Re: A Question To Creative Sorts

[Guest guest]

I create for different purposes.

I paint, and write.

I am compelled to write usually because I am inspired somehow to

impart a moral, and this inspiration usually comes from falling

witness to an event whereby a moral could be learned but instead

goes ignored.

If life is a mystery to some, then perhaps it is a writer's job to

unwind it for those people.

Painting is mostly self-expression on my part, but my paintings are

filled with meaning on many different levels. All of my later

meanings have secret codes painted into them. Sometimes they are

just initials. Other times their are whole messages.

I sometimes do this in my writing as well.

This past weekend, I was creating in a different way. I just

completed redoing one of my mom's flower-beds. I laid some

flagstones at the corners of the plot, transplanted tulips,

dafodils, irises, daisies, crocuses there. I added a rose bush, and

three new boxwood bushes. Then I overlaid all the bare dirty with

woodchips.

I consider this creating because I turned a tired old plot into

somenthing artistic. My mom was so enthralled, she wishes for me to

do the same with the rest of her flower beds.

Before I do that, I have to finish spreading woodchips around all

the plots in the backyard which are considered " mine. "

I expect to have the whole yard re-landscaped by the end of the

summer. In a way, when I am finished, I will have made up my own

little version of paradise.

Tom

Administrator

As a creative sort myself, I find it interesting to learn where

others find inspiration for their creativity. Some are very

discplined; others are very spontaneous. Some are more

intellectually driven while others are more emotionally driven. And

a few can walk both sides of the road, so to speak.

For me, I am -- for the most part -- a disciplined sort who puts

time aside every day to create. I have files filled with snippets

and ideas and ramblings and insights along with excellent finished

pieces. However, I am also a spontaneous writer, depending on the

situation at hand. Either way, I walk both sides of the road

comfortably.

I'm wondering how others create and what their style brings to their

creativity. Do you think you would be as creative were it not for

the AS? Do you think the quality of your work would be equal to

what it would be if AS was not part of your thought processes?

And just so people know, I believe that scientists, mathematicians

et al -- not just writers and composers and painters -- are also the

creative sorts to whom I am referring.

Raven

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 4/17/2006 11:15:59 AM Eastern Standard Time, ravenmagic2003@... writes:

As a creative sort myself, I find it interesting to learn where others find inspiration for their creativity. Some are very discplined; others are very spontaneous. Some are more intellectually driven while others are more emotionally driven. And a few can walk both sides of the road, so to speak.

I have a very active imagination, which is both good and bad, but have a hard time settling down to write my stories. Part of that is because I will get fired up about one storyline but eventually another line will edge it out, making it very hard to continue with the previous one.

Inspiration can come from many things. I used to get a lot of inspiration from walking in the woods and through the old city park, which is mostly wildland, near here. I haven't been back there for some time though since young hooldums began frequenting the area. Dreams were another common source of inspiration for me. Very often I will have dreams that give me good ideas for stories. Most of the time they are too chaotic or just "dreams" and wouldn't make for good stories.

Another source is other writers. Their stories will give me ideas for my own stories. Also, published adventures for various games will give me ideas too. Often my stories start out very close to the published adventure, but with time it becomes more my own and is only loosely based on the original. Somtimes these will lead to more stories as well.

Poetry is different. I can only write good poetry as a means of letting out sadness, like after pets die or something like that. Other times, I just can't get it "right" no matter how hard I try.

Inspiration for photography is, well, a matter of seeing. I don't say looking because that is what we do all the time. Seeing is different in that you might say we are paying more attention to what we are looking at. So, if I see a good shot or potentially good shot, I try to get a few pictures. It takes some pratice to get the angles, framing and such, but that is practice you can get as much without a camera as with. I've often thought about buying a cheap and small digital camera to carry with me all the time to catch shots that I see but don't have a camera handy.

[Guest guest]

I am probably flattering myself to respond to this topic.

I am only self diagnosed AS but I know that it sure resonates with the way I

seem to operate and cope, so even if it is something else, functionally I

can relate to it, so for sake of simplicity, I will refer to myself as if I

were an Aspie.

I think being an Aspie helps creativity because every situation seems to be

viewed from a different angle than that from which NTs (has that term been

disallowed/replaced herein?) are used to seeing. So just saying what I see

and think, though in one sense maybe not creative because it is real to me,

often strikes others as creative. Though more often it pisses them off

because it disallows them freedom to wallow in their comfortable sense of

what is what. Plus I have an nearly uncontrollable urge to say what I

think -- not always the best thing to do in every situation. I have learned

to give politics and religion a wide berth unless I know someone for a

while.

