Structure and creatives, those two words sound like an oxymoron, don’t they? Many creatives would agree, “Darn right, they are oxymorons!”
We creatives live in a world that has not welcomed our imagination and unconventional process. In fact, many creatives have been injured and even wounded by how structure was forced upon them. Yet, unless a creative willingly embraces some kind of structure, they take the chance of not living out their creativity to its full potential.
Let’s take a close look at the development of a creative.
Lila is three years old and already not following the rules. She wants to touch everything, especially if it’s beautiful (and expensive.) But she is cute as the dickens and that melts her parents’ hearts.
Lila is now 5 years old and starting kindergarten. She has to get up, dress herself and get to breakfast way earlier than she wants. It’s hard for her to get to sleep at night because she is making up stories in her mind. At school, Mrs. James sometimes gets impatient with her because she isn’t doing what all the other kids are doing. She is at the art center drawing again. “Put down those crayons, Lila. Art center is over now.” She hears that a lot.
Lila is now 10 years old and in the fourth grade. She wishes she was smart like some of the other kids in the class. It’s so hard to look at all these numbers and words all day. She feels dumb. She doesn’t get good grades like her older brother. Her parents are so happy with him. But she feels like something is wrong with her.
Lila is now 13 years old and in the 7th grade. She is taking an art class as an elective. She loves this class! She can draw, paint, sculpt and whatever else they’re learning as much as she wants. Ms. Janet loves her work and tells her she has real talent. She is like a flower, blooming in the sun. All her joy evaporates when she walks out the door from art. At home, her parents sit her down and explain a new set of rules for Lila and how these rules will help her be successful. But the new rules sound like pure meanness to her. Then, Mom and Dad tell her the worst thing she could hear. No art until all her other work is done. Lila is crushed.
Lila is now 16 years old. She knows she’s an artistic person but who cares? Popularity is all that matters. She gets pretty good grades now but somehow it just doesn’t mean anything. She watches those pretty, popular girls — so confident and comfortable around the cute guys. She could never be like that.
Lila is now in college. She is an art major against her parents’ wishes. She pushes through her other classes to get to the Art building where she feels more at home than anywhere else. She hangs out with other people just like her. They all hate their math and science classes. Sometimes, they’ll all brainstorm the most amazing creations. It feels like heaven! By her junior year, though, she knows the dream is almost over. She has to “shift gears and knuckle down,” and think about her future. Art aint gonna pay the bills. So, she decides to be a teacher. At least she can help other kids on their creative journey.
Lila is now a teacher. But she actually hates it. Oh, she loves her kids! But all the other parts, lesson planning, following state guidelines on every little thing, the endless paperwork — it’s suffocating. But what choice does she have?
Lila lives in the structured, linear world because she has to. But she doesn’t fit in there. And she certainly can’t flourish there. She would still love to pursue art, but where could she find the time, because managing all that linear stuff takes everything. Lila was forced into the linear structure at home, at school and in her job. It wasn’t her choice. What she wanted or needed was never even a consideration.
The Structure of the linear world.
Have you ever noticed that the structure of the linear world always looks the same? To Do lists, right angles, spreadsheets, outlines. Those linear experts write a book on how to build a bigger, better structure. Everyone reads it and then does exactly what it says. Here’s why, it’s the only way they can conceive of the world functioning. This is an important point. That linear nature is organized, sequential, orderly, and task-oriented. It’s like they are all part of an ant colony. They all have a job and are pre-programmed to follow their instincts. Bringing order and function is automatic for linear folk. If things are out of place, off schedule, or not in order, they will go correct that. They have no sense that the creative is just a different kind of person with a different drive source inside of them. In fact, many of the linear-oriented will feel irritation, frustration and even anger for the creative, who is obviously doing things so wrong.
These dynamics have left many creatives deeply wounded right down to their core identity.
But what those linear types and the creatives don’t know, is that creatives have their own kind of structure. It’s a creative, non-linear structure. Doesn’t that sound fantastic? Everything on this planet is an amazing compilation of numerous structures that strengthen, heal, reproduce, and create, and manage function. Our creativity is the same. Can you just let that sink in for a minute? Your creativity has its own structure. And it’s beautiful, organic and has no right angles! When you discover it, you’re going to love it, because it comes out who you are as a creator.
