Happy friday everyone.
I’ve been playing around with something that is very close to my heart and the essence of a lot of my work and what i blog about. I’m fascinated with the idea of creating our own life. I often like to refer to it as: design your own life.
So, i’m really interested what all of you think! I’d love it if you would tell me ‘what creative living’ means to you personally. It can be one sentence, it can be a whole page. I will appreciate every single comment. Thank you!
Have a good weekend and i shall see you all next week. I’ve got rather nice posts lined up.
20 Comments
‘Creative Living’ means for me constantly evolving, mirroring my desires, thoughts, interests, inspirations, likes and dislikes in the space that surrounds me. That does not necessarily mean that I am constantly changing my home, buying new stuff, redecorationg or things. I like to play along. Creativity lies in the details. And sometimes it is a mere little postcard that I loved/that inspired me which finds its way into my home. Reminding me to recreate and reevaluate – creative living should basically drive my creative thinking in many aspects in order to live a sane life (physically and mentally). Something like that. 🙂 Happy Friday!
Thank you Igor for sharing your thoughts on this.
I loke that it means something different to everyone:) and yet it has lots of strands that are the same!
Interesting question! For me, the phrases creative living and creating your own life don’t necessarily mean the same thing.
Creative living to me means seeking opportunities to express yourself in day-to-day life; surrounding yourself with inspiration; being resourceful and learning to work with what you have; developing your eye for detail and learning to trust your own tastes and choices.
Creating your life, on the other hand, means taking responsibility for what happens in your life, good or bad: accepting that you are the designer of your life. You are in charge, you always have a choice, and what you have (and will have in the future!) is what you yourself have created.
Creative living is inspiring; creating your life is powerful.
Correct. Creative living and creating your own life don’t mean the same but share some similarities.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts here, much appreciated!!! x
Ooh I say- the Friday debate??-weekly feature idea? Would be no good for me as I wouldn ‘t be able to think of enough creative questions…talking of which. Creative life: taking the simplest object, saying, or event and turning it into something special, individual and unique, rather than just letting it pass you by… Xx
No weekly feature my love, just a one off for now:)
Very succint, very you. Thank you for that xx
Hi Tina, yay creative living to me is doing what makes your heart sing, developing your skills, challenging yourself, and getting on with it. My senses have exploded after I started doing the things I am passionate about, I have met awesome people (you incl;) and that to me is about as good as it gets.
HAPPY weekend sweets, hope to see you soon in London,
Axx
Thank you for your comment and helping out here.
When are you coming to London? Would love to meet up x
Creative living is … seriously, I’ve had this page open since yesterday. I feel like I know what it is but it’s so hard to get out in words.
From my perspective, being creative essentially makes you a creator. You could be a creator of a product, an idea, a solution, an expression. But regardless of what you are creating, a creator first has to have a vision about something. Ultimately, they want to turn that vision into a reality. Therefore, to live a creative life means you have accepted the role as creator of that life. And as creator, you have a vision about how that life looks in reality. You have the ultimate final say, which means you have choices to make. People who live creative lives don’t accept things as they are. They try to adapt some or all facets of their life to be consistent with their vision, which usually is a reflection of their values. So for example, Tina, you value healthy food. This gives birth to your vision of having healthy eating habits. As creator of that vision, you question how things are around you and you make choices that will support your values and fulfill that vision. So you choose to shop local markets and choose organic products instead of the accepting what we are exposed to at the supermarket. That’s one example (along the many others you inspire us with) of living creatively.
So to conclude, It seems I believe that values + vision + making choices accordingly = creative living.
Like you, I am fascinated by the idea of being the creator/designer of our lives. I think we should all try our best to lead creative lives because it makes us inquisitive, resourceful and it gives our life purpose – in this way we also contribute to humankind. That’s why I’m really happy to have involved myself in the world of design. My field is the design of interior spaces. I’ve noticed that the principles I use in the work that I do can be applied to all facets of my life (and I couldn’t be happier about that). When I am designing a space for someone, first I learn about the people (essentially their values), then I start to build a vision accordingly, then I make choices to support it all. I try to do that, not only for my clients, but for my own life.
So creating/designing your own life? I think it’s a beautiful way to live.
Thanks Tina 🙂
Thanks for these toughtful lines…. It is tricky to talk and think about creative living and creating your life. That’s why I’m interested what everyone thinks.
Thank you for taking the time for this. Xx
Gosh, this is a hard one for me? I’m not even quite sure why. Can I give you a name of someone I think is living a creative life and go from there? Andy Spade. You know that I wrote about him (and Kate) earlier this week, so you’ll understand from where this reference stems. He pursues all his creative passions no matter the outcome. He does it for pure love. Now, I realize he has the financial means to pursue many of his passions. But, I think even someone with small means can carve out a creative life for themselves by, well, being creative.
In essence, I think living a creative life means pursuing your passions, finding beauty in every day living, surrounding yourself with inspiring people, and maintaining perpetual curiosity.
Thanks for making us stop and think about this idea, Tina!
Thank you T:) it was interesting to follow your train of thought.
First you weren’t sure and then it just flowed…. Much appreciated!
creative living is about making your own choices, and not following the crowd.
to be creative, you need a little space, a journal to capture what you really think and want, and some freedom to put into practice your preference.
joy and happy creating to you, n
Thank you Noreen for your interpretation. Yes, we evolve all the time….
Creative living is how I live, work, thrive, experience, conduct myself, survive, pose and think.
Creative living is how I experiment, express myself, inspire, be inspired, vision and imagine.
Creative living is my soul and being.
In true Mr Grey fashion. Brilliant. Thank you for your input x
Hi Tina,
Very interesting question. For me creative living involves getting a creative energy going within yourself. I know when I have it- I can turn myself to anything- cooking, designing,gardening. When I don’t have it going on- I have to look for it to come from the outside. I did Julia Cameron’s Artist’s Way a while ago- she has some really good techniques in unblocking that energy.
Hi Ingrid – that’s interesting…. I know exactly what you mean.
Yes I love The Artist’s Way and find it incredible how it’s stood the test of times and how widely used it is.
Thanks for your commentand input:)
Creative living for me is something I am just coming to grips with after having worked in an office environment for so many years. To give yourself permission to let the creativity flow and yes people do create the lives they want and make a living. To share your gift with the world and make some impact knowing you will shrivel up and die inside if you don’t. Catherine x
Oh, Catherine, I’m so happy for you that you are able to flourish in your creativity and realise that’s it’s OK!
You are very talented and thank you for sharing your gifts with us. Thanks for your comment!