But what if you're NOT creative?

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I've always characterised us as "creative" people. But reading some of the things you write to me, I notice that sometimes we don't feel very creative at all.
We spend our lives copying things that inspire us and wish we were more "genuinely" creative, or we worry that we're not as creative as that person over there.
What if your big dirty secret is that you don't actually feel like you're properly, really, actually creative at all?
Love, Cathy x
Music: Flirting At the Masquerade by Franz Gordon at epidemicsound.com
Photos:
Worth oak leaf dress at the Bath Fashion Museum, UK
My oak leaf dress, photo by Kathy Lear at Costume College 2009
1908 dinner dress, photo by Tavan Photography, (c) 2013
Join my mailing list and ask your own question:
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You can also follow me and see my own sewing on Instagram:
/ cathy.hay
Your letters and cards are welcome at Mr Worth's old place.
7 Rue de la Paix
Paris 75002
France
Please don't send parcels to Paris - import fees are expensive! You are far too generous. But if you really want to send something larger, or you're in the UK like me, I also have an address here:
1 Northumberland Avenue
Trafalgar Square
London
WC2N 5BW
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Thank you, thank you, to everyone who has sent something to me. It is deeply valuable to read your words in your own handwriting and hold them in my hands. It helps me to connect to who you really are, and what you really need from me. I read, enjoy and treasure every one. Thank you.

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Опубликовано:

9 июл 2020

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Комментарии : 534

@Maanuska 4 года назад

I'm so happy this is acknowledged. I'm good at colouring inside the lines, but not at drawing the picture. And it's even better if there's numbers telling me which colour to use. But I enjoy it. And that is good enough, I'm becoming to accept.

@mamasinthegarden7068 4 года назад

'I enjoy it,and that is good enough.' Yes. 100 %. YES

@samit2658 4 года назад

One of my creative as a kid was to draw. I don't do much now but when I feel like getting my pencils out. I like colouring too :-)

@luciasoosova2182 4 года назад

@Shayne Punim Well, I've been clumsy with drawing and couldn't wrap my head around it. So colouring is a great substitute for me.

@KyleJMitchell 4 года назад

@Shayne Punim If you're referring to the strike-through starting at your second point, that's not something that some moderator did but rather is caused by your formatting. If you edit your comment to add spaces before *and* after any dashes (specifically, before the phrase "When children" and after the phrase "Take a chance"), then it should stop RU-vid from styling that string with a strike-through line. Hopefully that will fix it, but RU-vid's markdown can be spotty on these things.

@seahorsesalt4386 3 года назад

Its answering the internal dialogue that tells me what I'm doing is crap

@Harrydewulf 4 года назад

There are so many skills that you just can't learn any other way than imitation. And many others where the most effective way to practice is to follow someone else's pattern. I tell all my authors to imitate their favourite authors. The ones who do it learn more about creativity than I could ever teach them in a lesson.

@lyndaevans1132 4 года назад

Exactly right!!!

@luciasoosova2182 4 года назад

YES! You have to cook 1000 meals before you are able to make your own dish! I created a few recipes out of scratch, but it is only building up on my knowledge about food.

@vixendreamer 4 года назад

OH MY GOD! Thank you so much. As an aspiring author, I worry that my story ideas and writing are too much like my favorite authors. But after reviewing my writing, I find that I soon diverge a lot more from them. After following their voices for a while, I find my own footing and I am strong enough to walk off on my own.

@juliusroman8616 3 года назад

@@vixendreamer Can't wait till that happens to me. I'm a decent storyteller but not a decent writer yet, I've made hundreds of stories but I've never tried to write anything down. My writing style is imitating JK Rowling and Harper Lee at the moment, they're both my favorite authors.

@amandaavery5204 4 года назад

I love when Cathy gives us a pep talk we didn't know we needed. 🤩

@coffeesquirrel1 4 года назад

IKR!!!!! 🤓 I always feel like this and I really needed that even though I didn’t realize it!!!

@emoryrubyg9631 4 года назад

This! I had no idea I needed this pep talk until now. 😁

@Tinkerbell31326 3 года назад

You took the words right out of my heart!

@autumn.frost1286 4 года назад

I’ve always been someone who never found their “one thing” but instead I jump around from hobby to hobby, and definitely didn’t feel creative because I couldn’t make my own patterns or new ideas. Then two years ago I started making soap and again I felt like I was just copying what I saw but I had a realization that even if I was copying a pattern or a technique I still had to put in the work and the troubleshooting when it went wrong to make it. After that I felt a lot more at peace with all of my hobbies because of the sheer work and patience and perseverance it takes to create anything

@christineherrmann205 4 года назад

This.

@maggie1711 4 года назад

Just had this realization myself recently. Plus I always felt as though my projects were never "good enough" or that they looked amateur so I would kind of just give up and move on to a new thing hoping I'd be "good" at that. but also I realized recently everybody has to start somewhere and just because I think those thoughts doesn't mean it's the truth. We are our own worst critics sometimes. All we can do is keep creating and each project we learn more and hone our skills more. Even the most disastrous project ends up being a useful learning experience.

@dianegodsil8548 3 года назад

Amen!

@kathycarey2996 2 года назад

I'm the same way, but I've just always accepted that's the way I am. I have FUN doing all the different things I do. It's like exploring. Some times I feel more creative than others. Aren't we all somewhat creative. I mean when you cook your supper, you are creating a meal for yourself. Sometimes when I do laundry and mix all the products, or clean house and rearrange items, I feel creative.

@LatelyFashionable 4 года назад

I remember my sister once lamenting that she was not creative like our mom, who can look at a pattern for a dress or a quilt and visualize it in different colors and make design changes in her mind, and then DO them. But she (my sister) could not visualize it any differently than the picture on the front of the pattern envelope. She would have to draw it out and color it like the fabric(s) she wanted to use before she could even decide if she liked it. And she took this as proof that she wasn't as creative as our mom (or me). Of course that's not true.

