Creativity & Originality

Getting past your first obvious idea, and refusing the additions that weaken the work.

theme creativity 985

Twelve of the 985, with the question each one ends on. Open one to read the explanation that sits between them.

“Creativity begins when imitation stops feeling satisfying.”

“He who has imagination without learning has wings but no feet.”

— Joseph Joubert

“Clichés are borrowed feelings. Say what you actually felt, even if it comes out strange.”

“Paper is cheap. Your fear of ruining it is the expensive part.”

“Creative doesn’t mean disorganized. The most original people often have the most boring systems.”

“Those doodles in the margins of your math notes might be the most honest art you’ve ever made.”

“Microwave effort gets you microwave results: hot on the edges, frozen in the middle.”

“Most audiences don’t notice your mistakes unless you stop and point at them. Keep playing.”

“Your funniest material is probably the stuff that embarrassed you at the time.”

“Bored is a creative state. It’s your brain asking for something you haven’t given it yet.”

“A piece becomes memorable when it creates a feeling harder to summarize than the object itself.”

“A useful object does not make the user feel foolish for needing to learn it.”