Smells like Creative Spirit (Creativity Series: Guest Post)

In October of 2011, I proudly co-hosted a Blogfest called The Rules Of Three. Rick Gualtieri was one of the 60 of our writers who took the weekly challenge of writing a serialized story. Using the shared world of Renaissance, Rick humorously placed Bill the vampire and friends into a mix of trouble.

It is a pleasure to have Rick here as one of the guests.

# Eight of The Creativity Series

Smells like Creative Spirit…not to be confused with Teen Spirit: Rick Gualtieri

It’s an honor to be here at BornStoryTeller guest blogging on the topic at hand; creativity.

Yeah you know, like when your eighth grade English teacher gave you a creative writing assignment. They told you, “Go nuts!  Put whatever comes to mind down onto the paper.” only to take it all back once the police had shown up. Or maybe that was just me…

Anyway, thanks to the duality of my life, I am able to experience creativity in many different shapes and forms. You see, by day I am a mild mannered e-commerce professional. By night I am a writer of monsters, dick jokes, and assorted mayhem. Not exactly Bruce Wayne / Batman but it works for me.

Despite their stereotypes, I find these two worlds aren’t all that different. Sure, creativity at the office can sometimes be dictated by a committee whose sole concern is saving a few bucks. Certainly writing can occasionally feel like an erupting geyser of creative fury that is only satiated after several thousand words. However, more often than not there is a middle ground that each exists in. Both have their periods of mind-numbing boredom. However, both have their moments where creativity shines like a beacon in the night.

It all comes down to perspective.

For example, what do I personally consider creative? Simply put; anything outside of the norm is creative. It could be a dude skateboarding naked while singing ABBA tunes or it could be a spontaneous one-liner during a marketing meeting that cracks the whole room up. Creativity stands out, even when subtle. Sure it may go over your head or mine. That’s ok just as long as someone gets it.

The creative process is something that can be active all the time, regardless of situation. Nearly anything can be inspiring if you let it. The only caveat to this, for me at least, is that it can’t be forced. Nope, sorry, doesn’t work for me. There are days when I’ll come up with a hundred great one-liners for my twitter feed just out of the blue. There are also days when I’ll say, “Self, you really need to write something amusing.” and as soon as I think that, I know the well will be dry. Thus the solution for this is simple…don’t think about it, just do it.

Why? Because you can!  What most people don’t seem to realize is that you can be creative almost everywhere!  Mine seeps into my books, into my presentations, into my speeches to my kids (much to their mother’s consternation), etc etc. For me, there are no boundaries for this. I can be creative anywhere…or at least anywhere where it won’t get me beaten or arrested…although maybe even in a few of those places too.

My advice is let life itself be your creative influence. Always look for those things that stand out, whether purposeful or just a wonderful accident. Sometimes you might see them right away. Sometimes it’ll take a while. Regardless, when you do it can be a wonderful thing.

Why is this important? It’s quite simple as far as I’m concerned. I don’t want myself, my family, or my friends to acknowledge any limitations. Without creativity there are some doors that will forever be locked. However, with a healthy imagination our potential can be limitless.

WHICH WORLD WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE IN?

I know the answer for myself, and personally I find it to be a pretty darn good place to be.

Rick Gualtieri is a horror/comedy writer from NJ.  His works include: The Poptart Manifesto, Bill The Vampire, and Scary Dead Things.  You can visit Rick at www.poptartmanifesto.com or on twitter at @rickgualtieri

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