@MossyMozart 4 года назад

@Chelsea Souder - My brother was a custom woodworker. He could look at a flat, rough board and see the finished object in his mind with all the measurements, cuts, and joints it would need. He would then proceed to transform the board into his vision. I wish that I could do that.

@AbigailPoirier 4 года назад

I do think that some people (not necessarily your sister) are less original than others. But that's not a reason to feel badly or less-than. People have different gifts, and different types of creativity. I think it would be super cool to write gorgeous melodies like Andrew Lloyd Webber, but for a variety of reasons (some under my control, some not) I very rarely come up with anything I would consider to be good. So I have accepted that I am less original than the composers I love so well, and I'm ok with that. I have different work to do.

@mmtruooao8377 4 года назад

I often feel very similarly. Part of it is that I just haven't learned the skillsets necessary to do art that i would like to do - because that takes time, practice, dedication. I've spent my time in school and in video games and in books. My mom talks about when I was a kid I would just make these beautiful color palettes of crayon art - but that's not creative, I told myself, because I was given crayons and I wasn't doing anything special with them. A year or so ago, I started trying to do embroidery, and it was just... really hard. It could be fun, but it was a really big struggle to make a consistent shape. I told myself it's not creative to make a leaf, everyone else can do better. Now, I'm cross-stitching, and when I got into it I felt bad because I didn't have my own patterns or ideas. I just wanted to do something simple with my hands. It's not even "proper embroidery" because I have a grid system. But something being easy doesn't mean that it's less creative. I modified designs, and I'm applying my own experiences from school and from books and games. That's creative, even if I have a hard time seeing it.

@JenInOz 4 года назад

My mother was an art teacher, a copper enamelist, wood carver and painter. My older sister is a fashion designer, seamstress, felter and works with clay art now. My brother is an industrial designer and draws cars. My younger sister is a singer & pianist who writes her own music as well as teaching piano. I have never felt creative in any of these ways. I can sing, and play piano if I have music to follow, just as I can sew if I follow a pattern. But where my creativity comes out is in my choices of what fabrics and colours to use. I *am* creative but in a different way to the others in my family.

@Blitzcomo 4 года назад

I started identifying as an “artistic” person or “creator” a few years ago when I had this sort of crisis. I’m terrible at writing music, for the most part, but I love singing and guiding people through making music. I feel best when I’ve created many things that day, even though usually it’s from following uke charts, reading sheet music for my own cover, cooking from a recipe, or cutting and sewing pieces from a pattern. “Everything that seems to be new is inspired by something that came before.” So true! Thanks for this :) (can’t believe I’m this early!)

@maryquint3254 4 года назад

Thank you. Everyone needs to search for their medium. Creating is artistic and unique to every individual. I loved this message 💕

@kathrynmarie1133 4 года назад

I've nearly always made outfits that mimic a fashion plate, a historic dress, or a character's costume in a film. There have been many that I've really wanted to make just because I adore they way they look, but lately I find myself looking for inspiration for what to make and thinking to myself 'I wish it were another colour' or 'I wish it included a certain detail' or even, 'I wish it had that neckline that I like'. It may seem obvious, but this video just made something click within me: I CAN do that. I can just create something that is my favourite colour with the best neckline and a detail that I love...just because I want to. Why has this not occurred to me before? Thank you for this, I needed a wake up call!...now to plan multiple future projects.

@DaveTpletsch 4 года назад

Wonderful. I'm a potter, a sculptor, a writer, and most recently a digital illustrator focusing on D&D character and creature art. It's been my experience that the only thing separating people who think of themselves as "Creative" and those who don't is the epiphany you just had. Not that my opinion means anything, but I fully believe you are now an artist. I hope you come to think of yourself the same way, and I hope you have a lot of fun with your new plans and projects. After all, since you're now an artist, you totally have license to make all sorts of weird stuff just because you want to, if you want to.

@carolynwilliams5918 4 года назад

It's somehow very reassuring to hear you say that you're a mathematician - my majors in college were Computer science and Mathematics, and I currently work as a software engineer. It surprises people sometimes given that I'm the 'creative' friend who paints miniatures, draws constantly, and DIY'd her wedding decorations.

@luisa3431 4 года назад

This has really opened my eyes as an amateur classical musician. I thought I wasn't really being creative while playing, I mean, I just play the notes on the page, right? But I have come to realize that you really "reinvent" the piece with your interpretation, even though you keep the notes that the composer wrote. Thank you so much for this great video, Cathy!

@Betsyschugar 4 года назад

It took me a long time as a musician to realize that. But eventually I got to the point where I could tell myself “you know what? People have played this song before me, and people will play it after. But nobody has ever played it exactly like I will play it. Nobody has ever heard my emotion and my interpretation of the music before.” And that was such a life-changing moment for me. I’m glad you realized it too!!

@catherinerw1 4 года назад

I'm watching this while churning out face-masks... still making things that weren't there before, with fabric combinations that hadn't been put together before, and fiddling with the construction to make them better :) (As of today, face coverings are compulsory in shops in Scotland, I'm making them and selling them to friends and acquaintances, as a way to stay sane because my normal creative outlet of singing in a choir is currently off the menu!). So many thanks for the definition of convergent (which I'm good at) vs divergent (which I'm not) creativity! (I'm a scientist by training). PS love the roses. C

@Missbethr 4 года назад

I think you really nailed something in that creative is too often used as a blanket synonym for imaginative. Both are great! Both have strengths and weaknesses. As a wildy imaginative person, I tremendously respect people who manage to manifest, i.e. create from their impulses. My wildly imaginative streak doesn't always have the follow through.

@Anne-iz5br 4 года назад

I often struggle with not being able to express my imagination. I recently realized this requires skill (kind of obvious really) and skill requires practice and practice is often copying someone else and follow instructions.

