October 30, 2023 • 14 mins
What is your earliest memory of being creative?
Try and remember it… it could be good, or it could be bad.
But either way, recalling this time in your life will give you great insight into your current relationship with creativity (and some clues to get it back into your life now!).
In this episode, I share my earliest memory of being recognised for my creativity, and the impact that had on my self-belief and my sense of self growing up.
Please reach out if you would like to share your creative memories via my website or abi@crispcomms.co
Happy listening!
xo Abi
P.S. For more information about this episode and our guest, head to: www.crispcomms.co/podcast-episodes/when-i-first-chose-creativity
Creativity: Uncovered is lovingly edited by the team at Crisp Communications.
Creativity: Uncovered is a registered Australian Trade Mark.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Hello and welcome to Creativity (00:00):
Uncovered . My name is Abi Gatling and I am on a journey
(00:12):
to uncover how everyday people find inspiration, get inventive and open their imagination.
Basically, I want to know how people find creative solutions at home, work, play and
everything in between. My goal for this podcast is that by the end of it you'll be armed with a
whole suite of tried and tested ways to summon creativity the next time that you need it.
(00:36):
Today is another solo episode and I want to talk to you about the very first memories that you have
about being creative, good or bad. And I think it's important to do this because thinking about it can
help you understand your relationship with creativity and it can help you make a plan to
(01:03):
get back on track if you want more of it in your life. So I'm going to share a small part of my story
but I also want to invite you to share yours too. I do have earlier memories than this one about loving
creativity. However, this story is about the first time I felt recognized for my creative skill.
(01:31):
It made me feel welcome and a part of a community and it was really the first time that I can remember
feeling like creativity was going to be a part of my life moving forward.
So I was in year four, so about age eight or nine and I was really feeling like a fish out of water.
(01:59):
My family and I, we had just moved to Australia after living overseas in Belgium and in England
for a number of years. And so this was my very first experience of the Australian schooling system
and let me tell you, everything was different. I had gone from writing with an ink pen in my
(02:23):
school in Brussels to having to get a pen license in order to write with anything other than pencil.
Now if you haven't come across what a pen license is, it is this crazy thing that they do in Queensland
schools and perhaps elsewhere where if in order for you to be able to write with a pen, you had to
(02:47):
pass a test. And of course I never got my pen license because I am a lefty and I couldn't help but
smudge my ink all the time, so I never passed my exam. And this is crazy because you know we had been
using ink pens for years prior to that. Anyway, everything was different, even the maths was
(03:13):
different and you know, did you know that there were different types of tallying around the world
and what I previously learnt is nothing like it was done here in Queensland. My frame of reference
for culture, music and TV were so different. I felt like an alien. I didn't know who the wiggles were,
I didn't know about the nut bush or the birdie dance. Oh and even the food was different. I remember
(03:38):
one time a kid standing up and announcing to the class that I didn't know what a sarcata is.
And to anyone who's tuning in from overseas, a sarcata is just a cracker. It is no big deal,
but it seemed like a massive thing at the time. And you know all these differences when trying to
(04:02):
make friends, it just makes it a little bit harder. But you know none of that really mattered too much
because I do come from a big family. I am one of eight kids and in big families your friends are
built in. We are super tight as a family. Anyway that's the context, let's get back to creativity.
(04:29):
What I remember so distinctly about this time in my life were the weekly art classes. Every
single week our teacher got an afternoon off and an external art teacher would come in to write a
session with my class. And I remember this so distinctly because this was really the first
(04:52):
time that I felt recognised, that I felt warmly welcomed and made to feel like I was of value
since we had arrived back in Australia. I just loved these weekly art classes. And you know I guess
this makes a lot of sense because art is truly a universal language. You don't necessarily have
(05:16):
an accent or a different vocabulary. You simply have pen and paper and it makes life so simple.
I just loved it. So once a week the art teacher would come in and take our class for the afternoon
and she would teach us a new technique. It was just pure bliss, it was freedom. I don't think I
(05:38):
can stress this enough to you. And so after several months these weekly classes soon turned
their focus to a school art show that was going to be put on in the school hall.
