“I’m Not Creative, This Podcast Isn’t For Me.”

If you have found yourself saying "I'm not creative" recently, then STOP and listen to this episode ASAP.

 

I simply don’t believe the “I’m not creative” trope, and I challenge you to disbelieve it as well.

 

In this episode, I explain a little more about what the Creativity: Uncovered podcast is about and who I am making it for. SPOILER ALERT, this podcast is not just for people who work in creativity industries, it is for anybody who is curious about creativity, and wants to inject more of it into their lives.

 

I share my thoughts on how I believe everyone is creative, and how this podcast will help you better understand and unlock your own creativity and how it can be a part of your everyday lives.

 

This episode is the recommended place to start if you have just come across this podcast.

 

Happy listening!

 

xo Abi

 

PS. For more information about this podcast or about me, head to:  https://crispcomms.co/podcast-episodes/im-not-creative-this-podcast-isnt-for-me/

 

Creativity: Uncovered is lovingly edited by the team at Crisp Communications.

 

Creativity: Uncovered is a registered Australian Trade Mark.

 

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hello everyone, my name is Abi Gatling and welcome to the Creativity Uncovered podcast.

(00:16):
And a huge thank you for tuning in to my very first episode of this podcast.
I am so excited to have you here.
Now I wanted to focus my first episode today on highlighting exactly what this podcast

(00:38):
is about and who I am making it for.
So this podcast is all about exploring how different people successfully unlock, unleash
and inspire their creativity.
But I really want to stress that this podcast is not just for creatives.
Sure, some of my listeners will be professionals who work in it day in and day out and they're

(01:01):
just simply looking for some more inspiration to keep producing.
And while this podcast will fulfill that need, I hope, this podcast is in fact for anyone
who wants to be more creative in their life.
And I mean not just at work but at home, in play, in sport, in art and everything in between.

(01:26):
This podcast is really for people who are curious about their creativity and want to inject
more of it into their lives.
And I really wanted to reiterate that because I hear this a lot and I simply don't believe
it when people say I'm not creative.
I don't believe it and I challenge you to not believe it as well.

(01:49):
Because I believe that people who say that they aren't creative just don't understand
what creativity is and how it can be a part of their everyday lives.
Look, and that's not a dig at anyone who says that.
I fully understand why people do.
And I actually thought of it of myself for a long time too.
You know, during our lives we are taught that creativity is art.

(02:13):
It's music, it's design, it's dancing, it's writing books.
But creativity is so much more than that.
I really don't accept that narrow view of what is and what isn't creative.
Because doing so squashes you.
It puts you in a box and it makes you feel like you're just not good enough.

(02:37):
You know, throughout my schooling life I actually studied art.
And I was pretty good at it.
I won some awards and my family were proud of me and most importantly I really loved
doing it.
That was until I got to Year 12.
I had a change of art teacher and then I received the very first fail mark of my life.

(03:02):
Oh, it devastated me.
And I laugh now but it truly was devastating.
It killed my self-esteem and it took away all the self-belief I had in my artistic ability.
And because that situation was so poorly managed I kind of was traumatised by it.

(03:23):
It really resulted in me stopping any form of art for at least 10 years after that.
It changed my university and my career path.
Instead of doing a fine arts degree like I originally intended, I went into teaching
instead.
And I ended up getting a government job and I went to university.

(03:43):
And along the way my creativity was really put on the back burner.
I truly was focusing on my career and even though it was successful, I was in middle
management, I looked after big teams and even bigger budgets, there was a hole that quite
frankly was getting me down.
I wasn't happy and there was something missing from my life.

(04:07):
And after much soul-searching, I realised it was that my creative spirit wasn't being
fulfilled by my career.
And so I started making a conscious effort to fix that.
I started trying to find ways to inject fun and creativity into my roles.
I interned at night as a social media manager.

(04:28):
I taught myself graphic design and started freelancing in my spare time.
And soon that spark started coming back.
Fast forward a couple of years and then I actually launched my own business.
Reflecting on this experience on how my life went so off track from where I thought it
was going to be, to where it ended up, it really made me wonder why we have to be good

(04:54):
at art to simply do it.
Like why did I reject art completely just because one person didn't like my expression
of it?
And why did I start telling myself and others that I'm not creative?
I realised that I'm probably not the only one who's had that experience.