@dragonqueenarts 4 года назад

Hey Cathy, I've just noticed, having not really heard you in a while, your voice sounds so wonderful! It has really improved, and I feel a confidence coming from you. I just wanted to applaud all the hard work you are doing. I know how difficult healing can be. I just want you to know that your voice and your energy is making me happy, and I am pumped to see what more you can accomplish.

@susannemallmann2018 4 года назад

A long long time ago, I had a boss that told me that I think I am a creative person but that I am actually not creative. According to him, the outfits that I was making, were all based on a pattern (they were not, but okay). So basically I was just following someone elses creativity. He felt like he was creative though because he had found a solution to an actuarial problem that I couldn't have come up with. He informed me of his ideas and then I created the actual solution, which was not as brilliant as he thought it was. I would have made a better and more proper solution. Not that I mentioned that to him... It did get me to thinking about the "creative" characterisation. To me, "creative" means exactly what you just described. And the thing my boss was referring to was "inventive". I am no inventive person, I know that. But I am very creative and know exactly what I need to do to get a specific outfit. I might combine patterns to get another pattern. So I would be creating basically something new from something existing. How can't that be creative? It sure doesn't make me an Angela or a Rachel, I know that. :-) Anyhoo. I was so thrilled to hear that you are a mathematician, as I am one myself. Later I also studied to become an actuary. Such a satisfying profession. I love all the numbers and I am creative in that field as well.

@lilybloome1601 4 года назад

The last time I was this early I thought you had to be born talented to do anything worthwhile! (Thank you so much for all of the inspiration; I admire you so much)

@0x0hattie0x0 4 года назад

most talent is a slight inclination towards something and a hell of a lot of work

@winnievaughan7121 4 года назад

Life is art! Love is art! EVERYTHING is art, EVERY persons brain is a powerful creative tool, therefore, EVERYONE is an artist. All work, even the abstract (like thoughts, feelings, perception) is art. Your soul is art, your life is art, you are the orchestrator, the engineer, the artist, the sculptor of your own destiny. That is the ultimate art form. You beautiful people need to give yourself more credit. ❤️

@huetmaryline90 4 года назад

As an engineer, I am incapable of copying a garment. I always try to improve it. I start and then "Oh but wouldn't it be better if...." and the result is .. different !

@EinhornAnspitzer 4 года назад

Wow, I finally have a word for this! Convergent thinking! I am very much a convergent thinker - I want the right solution in maths, the truth in philosophy, and when I am creative, I aim towards a specific thing- the poem that exactly expresses what I feel, or the fanfiction with the most accurate characterization. I sometimes feel hindered by the idea of the perfect way to do something. But maybe that is just my way of creativity. Thank you ♡

@redbird9658 4 года назад

Gosh my self esteem is low. This actually made me cry. Thanks.

@fionafiona1146 4 года назад

Your Voice is Great now, I hope that's a reflection on your general state of being 😉❤️💋

@BigHenFor 4 года назад

I have found that creativity is problem-solving, and when I have solved a problem, however I have done it I have been creative. It's the process of arriving at a solution is where I am being creative, not necessarily the result. "Original" ideas are always influenced by or borrowed from others to a greater or lesser degree. Even the greatest of us, stands on the shoulders of those who came before. So, as long as you enjoy the process of making something, you are being creative because you are solving 2 human problems: 1) how to find joy, and 2) how to make something new. Enjoy your your creations because they are the fruits of your labour.

@MossyMozart 4 года назад

@BigHenFor - YES!

@wolveshowling26 4 года назад

Yes that's how I define it for myself too! Problem solving.

@coronastern 4 года назад

This is why I (as a media designer) can't design out of thin air. I need some specs, some "problems" or limits within the project like "only print" "you can only use 2 colores" and so on. THEN I get Ideas over and over. So ... yeah, you are absolutly right!

@carolines7215 4 года назад

This is a wonderful way of thinking about it! I love to bake but never viewed it as creative-that is until quarantines started and I needed to mash together and adapt recipes to match the ingredients I had! Solving the problem of missing ingredients made the process feel very creative!

@karupe9982 4 года назад

Aw never thought of this like this. Also how enthusiastic she sounded when talking about her peers is lovely. It's true how lovely and creative yet different Bernadette, Rachel...are.

@Musicfreak1ify 4 года назад

Same, I studied at an art University and I've always said that I don't consider myself a creative person, god it was like I murdered their mother. I've never been the type to draw crazy and artistic designs to sell to people, I've always been pedantic about seam and dart placements in my designs, even the initial ones, and I love being able to create things that are exactly like my designs on paper. Maybe all this time I've been a Convergent designer in a room of Divergent ones, and there's nothing wrong with that.

@berkleypearl2363 4 года назад

I had the silliest feeling yesterday. I was planning on painting my dnd mini and I wanted to make sure I used colors I liked, so I went around Pinterest looking at embroidery, paintings, tiny fairy dresses made for dolls, trees, and all the things that I think are pretty for color ideas. And for *some reason* my foolish brain decided that that was stealing. My brain was telling me that I was so uncreative and boring and I was stealing other people’s art. Like? What?? No! I’m not even capable of copying someone’s fairy dress or embroidery onto this figurine because the whole thing is a premade sculpture half the height of my thumb! I feel like I have been weighted down with so much pressure to be creative that the act of drawing inspiration from something feels like plagiarism. Also the fact that I once had an English teacher who told me that if I didn’t have a citation after every third sentence in my paper then I was plagiarizing, because “everything that can be said has already been said. Therefore you must give credit to those who were first.” I’ve never fully recovered from the thought that I will never have anything new or good to say. So yeah. “Creativity” is overrated. If you create you are being creative. Just make things and put in love, effort, and care into what you do. Be proud of your work. You have made something!

@MossyMozart 4 года назад

One tool that I find very helpful when planning a color scheme is to collect as many paint chip samples, Pantone samples, Formica chip samples, and the like, as I can in every color possible, whether in a color I "love" or not. (I keep them in a big shoe box.) Then when you need to develop a scheme, spread out likely samples and look at them with unfocused eyes. You can quickly see what colors harmonize and what do not. Feel free to tweak the colors in your computer, paint palette, or colored pencil drawings so that they make an even better fit. One mark of a great artist (not me, I assure you) is the great color schemes they use in their work.