And for this art art show each member of the class could choose their favourite technique
from what we had learned over the term and create their own piece to submit to the exhibition.
(06:03):
Being an animal lover I of course chose to do a painting of a giant pelican.
And after spending quite a lot of time sketching out my bird I showed it to the teacher.
And I remember so distinctly her reaction to it. First she was kind of shocked and then she laughed
(06:28):
a little bit and then she was almost angry and she asked me with this really suspicious tone
where did you get that from? When I answered that I got it from my head she was confused
and she followed me back to my desk and saw that I had other sketches in my art book.
(06:52):
After seeing pages and pages of birds she realised that actually the picture I was showing her
was in fact mine. And I remember this was such a strange reaction and what she did next was
something I've never experienced before. She took my artwork, went next door and showed the teacher
(07:17):
in the next room. Look bear in mind this was the 90s no one would be doing that these days leaving
kids unattended. But anyway what seemed like an age she came back into the room and she was quite
excited and she said to me instead of doing a painting you should do charcoal instead because
pelicans were black and white. I was like oh of course that makes sense. I just didn't know what
(07:42):
charcoal was so anyway so she got the charcoal she sat down and she personally showed me how to
the technique because it wasn't something that we had learnt in class that term presumably because
it was so messy. And it was so very hard for me to keep it neat because of the aforementioned
(08:02):
left-handed smudging but I remember that my bird turned out so well and she was so proud of me.
And when my regular teacher returned back to the classroom she showed it to her as well and then
over the next week my teacher showed it to the other teachers who were visiting the classroom.
(08:24):
It was a whole thing and I'm not really sure why it was such interest to them but the first time
in a long time I felt really seen I felt talented and I really put it down to this moment
for starting my love affair with creativity. After that I felt that you know no matter what
(08:50):
situation I was in or what country I lived in my art could help me get through and it could
help me bring happiness to myself and also the people around me. I really wish I still had that
pelican. I think about it often hence this episode. It was really one of the seminal points in my life
(09:13):
and it really made me want to become an art teacher because of the impact that teacher had on me.
It set me in a whole new direction but of course as you progress through life
you go from being the big fish in a little pond to a little fish in a big pond and my next step
(09:35):
after that was to go to high school and I went to a much bigger school than my primary school
and in this situation you quickly realise that will always be somewhat better than you at painting
or drawing or anything artistic really and although that can be disheartening for some
it really just didn't sway me at all. I just loved the process and expression of it all.
(10:03):
Although now sharing this story with you is kind of interesting how one teacher started
my love for art and then by the end of it another teacher at the end of high school took it away
again. Art both connected me and then disconnected me. Now quite a few of the podcast guests that I've
(10:32):
interviewed so far on creativity on common have mentioned that a way of getting back into creativity
when you don't know where to start is to reflect on your childhood and what you loved doing as a kid
and this is because it can sometimes give you clues as to why you do or do not have creativity
(10:55):
in your life and it can also give you some clues as to where you can start if you want to put it back
in. Like my story you know not all memories are good but they do all have relevance to
who you are today and if you reflect back and you come across a really happy joyful memory of a time
(11:19):
where you are unashamedly creative as a kid take it as a clue take it as a sign that you can find
happiness in creativity again and don't worry about what others say because you do you you know
so that's kind of my earliest memory of feeling as though I was a creative person
(11:42):
and honestly it feels a bit weird and funny to share that with you with some of you who I've never
met but that's what this podcast is about it's about hearing from others and and hearing about
how creativity has entered your life and how it may come and go throughout the journey
(12:05):
and I know I've asked all of my guests to share their personal stories with me so
it kind of only seems fitting that I share my story with you all as well but I'd like to hear
more stories and if you can remember your earliest memory of being creative or a seminal point of
(12:27):
creativity in your life please do share it with me you can send me a message or you know what you
can submit an application to be a guest via my website I think that through sharing stories from
everyday people I am sure that we can uncover new ways to be creative and to help encourage
other people to do the same so thank you so much for tuning into Creativity (12:51):
Uncovered today
I hope you enjoyed my story and that it has inspired you in some small way
and most importantly I hope that this helps you summon your creativity the next time
think you need it take care
(13:26):
of
if you've made it this far a huge thank you for your support and tuning into today's episode
Creativity (13:48):
Uncovered has been lovingly recorded on the land of the Kabi Kabi 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 music you just heard was composed by James Gatling
(14:08):
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
Uncovered . My name is Abi Gatling and I am on a journey
(00:12):
to uncover how everyday people find inspiration, get inventive and open their imagination.
