Creativity is intelligence having fun.
~~Albert Einstein (http://www.joyofquotes.com)
Today I begin a 3 1/2 credit hour course on the creative process. It is being offered at Eckerd College, Tampa Campus, and runs for two months. Our first assignment before attending the first class is to make a sizable free standing sign, creatively done, with our name in big letters and otherwise identifying who we uniquely are. I chose to use GIMP 2 (a free Photoshop type program) and Microsoft Publisher. Now the nifty thing is that I am not a master of either program, though I have had a novice's introduction to layers and various editing tools. These limitations serve to reveal an important aspect of creativity--creativity is born of limitations--great joy is found redeeming an array of limitations transmuting them with focal intensity into assets through a process of trial and error, iteration, judgement, serendipity, and patience. That is, if there were no limitations of the artist or material, one could be "perfect" right off the bat. But this is never the way it is for me. There is a whole gauntlet of tradeoffs, deadends, wrong turns, and compromises--all summoning my judgment and eventual joy when measured victory transcends the jaws of defeat. I have a feeling that this applies pretty much across the board in all fields; and if it does not, one is not pushing the envelope and reaping the joy and gratification exploration and discovery provide.
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