@AbigailPoirier 4 года назад

I'm posting this reply to several people's comments because I feel that it is so very important: C. S. Lewis said "Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it." I think your teacher, while being mostly correct, was bitter and cynical. Also, you might not have been the first person to think of an idea, but you did think of it before hearing it from someone else.

@lickthismiff 4 года назад

In a Rachel Maksy video a while ago, she said her creativity was more around figuring out ways to recreate something she'd seen rather than coming up with things herself. I relate to that a lot - it's still creativity though, putting things together and "creating" something is creative!

@LedgerAndLace 4 года назад

I really appreciate the distinction between convergent and divergent creativity. My mother was very convergent and she would be incredulous at my "in all directions" approach. Thanks for the Ah-ha Lightbulb Moment!

@janhenry9733 4 года назад

I'm taking a pattern drafting course through the local university and I've been floored by the concept of taking my sloper and drawing new lines on it to create a new pattern! While I'm basing it on the look of the film gown, the bodice has to fit me, and my body type, so I have to make the design tweaks that look best on me while also creating the now-familiar shape that is the film gown. It's definitely a creative process. :-)

@DaveTpletsch 4 года назад

Absolutely. I wish more people understood that problem solving like that is creativity too, but we seem to have been trained not to think that way.

@OverpepperedSoup 4 года назад

Love this video essay! Definitely respect the convergent creators, because I am just not good at it. I find that I copy things or pieces of things when I am learning to do something new (like crochet lace, my latest obsession; so many new motifs and techniques!). But I only seem to be able to copy them until I've learned whatever thing caught my interest. It's too irresistible to deviate and tweak it to better suit my purposes. I do this with crochet, cooking, pretty much everything. This seems to be my family's creative bent, because they're the same way. Also, lovely to discover another creative person with a math background!

@lookingatthesky1949 4 года назад

Thank you so much for this, Cathy. This week I decided to learn drawing. Every time I pick up my pencils to draw or start sewing my head tells me that I'm not creative enough, so it's not worth trying. Screw that! I'm going to try anyways.

@inas3993 4 года назад

Hello Cathy, I really like your explanation about converging/diverging and consequently you take on creativity and it's connection to historical accuracy. I couldn't agree more. Actually, making a Late Victorian Walking Skirt on the basis of the instructions in Keystone's was creative and copying. It sparked my interest in historical costuming. Thank you for sharing this video.

@karengerber8390 4 года назад

Oh, Kathy Hay, Thank you from the root of my Soul! I used to speak of "birthing" paintings, drawings & clothes. And adopting out my "children" to loving homes. ...Happy Mother's Day! You decide if I am late for this year or early for next year! Much love & Respect Karen Gerber

@animatedmooncloud3181 4 года назад

This reminds me of one of my animation professors. He started as an army soldier with a geology degree who was then encouraged into being an artist because a teacher saw his doodles during class. He says he’s not the best artist but he’s quick and a good problem solver which helps the animation become smooth and look amazing. Not everyone that finds their creative path started out searching for it, it found them.

@jenninstitches 4 года назад

I am such a complete creative slump and this was just what I needed to hear. Thank you for this wonderful corner of the internet to snuggle into to learn and be uplifted.

@wolveshowling26 4 года назад

What I gathered from this video: Rachel & Angela: EXPLOSION Cathy & Bernadette: IMPLOSION(?) 😂I'm definitely on the imploding side of creativity

@TheMonarchofGold 4 года назад

This is a very interesting take. I've had a similar struggle before, because even though I'm a woman, my style and way of doing things is incredibly brash and masculine. So, thank you for reinforcing that there is room for everyone to be here. There is plenty of room for the convergent and divergent ones, and even room for the very messy artist like me.

@naseerahvj 4 года назад

As a very divergent creative, I always want to be more convergent, methodical and focused (I'm very type a and hate clutter/unorganized space). However, I've learned that I'm just not successful that way. I have to jump between very different projects to keep my energy and creativity fresh enough. If I focus on one thing too long it gets stale, and I stop enjoying it, it starts to feel like homework. I also prefer to be inspired by the ingenuity and resourcefulness of historical sewing, rather than precise recreation. I love mixing my favorite elements of historical and Desi design to make things that I feel comfortable and myself in.

@nessaincajuncounty6533 3 года назад

I have always felt that i could never be creative. That all I could do was copy something already been made . Thank you Ms. Hay.

@ThatSpoonieTransGuy 4 года назад

Wow, I had no idea how much I needed to hear this, thank you.

@thecompassrose5808 4 года назад

Passing on the instruction from my first theater teacher, who has been in the business 40+ years, that he himself was told by a mentor, "Steal, steal, steal. Nothing is truly 'new' " We all take inspiration from the world around us and translate it into our works, even if you are doing it subconsciously.

@franj1 4 года назад

I think you're a completely brilliant and kind person.

@suemiller9842 4 года назад

The only person who is not creative is the one who is too afraid to try anything. So what if you copy a pattern, better that, than a garment that does not fit you. You choose the fabric,and you choose the trimmings. That's creativity. The world does not need a pair of pants with 3 legs !!! As your confidence grows, you will change a neckline, a sleeve, or a hemline. Then you will have your truly unique design. Forget about others, just have fun; enjoy yourself. Cathy, you are truly a remarkable person. Thank you.

@Liz-sc5dg 4 года назад

Lovely message! My creative source comes from Mr. Dress Up, a children's television show that I grew up watching. ❤

@nobody4911 4 года назад

I hope I'm not offending you by mentioning this, but your voice sounds so strong today! It's wonderful to be able to witness your progress. Wishing you the best

@alexandraleigh 4 года назад

People who want to learn and preserve the original form and production of our Historical dress arts Hand sewing, Lacemaking, recreating Clothes using the format that we used Pre and post sewing machine are just as creative as someone who comes up with an "Orginal Design" And Trust me I have to have Patterns for my Historical work or I end up Crazy!! Thank you, Cathy, for this message to all of us!