Basically, I want to know how people find creative solutions at home, work, play and
everything in between. My goal for this podcast is that by the end of it you'll be armed with a
whole suite of tried and tested ways to summon creativity the next time that you need it.
(00:36):
Today is another solo episode and I want to talk to you about the very first memories that you have
about being creative, good or bad. And I think it's important to do this because thinking about it can
help you understand your relationship with creativity and it can help you make a plan to
(01:03):
get back on track if you want more of it in your life. So I'm going to share a small part of my story
but I also want to invite you to share yours too. I do have earlier memories than this one about loving
creativity. However, this story is about the first time I felt recognized for my creative skill.
(01:31):
It made me feel welcome and a part of a community and it was really the first time that I can remember
feeling like creativity was going to be a part of my life moving forward.
So I was in year four, so about age eight or nine and I was really feeling like a fish out of water.
(01:59):
My family and I, we had just moved to Australia after living overseas in Belgium and in England
for a number of years. And so this was my very first experience of the Australian schooling system
and let me tell you, everything was different. I had gone from writing with an ink pen in my
(02:23):
school in Brussels to having to get a pen license in order to write with anything other than pencil.
Now if you haven't come across what a pen license is, it is this crazy thing that they do in Queensland
schools and perhaps elsewhere where if in order for you to be able to write with a pen, you had to
(02:47):
pass a test. And of course I never got my pen license because I am a lefty and I couldn't help but
smudge my ink all the time, so I never passed my exam. And this is crazy because you know we had been
using ink pens for years prior to that. Anyway, everything was different, even the maths was
(03:13):
different and you know, did you know that there were different types of tallying around the world
and what I previously learnt is nothing like it was done here in Queensland. My frame of reference
for culture, music and TV were so different. I felt like an alien. I didn't know who the wiggles were,
I didn't know about the nut bush or the birdie dance. Oh and even the food was different. I remember
(03:38):
one time a kid standing up and announcing to the class that I didn't know what a sarcata is.
And to anyone who's tuning in from overseas, a sarcata is just a cracker. It is no big deal,
but it seemed like a massive thing at the time. And you know all these differences when trying to
(04:02):
make friends, it just makes it a little bit harder. But you know none of that really mattered too much
because I do come from a big family. I am one of eight kids and in big families your friends are
built in. We are super tight as a family. Anyway that's the context, let's get back to creativity.
(04:29):
What I remember so distinctly about this time in my life were the weekly art classes. Every
single week our teacher got an afternoon off and an external art teacher would come in to write a
session with my class. And I remember this so distinctly because this was really the first
(04:52):
time that I felt recognised, that I felt warmly welcomed and made to feel like I was of value
since we had arrived back in Australia. I just loved these weekly art classes. And you know I guess
this makes a lot of sense because art is truly a universal language. You don't necessarily have
(05:16):
an accent or a different vocabulary. You simply have pen and paper and it makes life so simple.
I just loved it. So once a week the art teacher would come in and take our class for the afternoon
and she would teach us a new technique. It was just pure bliss, it was freedom. I don't think I
(05:38):
can stress this enough to you. And so after several months these weekly classes soon turned
their focus to a school art show that was going to be put on in the school hall.
And for this art art show each member of the class could choose their favourite technique
from what we had learned over the term and create their own piece to submit to the exhibition.
(06:03):
Being an animal lover I of course chose to do a painting of a giant pelican.
And after spending quite a lot of time sketching out my bird I showed it to the teacher.