[Guest guest]

wrote: " Another source is other writers. Their stories will

give me ideas for my own stories. Also, published adventures for

various games will give me ideas, too. Often my stories start out

very close to the published adventure, but with time it becomes more

my own and is only loosely based on the original. Sometimes these

will lead to more stories as well. "

I sometimes find that casual comments made by other people in

passing or things that I have written to close friends that, on

later reading appear to be simple truths, make me sit up and take

notice.

wrote: " Poetry is different. I can only write good poetry

as a means of letting out sadness, like after pets die or something

like that. Other times, I just can't get it " right " no matter how

hard I try. "

That's interesting. I don't write poetry and yet, I'm told my

lyrics are very poetic. I draw upon many sources to craft a lyric

and in doing so, each time the lyrics are read or the song is heard,

another perception or insight is revealed.

wrote: " Inspiration for photography is, well, a matter of

seeing. I don't say looking because that is what we do all the time.

Seeing is different in that you might say we are paying more

attention to what we are looking at. "

I believe this is true about all the senses. There's looking;

there's seeing. There's hearing; there's listening. There's

touching; there's feeling. I find that the creativity that touches

my soul deepest is that which involves more than one sense and on

more than just the cursory levels. I would love to see some of your

photography. If you have a website where others could see your

work, I think it would be great to post the link here.

Everything in life ebbs and flows, and lately I've been in a 'flow'

period rather than an ebbtide. At these times, I ask a lot of

questions -- and search for a lot of answers and insights -- hence

the reason for this thread. Although posted one of my

original songs a few weeks ago (the click allowed the music to

stream), it was just a snapshot of the work that goes on over here

in my small studio.

Some of my work is inspired work; some of my work is disciplined

work. Most of my work is a mixture of the two. Some work is

commissioned; some work is a labour of love. And every day brings

something unexpected ... sometimes hard rock, sometimes jazz,

sometimes folk, sometimes mediterranean, sometimes classical,

sometimes world, sometimes ambient, sometimes uncategorized ... and

always welcome. Imagine every day being your best birthday ever

with presents you can't begin to guess at until you unwrap them!

Raven

[Guest guest]

>>

> " I think being an Aspie helps creativity because every situation

seems to be

> viewed from a different angle than that from which NTs (has that

term been

> disallowed/replaced herein?) are used to seeing. So just saying

what I see

> and think, though in one sense maybe not creative because it is

real to me,

> often strikes others as creative. Though more often it pisses them

off

> because it disallows them freedom to wallow in their comfortable

sense of

> what is what. Plus I have an nearly uncontrollable urge to say what

I

> think -- not always the best thing to do in every situation. "

I think this pretty well describes my creativity as well. I get great

joy out of life because of a constant creative stream. My creativity

is rarely expressed other than verbally or in humor and stays in my

mind. I have a hard time expressing it and finding outlets. Also, my

performance iq was measured as lower than my verbal iq so I don't

know if that is indicative of my problems expressing.

>

[Guest guest]

MMM wrote: " So just saying what I see and think, though in one sense

maybe not creative because it is real to me, often strikes others as

creative. Though more often it pisses them off because it disallows

them freedom to wallow in their comfortable sense of what is what. "

If it helps any, Mark, I was told earlier this morning that I wrote a

love song for mathematicians and scientists this week. I take this to

mean that underneath all the 'black and white, no nonsense, analytical

expression' the listener can find all sorts of emotion. LOL!

So please, give yourself credit for being as creative as your

colleagues believe you to be. :-D

Raven

[Guest guest]

I call Aspies " Aspies " and everyone who does not have a diagnosis non-

Aspies. " NTs " is starting to take on negative connotations across

message boards.

Tom

Administrator

NTs (has that term been disallowed/replaced herein?)

[Guest guest]

I call non-Aspies " non-Aspies " or " non-autistics " .

Inger

Re: A Question To Creative Sorts

I call Aspies " Aspies " and everyone who does not have a diagnosis non-

Aspies. " NTs " is starting to take on negative connotations across

message boards.

Tom

Administrator

NTs (has that term been disallowed/replaced herein?)

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