@janetmoore1124 4 года назад

I've heard it said many times that there really is nothing "new" - everything has already been discovered, invented, created. What I know for certain is that I get inspiration from others and then move on to do my own thing. Sometimes it is a radically different thing than what inspired me, sometimes it is a thing that is a recreation. At the end of the day, I may not have 'invented' it, but I did 'create' it. I think we get caught up in the idea of "perfection" and lose sight of what we are actually attempting to do. And, our definitions create issues for us; one person's 'success' is another person's 'getting by' or 'failure'.

@MrSludov 4 года назад

In fact, that´s quite the way "art" has always evolved.

@kimberlywest7839 3 года назад

This is something that has stopped me from pursuing creative outlets for years. I have always felt like my creative levels live at rock bottom. I love all of your videos. You are such an uplifting light in all of your followers lives.

@teresavalliere2888 4 года назад

Create inspire delight. Even everyday chores done with though or care can be creative in there own light!

@VirtuallyViktoriyan 4 года назад

Thank you for this! I am reading Hank Green’s book, a beautifully foolish endeavor, and I think this is exactly what one of his protagonists struggles with! Being original and creative is not something that happens in a vacuum, and being influenced by others is the point of existing within a community.

@kaiyode3599 4 года назад

Every single time I click a video of yours and watch it, I feel that much more of a self loving human. Thank you for your contribution to this timeline we're all riding on.

@rebeccaatkins1923 4 года назад

Thank you Cathy. I think we get so caught up in how other people are creating, we overlook our own achievements. Its not a race, we aren't competing, there won't be anyone sitting in judgement. We need to take a step back from supporting and cheerleading others, allow ourselves to praise our own efforts.

@naomi9926 4 года назад

I think I've been needing to hear this for a while! I'm over halfway through my MA in English literature thesis and sometimes can't help but feel that I'm simply regurgitating what better scholars have said before. This was a much needed reminder for me that so much of academia is made up of convergent creativity anyway, I'm putting undue pressure on myself. Thank you for yet another wonderfully comforting video x

@AbigailPoirier 4 года назад

Speaking of English literature, C.S. Lewis said "Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it."

@Isdris 4 года назад

I feel you, I´ve written my MA Thesis in politics and boy.... I´ve never felt so uncreative from start to finish. Always thought "those arent my thoughts, someone has already written this somehwere" etc. I got really frustrated at the end. The thing is: at the end is yours. Its an amazing feeling holding your own thesis! Wish you all the best, the trouble is worth it!

@naomi9926 4 года назад

@@AbigailPoirier What a great quote, I never came across it before! And as the saying goes, there's nothing new under the sun

@naomi9926 4 года назад

@@Isdris Absolutely, the way you put all those thoughts together will always be original anyway! Thank you so much for your encouragement!!

@cristinerose21 4 года назад

Im only halfway thru my history batchelors degree and im 46 years old so you can do it

@tarafoley6030 4 года назад

I am a 61 yr. old "creator" ... and I absolutely agree with exactly the way you've expressed yourself. I too started out following the pattern ... when @ some point, I chose to use a drapery fabric instead of the suggested lightweight shirting fabric because I "pictured" the "stunning" finished dress, in my mind ... pattern, colours, but most importantly the shape change I could achieve with a heavier fabric. It turned out even better than I had envisioned & Every time I wore that dress, I was approached by complete strangers with wonderful compliments. My creativity expanded from there .... Not everything I tried worked, but I'd say 99% did. Do not be afraid to experiment. You will find your muse when you trust yourself. 💕

@emilyedwards4914 3 года назад

Cathy always makes me cry happy tears. I have never finished one of her videos and not felt better about myself in some way.

@SciFiCheerGirl 4 года назад

Thank you! I've always found it difficult to categorize my version of creativity, so I shy away from calling myself creative at all. This helps!

@deboraharmstrong3002 3 года назад

About 30 some-odd years ago I found this book, and fell in love with that very gown. I made a Xerox copy of all the pages of that gown, but I failed to make a copy of the title page! Insert 30 years of swearing here, because I. Could. Not. Find. That. Book! About 5 years ago, I finally found the book again, and made copies of ALL the cataloguing pages....and 2 years ago, I bought the book. This gown is SO beautiful, it hurts. The other one that I love is the one with the sleeves that look like stacked cups. I'd be more specific, but my books are living in boxes this month. Thank you for bringing MY favorite gown into modern reality. Now I'm going to drive myself crazy trying to do a screenshot (at which I am abysmally bad!)

@juliachristine2801 4 года назад

I think my problem is that I sometimes lack confidence in my own creative ideas and following an existing pattern or design sort of provides that outside validation of 'yes, this is a good idea' because I can see that it's already worked before for someone else 🤷‍♀️

@erinfurby7091 3 года назад

Thank you, Cathy, I am using my mending projects to practice my hand stitching skills in preparation for making some historical garments. It is so comforting to think of mending as creative. I certainly enjoy having my clothes back in wearable condition and increasing my skills at the same time. Erin

@KHAZimmermann 4 года назад

This was such a lovely video! So heartwarming. It reminds me of a very long, late evening chat I had with a friend. She's very scientific, and pragmatic, and I am the other am 'artistic' with my head in the clouds. But we discovered through chatting that we're both extremely creative in our own domains. We came to the conclusion that creativity is answering to a question you, or the world has. Not making anything new desperately. That helped with my imposter syndrome a lot!

@SouthernArtist77 3 года назад

I just discovered your channel and I’m show this to my 83 year old Mother who makes the most beautiful quilts and she takes them to her church and the ladies hand quilt them. They do this for other quilters who make the quilt tops but don’t have room for a quilt rack. They charge for the hand quilting and the money goes back to the church for good work in the community. She tells me she’s doesn’t think she’s creative, I tell her that quilting is an art, maybe she will believe you, I hope so.