(05:15):
Because if you were a think back, as kids we were always encouraged to be creative.
To does, to sing, to paint, to draw, it was an everyday part of our life.
But somewhere along the line we stopped that.
We somehow bought into the idea that creativity is for the youthful.
Or the professionals who get paid to do it.

(05:37):
And as adults we now feel like we have to be truly talented to pursue a creative endeavour.
Or that we need to be purposeful or strategic in our pursuits or else it's not worth doing.
We've forgotten how to do it.
Just because.
Now I believe that everyone has creativity inside them and you just need to know how

(05:59):
to unlock it inside of yourself.
So if you feel that you aren't creative, I know that it is in there somewhere hidden
away and I can attest that it's never too late to pick it back up again.
So my aim for this podcast is to reach those who have let their creativity drop away.

(06:21):
Those who believe that they aren't creative and those who want to do more creative things.
I want you to listen to this podcast and then go out there and do it.
Be creative.
And it just doesn't have to be about doing art or design or singing or the rest of it.
Creativity is about seeing the world a little differently.

(06:42):
It's about letting go of a fixed mindset.
Thinking laterally.
Being innovative.
Coming up with inventive solutions or new ideas.
I believe creativity is about feelings and emotions and a journey and discovery and yes
failure.
But creativity is what sets humans apart from animals and it's also what sets us apart from

(07:05):
AI bots.
So not only does it broaden our mind and give us new perspectives, it's actually also healthy
for you.
Just like your five a day of fruit and veg, daily creativity can actually make you healthier.
It can improve your mood and self esteem and cognitive function, alleviate stress.

(07:27):
But most of all it's fun.
Kids are always being creative and fun.
Why wouldn't you want to replicate that in your own lives?
Right?
So how do you do that?
Look there's so many ways.
For example have you ever had a problem that has just niggled you and you can't solve
it?

(07:47):
Then you give up and you turn your mind to something else like washing the dishes or
walking the dog and then you get that aha moment and the solution comes right to you.
Or sometimes you wake up in the middle of the night with a brilliant idea and you just
have to write it down.
Or sometimes you might just be watching an inspiring film and suddenly you want to write

(08:09):
your own story or start dancing or singing for no reason.
These are all ways to help jumpstart your mind into creativity.
But for me the most consistent way for me to break down any creative blocks I have, it's
by talking.
And that really hit home for me recently.

(08:33):
Last year I was in California visiting my brother Joseph and we were visiting some theme
parks.
Because of COVID and border closures I actually hadn't seen Joe for over five years and there
was a lot to catch up on.
And if you've ever been to a theme park in the US you know that you get a lot of time
to chat while waiting in line for a ride.

(08:54):
So then we were talking around the world about his career, my business, we were telling jokes,
talking about game design, art, music, you know, just like the general drive.
And then afterwards I just felt so creative and excited.
I just wanted to get out there and do something.
So by the end of that ride I decided to start this podcast.

(09:19):
And I wanted to kickstart this project because this time in the line with my brother wasn't
a one off.
I'm always finding myself being creatively inspired by the people around me and I just
want more of that in my life.
I want to have more conversations like that because I absolutely love the feeling of being
bursting with creative energy.

(09:40):
It's good for my happiness, it's good for my soul, it's great for my business.
So this podcast not only gives me the opportunity to have these conversations with people who
I am just dying to pick their brains.
But it also allows me to share them with you in the hope that you also can get a little
bit of that same creative energy.

(10:00):
So that's what the Creativity on COVID podcast is all about.
It's about sharing some of these conversations with you so that you too are inspired to explore
your creativity or so that you are helped to be moved past any creative blocks that you
may come up against in any facet of your life.

(10:21):
Thank you so much for tuning in to my very first episode today.
I hope that this has given you a little insight into what is to come throughout the season
and that it reassures you that this is a podcast for you no matter where you are in your creative
journey.
I look forward to coming back to you with more episodes bringing you some exciting guests

(10:43):
from a range of fields and helping you discover new ways of inspiring, unlocking and unleashing
your creativity.
.

(11:18):
If you've made it this far, a huge thank you for your support and tuning in to today's
episode.
Creativity on COVID has been lovingly recorded on the land of the Cubby Cubby people and we
pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging.
This podcast has been produced by my amazing team here at Crisp Communications and the

(11:41):
music you just heard was composed by James Gatling.
If you liked this episode, please do share it around and help us on our mission to unlock
more creativity in this world.
You can also hit subscribe so you don't miss out on any new episode releases.
[Music]