For a long time, I held a simple and well-known idea: creativity is not just any human action or its result, but one that involves self-expression—that is, an attempt to express one's inner world, thoughts, views, and feelings. The idea is not new, but it was important to me.
Gradually, this idea not only strengthened but also evolved. As it developed, it changed so profoundly that it almost imperceptibly transformed into something new, detaching itself from its original version. Now, this more robust idea looks back on its origins as something from a fond past—something that today seems weak and inadequate.
CREATIVITY IS A REMARKABLE PROCESS.
On the one hand, it provides an opportunity to show one's view of the world through a subjective prism, which is, of course, a form of self-expression. On the other hand, what happens to creators when they express themselves?
To truly express themselves, creators embark on an important journey: they study themselves, their interests, aspirations, and fears, and reflect on their ethical and aesthetic values. As a result, creators gain a better understanding of what moves them and what doesn't, which states are comfortable for them and which are not. What's crucial is that this understanding comes precisely during the creative process.
But creativity is not just reflection or art therapy.
What's even more interesting is that, unlike ordinary reflection, creativity allows for the creation of new, imaginary worlds. Because these worlds are not limited by anything, they can be built not on the basis of who the creators are now, but on the basis of who they want to be.
If a creator portrays themselves as they are, they remain as they were, and even become more entrenched in that state. If a creator strives to express who they would like to be, then in the moment of creation, they can draw closer to their goal.
For example, when an author creates a work about tranquility, it doesn't necessarily mean they are a tranquil person. It might mean that the author values tranquility and strives for it. In the process of creating such a work, they try to find, create, achieve, or at least approach this state. By doing so, the author acquires skills that contribute to achieving tranquility.
During their creative search, authors are actually moving away from their existing self toward their ideal self (in their own understanding of the ideal). In the process of creation, people discover new horizons within themselves: themes, values, and develop their aesthetics and interests.
Creativity is a process that allows one not only to reflect and relax but also to form a new, "improved" self, and to move in that direction through action. And a significant advantage of creativity, unlike direct attempts to change oneself, is that there is no risk of ruining anything—except for paints, film, clay, and other materials.
Creativity is an opportunity to get closer to the self you desire to be.
It is known about many works by great authors that before starting, they did not know what the result would be or where their creative search would lead. And I will say it again: this search is growth that occurs during the process of creative action.
Also, authors often carry the same theme from one work to another. Perhaps this isn't because the authors are masters of this theme and are mass-producing it, but because the theme is not yet fully clear to them, and they are striving to understand it even better by creating another work?
The same can be said not only for the theme but also for the form—the execution.
A collection of recommendations from successful writers that they themselves do not follow has been circulating on the internet for a long time, titled, "8 Pieces of Writing Advice It’s OK to Ignore (Because These Famous Authors Did)."
The author of the article says that one should not follow this advice, as the recommenders themselves do not follow it. But what if these authors are not ignoring their own advice, but are striving for it themselves? What if these authors are so wonderful precisely because they are trying to follow their own advice, but don't always succeed yet? And perhaps their works would be even more magnificent if they were better at following their ideals.
As a teacher, I often set goals for my students that I myself am striving for but have not yet reached, and I give them exercises that I myself do not perform perfectly. And there is nothing more joyous for a teacher than to have students who have surpassed them.