@kimkinsella7245 4 года назад

Another way of thinking is transformative creativity - writing fanfic, making YT posts reviewing media, taking something that already exists and turning it into something new and different. That's how I comfort myself when I get in the "nothing I do counts" kind of mood.

@hameley12 4 года назад

Thank you for this Cathy. Your words reminded me of four years ago. I remember arriving home, getting to work on my book idea, suddenly I was overwhelmed. I went outside for a walk, came back home and still I could not write down one or two sentences. I did not know then that's called 'writer's block'. Anyway, I started reading four books per month and soon I was writing & drawing again. That experience taught me to slow down, take a deep breath, and just continue to listen and/or study someone else's work. From the beginning of March I started learning French 💁‍♀️🍷❤❤ *RU-vidrs keep on learning and experimenting with different languages, arts, and sewing techniques.*

@rhiannon9549 4 года назад

I've had this conversation recently with an art teacher at the school I work at. I do cross-stitch, I create beautiful art that hangs on my wall and brings me joy, but I've never considered myself creative in that. I'm creative when I write, but not when I sew, I'm just following a pattern. This teacher reminded me that at it's heart, creative is about creating something new, and by new I don't mean innovative or unique, but something that wasn't in the world when you started the process. I have 'created' things. And that I need to own the word creative, even when I don't feel it

@florindalucero3236 4 года назад

Thank you for addressing this, it really speaks to me; I paint, and people praise me, and push back when I explain that I'm not actually creative, I just faithfully reproduce what my eye sees. People don't "hear" me when I say this, and it can be frustrating.

@toniroche-simmons2238 4 года назад

"Re creating it" ! You are being creative by recreating a pattern to fit yourself. Making something from scratch for yourself is creating it. You have created a thing. A dress. To turn your hand at something, the end result is your creation. Some people don't realise how creative they are. They seem to think it's too difficult to do. But once you do something by learning you then know that you can do it and you don't see it as being difficult. People have told me that the things I've studied are difficult but I say to them that when you know about a topic or how to do something then it isn't seen as difficult as you thought it was as you now know how to do it. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with us. An inspiration as always xx

@helenasample4872 4 года назад

I really needed to hear this today Cathy! Thank you so much. I am always getting down on myself for this, but you're right! I'm creating with everything I do.

@JSJSpeaks 3 года назад

Yes, yes, YES! There is a definite distinction between invention and creativity; one need not intent a brand new technique to engage in creative arts. Following well established techniques allows a person to be creative within a framework, and that is supportive of releasing creative energies. I have taught several artistic endeavors and often heard "I'm not creative," and I vehemently disagree! I would reply, "if you're alive, now, as a human being, you are innately creative; you probably just haven't found your medium yet!" And in that way, people felt free to try, express, experiment, and enjoy a project. Thank you for your wonderful content Cathy, we're all lucky to have you!

@parasemear2686 4 года назад

Everyone : " we are dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants" this, when we create something, and a lot don't . It is a great honour to participate in the greatness of so many!!

@adedow1333 4 года назад

Kathy, you are a delight! I didn't know you were a mathematician. How fun is that?! How utterly wonderful! I find myself in need of creation. If I get so bogged down with kids and vacuuming and dishes that I can't make anything new during the day, I tend to think my day has been wasted. Then again, so much of my day is creating anyway, like cleanliness or well-mannered children. It's fantastic the amount of creating we do just by living and bothering to care about anything at all! Thank you again, lovely one, for being such a light!

@DawnOldham 4 года назад

I used to have a business (20 years before I retired) where I sold scrapbook supplies and held “workshop” time where the (mostly) women came and worked together on their albums once a month. Tongue in cheek, we ALWAYS told people to use the CASE method. Copy and Steal Everything. But while your “copying” something you’ve seen, you most often make alterations, big and small, to your creation! That’s where we could give some credit by saying we were inspired by so and so or such and such! I’ve always considered myself creative, but my first place to go when getting ready did to create is to look at similar things- often on Google. I love your historical interest in clothing. It’s provided me with a lot of enjoyment! Thank you for this video!

@anna-maymoon1001 4 года назад

I love this - I get frustrated with myself creativity wise bc I'm divergent creative but could use the discipline of convergent creative. The only thing I've ever really managed to force myself to learn properly is writing, and I did that through fan fiction. It's a wonderful way to learn how to write things in character and then the plot has to work around what they would do in the situation. (Taking divergent and adding an element of convergent) Now I'm writing my novel (still) I'm recognising it isn't right because of X, and I'm able to make it right. (I suppose it's the equivalent of unpicking a seam or hem you've just done bc it's fitting funny).

@elkepeterson8164 4 года назад

Thank you..... “you’re giving birth to something that’s new”. I didn’t think I was creative at all.... and so desired to be....“be creative in your way...” and I do.... is it good. Maybe it’s fun and there is joy! Thank you Ms. Cathy

@cassandra2037 4 года назад

I love how "create" is rooted within "creative" - Even if you're not making something that is 100% new, you are making something. And like any living thing, creativity needs sustenance to grow and evolve. Imagine a tiny seed that needs water, sunshine, earth. It's not making its own but when it grows into a sapling, or even a tree, it begins producing its own leaves. As always, your videos are just right and come at the right time for me. Thank you, Cathy.

@marm742 4 года назад

You are like a fairy godmother for the souls of your listeners. You speak the heart of things in a way that many of us can relate to and cling to. Thank you for helping us understand that we can be creative in our own unique ways. It means so much to hear this.

@Aquafelis 4 года назад

Being creative makes you think, but doing something aesthetically pleasing makes you feel. And sometimes that's all you need :)

@MossyMozart 4 года назад

@Aqufelia Aeri - People do not always recognize the presence of aesthetics, but they sure recognize its absence even if they do not know why!