And I remember so distinctly her reaction to it. First she was kind of shocked and then she laughed
(06:28):
a little bit and then she was almost angry and she asked me with this really suspicious tone
where did you get that from? When I answered that I got it from my head she was confused
and she followed me back to my desk and saw that I had other sketches in my art book.
(06:52):
After seeing pages and pages of birds she realised that actually the picture I was showing her
was in fact mine. And I remember this was such a strange reaction and what she did next was
something I've never experienced before. She took my artwork, went next door and showed the teacher
(07:17):
in the next room. Look bear in mind this was the 90s no one would be doing that these days leaving
kids unattended. But anyway what seemed like an age she came back into the room and she was quite
excited and she said to me instead of doing a painting you should do charcoal instead because
pelicans were black and white. I was like oh of course that makes sense. I just didn't know what
(07:42):
charcoal was so anyway so she got the charcoal she sat down and she personally showed me how to
the technique because it wasn't something that we had learnt in class that term presumably because
it was so messy. And it was so very hard for me to keep it neat because of the aforementioned
(08:02):
left-handed smudging but I remember that my bird turned out so well and she was so proud of me.
And when my regular teacher returned back to the classroom she showed it to her as well and then
over the next week my teacher showed it to the other teachers who were visiting the classroom.
(08:24):
It was a whole thing and I'm not really sure why it was such interest to them but the first time
in a long time I felt really seen I felt talented and I really put it down to this moment
for starting my love affair with creativity. After that I felt that you know no matter what
(08:50):
situation I was in or what country I lived in my art could help me get through and it could
help me bring happiness to myself and also the people around me. I really wish I still had that
pelican. I think about it often hence this episode. It was really one of the seminal points in my life
(09:13):
and it really made me want to become an art teacher because of the impact that teacher had on me.
It set me in a whole new direction but of course as you progress through life
you go from being the big fish in a little pond to a little fish in a big pond and my next step
(09:35):
after that was to go to high school and I went to a much bigger school than my primary school
and in this situation you quickly realise that will always be somewhat better than you at painting
or drawing or anything artistic really and although that can be disheartening for some
it really just didn't sway me at all. I just loved the process and expression of it all.
(10:03):
Although now sharing this story with you is kind of interesting how one teacher started
my love for art and then by the end of it another teacher at the end of high school took it away
again. Art both connected me and then disconnected me. Now quite a few of the podcast guests that I've
(10:32):
interviewed so far on creativity on common have mentioned that a way of getting back into creativity
when you don't know where to start is to reflect on your childhood and what you loved doing as a kid
and this is because it can sometimes give you clues as to why you do or do not have creativity
(10:55):
in your life and it can also give you some clues as to where you can start if you want to put it back
in. Like my story you know not all memories are good but they do all have relevance to
who you are today and if you reflect back and you come across a really happy joyful memory of a time
(11:19):
where you are unashamedly creative as a kid take it as a clue take it as a sign that you can find
happiness in creativity again and don't worry about what others say because you do you you know
so that's kind of my earliest memory of feeling as though I was a creative person
(11:42):
and honestly it feels a bit weird and funny to share that with you with some of you who I've never
met but that's what this podcast is about it's about hearing from others and and hearing about
how creativity has entered your life and how it may come and go throughout the journey
(12:05):
and I know I've asked all of my guests to share their personal stories with me so
it kind of only seems fitting that I share my story with you all as well but I'd like to hear
more stories and if you can remember your earliest memory of being creative or a seminal point of
(12:27):
creativity in your life please do share it with me you can send me a message or you know what you
can submit an application to be a guest via my website I think that through sharing stories from
everyday people I am sure that we can uncover new ways to be creative and to help encourage
other people to do the same so thank you so much for tuning into Creativity (12:51):
Uncovered today
I hope you enjoyed my story and that it has inspired you in some small way
and most importantly I hope that this helps you summon your creativity the next time
think you need it take care
(13:26):
of
if you've made it this far a huge thank you for your support and tuning into today's episode
Creativity (13:48):
Uncovered has been lovingly recorded on the land of the Kabi Kabi 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 music you just heard was composed by James Gatling
(14:08):
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
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