Because creatives have big imaginations and the drive to explore and push out beyond the boundaries, they can conceive and thus create all kinds of structures. Opposite of the linear folk who stick the one way of seeing and doing things.
But this is the beauty of the balance God built into us humans. The linear types create a solid foundation of safety and reliability that the creatives can use as a launching pad to go where no one has gone before. Then, they return with the cool stuff they made out there, to enrich the lives of those steady-Stanleys back home.
Beloved creatives, the world needs your gifts. You have a purpose that won’t be fulfilled unless your creativity is engaged. And you deserve the joy you will live in when you are set free to create as you were designed to.
But first — things need to be set right.
The wounds of the creative need to be healed. If you squirm, zone out, get angry, feel sick, want to fight, get a headache, need a drink when you hear the word “structure”, that’s a pretty good indication that you are a wounded creative. You have to look it in the face. Name it. Disassemble it. And understand what happened. Then you have to release the wrong done to you, forgive the people who did it and grieve the loss of what should have been. This may take some doing. But it will be WELL worth the effort to get it done. Get a journal.
There needs to be a factory reset. Can you really go back and start all over with your creativity? Well, if anyone can do it, it’s the non-linear creative, right? I did a factory reset not too long ago and here’s how it looked for me.
I had a vision of a beautiful beach on a perfect summer day. I saw this cute little girl in a sunhat, playing in the sand. She had one of those plastic bucket toys that are shaped like a castle turret. She had been very busy and focused on building a huge number of these little castles. It was quite the metropolis. Some were decently formed, others were lop-sided or crumbling. But then the tide came in. I watched as it washed up and through her little city, toppling every castle. “All that time and effort and completed work — all gone?” I said with great sadness, knowing I was seeing my life in this vision. But then I heard the Lord say to me, “Yes, but it needed to be washed away.”
Dear creative, your imagination is scary powerful. Use it to create a pathway or doorway to a new beginning.
Discovering your creative, non-linear self. You never have to use that word “structure” in regards to yourself ever again. For now, I am going to use the organic, personal, familiar, friendly word, “self.” At the end of this article, I’ll offer some other terms and of course, being a creative, you can imagine the perfect name.
Now the fun begins! The fun that has been waiting for you your entire life. You have this magnificent creative self in you and it’s time to discover who they are. This self is your creativity, meant to be your friend and partner, to express your thoughts and share your dreams. You probably will never know the depth of your creativity, because it will be revealing more and more of itself for the rest of your life.
To help you discover and understand your creative self, I’m going to teach you a question that will enable it to reveal itself to you. Ready? Here it is: “What do you want?” With this one question, your creativity will show and tell you everything about it you need to know. Don’t worry about what it wants. Since your creativity is YOU, it will automatically want what YOU want.
Here’s a first conversation to have with your creative self. Consider your medium. Are you a painter, writer, dancer, musician, inventor, designer or several of those? Ask your creative self what their ideal studio would look like. A huge concert hall with every instrument at your fingertips? A writing nook right next to a babbling brook in the forest? A wide, open space on the top floor of a building, with windows all around to let in every kind of light as you paint? Let your imagination run wild! Don’t hold back. You will learn much about your creative self from this one exercise. You might want to get a journal to write all the things you learn.
Your creative self will teach you how it works, when it needs rest, what stresses it out and what makes it jump for joy. It already knows the optimal conditions for it to flourish. Just ask it, it will be more than happy to tell you.
From now on, NO ONE ever gets to define you or your creative self ever again. You and your creative self are the boss of that. You’ve got an amazing future ahead of you. Let yourself go. Let yourself fly.
Some new ways of saying or describing the concept of structure. Fill in the blank with a word from below. “I work best when my ______________ is in charge.”
Rhythm
Flow
Power
Home fire
Heart
Jungle Jim
Creative Identity
Creative Gardener
Color palette