@viiIeiraS 3 года назад

Creativity it's also being able to learn something new, that you invision in your mind. Lots of times you will not have all the tools but if you are a creative person you will make it work with what you have, looking around your house for stuff for completing your project. In industry we use patterns all the time and it's a great tool to make pieces fit well, this way you know that it will fit, and you can move on to more important decisions 😉 Got to love the shortcuts. One teacher used to say to us ' you don't get a bigger prize if you struggle more with things', no need to choose the difficult rout.

@elizabethaucoin6290 3 года назад

It strikes me that a mathematician is exactly what you need to be to create elegant fashion. I am terrible at math, and the perfect intro to sewing for me was children's Halloween costumes, I worked without a pattern to create an optical illusion, but I often wished i was better at doing the math. The dresses you chose to recreate are awesome, and they make fashion history accessible to many more people, so good on you!

@hannamato 4 года назад

This is exactly what I needed to hear right now in my life situation. I'm starting my maternity leave (9 months minimum) right when my contract at my job is ending, and I've kicked myself back and forth whether I am "creative enough" to start posting up-cycling diy stuff of my own on youtube after I regain some energy back. This was a good reminder, that it's more important that I get excited about something myself rather than being an "original creation" if there even is such a thing.

@naamahnotorious955 4 года назад

Since you're on maternity leave... You are probably the most 'creative' person in this discussion.... You're creating a human being!

@mizuza12 4 года назад

I do both types. With crochet I follow a pattern sometimes but other times I've whipped up little characters for my niece's and nephews. I love to paint and draw. Sometimes I see an image and try to recreate, sometimes I just go off on one and create my own. I love all different mediums. So never seem to stick to one type of drawing or painting and I flit between knitting and crochet. I am physically disabled so using an electric sewing machine is really difficult ( the foot pedal) so I am wanting to try and explore hand sewing and am in the process of searching out an old hand crank sewing machine..sewing is an area that I have not fully explored but really want to. Before disability I was a traditional musician. But so many people think creativity is just the arts. It isn't. Navigating life, solving problems, raising children, starting a business , all require creativity. It doesn't have to be visual or melodious to involve creativity. P.s much respect to Cathy. Maths is my worst subject. My brain just doesn't. It's a blank. I once met a mathematician who wrote s sentence then used about 3 symbols to say the sentence mathematically. My wee brain did get a glimmer of ooooo maths could actually be really interesting... Formulas are also creative, I just can't create them haha but that's okay because I am happy with what I can do and love doing it.

@fernandaz3227 3 года назад

This is so important! I'm a digital artist and I get this question a lot! A lot of beginners don't like the idea of using references. They feel they are cheating if they collect images for a project or look up other artist's work. They feel it must come from memory to be original. There is also this strange sense of ownership. If they didn't make it from 0 100% is not really theirs. It's so important to understand that originality comes from all the different sources of inspiration, as you say, and study the techniques required. As artist, we need to constantly feed our brains, keep learning and growing. And I think that's the beauty of it. Because it makes all part of something much bigger, it connects us! Thank you so much for this video. I'm new in your channel and I love your work! Following the peacock dress Journey!

@ah5721 4 года назад

I love the self love golden drop of cozyness you give us . I feel like I am being wrapped up in a positive blanket of love with a good warm beverage on a cold day. Thank you Kathy ! I have always been told I'm pretty creative but when depressed I just copy others and have no will to do anything out of the box. there is nothing wrong with copying others- I've heard it said " Imitation is the greatest form of flattery"

@madelinegutierrez1720 4 года назад

I know I'm very creative - my problem is money, time, and things right around me that need to get done (but haven't been since I moved and created these tasks - fixing up house I bought, etc). So I need to listen to you and remember I do my best to live a "creative life." Not stuck in a rut, willing to try new things, even if it's just a new route home from the doctor's, stopping at a park I've never walked through, looking, thinking, seeing, being mentally open and absorbing things I see, smell, hear, touch. Thank you Cathy!

@CalamitysBane 4 года назад

Thank you for this ❤️ I now realize I've been hard on myself as I want so badly to be divergent in my drawing and sewing and woodworking but require a pattern. I feel like I should be hacking and altering if not straight up designing my own. Whereas in writing, I am quite divergent and constantly trying to force it to be convergent 🤦‍♀️ oh well, now I've learned there's nothing wrong with creating the way my brain wishes to create

@jeanninekalua9016 3 года назад

Thank you thank you. I'm such a convergent perspective person. I create from what already exists and have always felt bad that I dont know how to be a divergent creative!! My mother and sister are with music, and well I have to play what isnwritten, and I dont hear new music in my head. I've tried, it doesn't work. So thank you for sharing this tidbit of wisdom, the other side of the coin! I've always felt like I was a fraud on some level, when that isnt true. Grateful I found your channel.

@rebekahanderson5020 4 года назад

This was very comforting. I find that I can at times have either convergent or divergent creativity. It doesn't have to be either/or. It just depends on the situation I am in/the materials I have at hand. BTW, I loved that you name dropped Rachel Maksy

@adamay1641 4 года назад

I wish I heard these words when I was in university. One of the biggest hurdles I had studying to be in technical theatre is constantly associating creativity with originality. I had immense difficulty designing anything and feared I was not nor would ever be creative. As I continued my training, I learned to umbrella 'creativity' to include terms such as fabricator, technician, and craftsman. All valid in a creative field. If you choose to participate in a creative practice, then you are creative in your own way.

@kimwallace4102 3 года назад

This has been my hangup for months now! Make that years, really. I’m great at recreating but original ideas are very rare! So recreate I will.

@YTistooannoying 4 года назад

I think envy mixed with self doubt is a huge roadblock when a person looks at themselves or others as being creativity or trying to be. For instance, I am all left thumbs, I have barely any dexterity. I cannot draw, sew, decorate, paint, play an instrument. I can write and create stories, but as it isn't something that people are instantly drawn to (a picture is worth a thousand words), I often feel that my form of creative isn't worth as much because it is such a niche and not as accessible. But I enjoy creating and there are people who enjoy what I do and that is important. Do you get pleasure and joy from your work? Then you are also creating happiness and pleasure within yourselves and others. I have to tell you thank you, Cathy. I have been having a very difficult time and your thoughtful videos really help me.

