your routine is. Yet I notice that the times where we create something new, those are the times that bring a different kind of spark. Rather than reading the same book, reading a new one. Rather than baking the same cake, trying a different recipe. Rather than conducting the same conversation word for word, we start another.
Even our relationships when I think about it, seem a wealth of creation. No interaction, shared meal or trip is guaranteed to be exactly the same (and when they are, they are not the ones we necessarily remember or draw inspiration from). The fact we are changing creatures that bring new ideas and experiences to each other is precious, and dare I ask, is it what makes us meet again and again?
The take-away thought is simply, I think creating is pretty special. How and when and why and how much, that kind of analysis feels like overkill for me right now. Just take the first thought and do what you want with it. I'm sure the value of shared traditions/routines/norms can take another blog some time, to balance out a little this talk of creating new things. Having read to the end of my blog from Berlin, I realised how much words mean to me, and how much joy I take from their use and what you can create with them. I want to explore where this goes, and enjoy the process along the way, and hopefully this post will not be the only blog post for the next six years. On the other hand, I would hope that I can also create something new for others to enjoy. I'm not going to follow a theme to start with, just whatever takes my fancy. We will see how it goes!
PS. Disclaimer for any naivety, reinventing the wheel, and cliche - short of becoming omniscient, if these are portrayed it is because I do not realise I am doing so, my apologies. I also invite you to coax me out of any such habits, should you feel so inclined.
*I don't think this is because I was particularly more full of zest or doing way more exciting things, the detail on why is superfluous to this blog post though.
