Some things can only be learned through experience. It took me years to grasp this concept but I am glad I did; Creativity flourishes where there are no judgements, preconceptions, or biases.
It all started back in 2013, little did I know that a simple timetable shift would change the course of my life. I started off my school year studying Economics, but due to the change in schedule I was pushed to a Visual Arts class. From cold hard numbers and graphs to a seemingly abstract space, it was a huge transition. I took it upon myself to become like a sponge and just soak it all in, treat it as a subject and apply my need of being a perfectionist. I started replicating paintings and soon enough I fell in love with the style of realism. As the days went by, I experimented with different materials, mediums, and canvases. However, the more I delved into the world of art I realized I was lacking imagination and creativity. I always had to have a reference image that I used to copy from, but nothing to call my own.
I noticed other students produce mesmerizing abstract pieces and conceptual artworks that were beyond my confines. That pushed me to take a shot at it, however, after several attempts I still couldn’t let go of my rigidity and incessant need of being a perfectionist. Practice makes perfect, at least that is what I thought when I took up a challenge to paint 30 artworks in a day. I dove into this without an idea of the outcome but the experience itself was cathartic.
Psychologists and scholars have had difficulty determining exactly what creativity is and who is capable of it. But there I was, surrounded by my imperfect pieces of art. That is when I understood that the term creativity itself has evolved over time and to me creativity means change, self-understanding and rehabilitation.