@mouseluva 4 года назад

Thank you for this video. My architecture professors often make me feel like I'm not good enough because I have more convergent creativity and not much divergent. I wish more of them were supportive of the strengths instead of trying to make me something I'm not. Thank you for the validation and self esteem Cathy ❤️

@eiriktheread4323 4 года назад

Thank you for this wonderful video, Cathy. I for one struggle with Imposter Syndrome (that little voice in the back of my head telling me I'm a fraud, that I'm only tricking people into thinking what I make is good, that I'm not "really creative") to such a degree that it forced me out of most of my artistic pursuits for a very long time. I'm still relearning how to do a lot of the things I used to as a child without a second thought-- drawing, writing creatively-- only now it takes real conscious effort not to give up. It does help to remind myself that no matter what the quality of my work, or whether I followed a pattern to get there, I have put something new into the world. I created, thus I am a creator, and that makes me creative. And hearing that from another person is an incredible boost. Thank you again.

@sophiesong8937 4 года назад

So true. I also think we shouldn't discount the inherent creativity in curiousity, which I think drives a lot of my own craft. I love searching for 1950s McCall girls dress patterns then trying to recreate them as accurately as possible to the illustration on the envelope for my daughter. For me this feels creative, when I search for some sort of modern fabric with a really specific and obscure print, as I sew, as I see her wear it. It all satisfies my curiosity in a creative way. I think I employ both types of creativity you mention, and think thry both hold equal value and potential for satisfaction ♡

@lindseyenna 3 года назад

Your video on perfectionism reminded me of a book that I would recommend to everyone who enjoys creating any kind of art be it culinary, sewing, painting, woodworking, etc. It’s called Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love). She calls her readers out on every obstacle and excuse that inhibits the creative process (such as perfectionism) and gives very sound advice on how to move forward. It has really stuck with me and I’m so happy that I read it! Both of you give some of the same advice, and some is different. It’s a pretty quick read and so worth it! Thank you for all of the wonderful advice and encouragement you continue to give us :) It truly is incredibly helpful and has emboldened me to take action.

@impracticalsewing7071 4 года назад

I envy your creativity because I find so many problems whilst sewing that could be solved with math, but my knowledge and ability to problem solve just isn't there. I often have to bring in another person to help me morph my ideas into a physical thing. Your ability to "get to the answer" is incredible and I know that in order to do that you have to have many theories and ideas then test them. And if that doesn't work you have more.

@mariannegiroud8131 2 года назад

The term of "being creative" reminds me when i was a little girl, talking to my cousin about "why are scientists looking for extraterrestrials that should have similarities with Earth beings?" (i.e. based on carbon). She told me : Well, you better look for something you already know that something that you don't know it exists". So i guess creation is also that, take existing items and use them to do something you like, thus I put less pressure on myself

@K_rye 4 года назад

I was listening to this while making cards and stopped cold when you described the difference in creative styles. It was a true light bulb moment for me. I've been crafting for decades and made things that people told me they liked, but never felt creative. I always have to start from a pattern or picture. Even when I made changes, it was still not really be creative. I needed to hear that it's OK to just be me. That what I do IS creative. Thank you very much for this and your other messages that lift my spirits.

@cindland 4 года назад

Genius, Cathy! That’s what we do as humans. We relate by observing and sharing and learning from each other’s ideas and experiences. We all put our own spin on what we perceive, or even perceive it differently in the first place!. No one’s interpretation is EXACTLY like another. That is the creative part of our being. On another note, your voice “came back” when you started talking about your background and education. Clear as a bell!

@TimesmithDressHistory 4 года назад

Another strongly convergent thinker here (former lawyer) driven to pursue "historical accuracy" by researching and practicing (in the truest sense of the word) how the originals were made. "How" is my buzz-word. And yeah, sometimes I've questioned whether that's properly "creative". I arrived at the same answer, Cathy: something new has been borne at my hands that did not exist before. Even if it's such a good "copy" of the original that only a very well-informed person looking very very closely can tell them apart. I love your concluding encouragement... just go make your stuff, whatever it is, however you choose. :)

@nickmunoz8320 4 года назад

My favorite thing is watching so many different people to ultimately decide how I wanna craft. I use techniques from quilters and bag makers when making clothes and me personally I learn extremely well through videos so having all these content creators at my disposal is truly a blessing

@donnasmith2201 4 года назад

Hi, I'm Donna that send one of the emails. Thank you so much . You have inspired me, and I went online and ordered a pattern for an early 20th century long skirt and jacket. It arrived yesterday and I'm quite excited to have a go. Thank you for caring enough to make a video :) x

@surabhiagrawal9936 4 года назад

Hearing you call yourself a mathematician is so validating to me. I graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics last year but I never thought to call myself a mathematician; the job applications always told me that mathematician at least had PhDs. And I don't have to choose between being a mathematician or a creative. In fact, I am realizing that I developed my creativity through my mathematical training. I needed creativity to succeed in mathematics! Sure, there were the rote, repetition, plug and chug mathematical classes. But I also succeeded in highly creative math classes. I survived (and thrived) in proofs classes where I had just a list of definitions and theorems and an end goal to prove. I creatively pieced together the definitions and theorems to *create* a solution proving the end claim.

@reginacooper386 4 года назад

I think that often creativity is mistaken for originality. As you say, Cathy, there are all sorts of creative minds at work in our world and we all have a spark to create. We can create something that isn't entirely new or original. Even when following a pattern we give our own interpretation of it. Embrace the desire and do the thing!

@ReinaElizondo 4 года назад

Agreed! Everyone has it in them to be creative in different ways. No one tells a child they should give up on crafts or coloring because they aren't creative enough, but society often does the equivalent to adults.