Category Archives: Creativity

Posted on

Why You’ll Never Succeed at Creativity

Some people think I succeed at creativity because I talk about it and write about it all the time. If I’m being honest, I’ll tell you that creativity is as much a struggle for me as it is for most anyone else. In fact, sometimes I feel like I’m not at all creative. It’s not easy to come up with a creative way to preach the Gospel every week, let alone write blog posts three times a week with at least some kind of creative bent. I certainly don’t think I’m anywhere near the most creative person in the world, let alone in my own family.

Creative Struggle

However, my interest in the subject has helped me put things into place that will bring more success to my creative pursuits. They’re not foolproof unless I actually put them into practice. Succeeding at creativity is more a choice than it is a gift. You have to work at it. You have to put time and effort into it. You have to have the desire to be more creative and bring more creativity to your job, your work, your art, and even your play.

I’ve discovered that you’ll never succeed at creativity if:

    1. You don’t read books about creativity. You won’t succeed at creativity if you’re not reading Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace or The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life or Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative or The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, or other books like these. Reading most anything is sure to light your creative spark. If you don’t want to succeed at creativity don’t read these books. Reading fuels too much creativity, so if you want to avoid creativity, don’t read.
    2. You don’t set aside time for creation. You won’t succeed at creativity unless you schedule it into your calendar. That’s right: make an appointment with yourself to think, to doodle, to study, to read, or to write. Your creative time will pay off with benefits that will surprise you. When I actually do this prior to the time I set to write a sermon, I find myself connecting far more creative dots than I do when I fail to schedule some creative time. If you don’t want to succeed at creativity, never schedule any time for it.
    3. You don’t take walks, run, or ride your bike. You won’t succeed at creativity if you don’t move. One of my favorite times of the day is when I get to ride my bike. I try to do so most days of the week. I do it in the morning to get my creative juices flowing right at the start of the day. When I ride, I don’t listen to music or podcasts (first of all, it’s too dangerous!). I let my mind wander. I think about how I can ride faster. I try to make up stories about the people I pass as I ride. I ponder the things I’ve been reading or studying. The neurons in my brain are firing faster and in far different ways than they do when I’m just sitting at a desk or in front of a TV. If you don’t want to succeed at creativity, never use physical activities to get away from your daily grind.
    4. You don’t welcome others into your creative pursuits. You won’t succeed at creativity if you don’t learn from others. The times when my sermons have been the most creative were the times I had a creative team to help walk through texts, come up with main ideas, and put those ideas into the concrete form of some kind of visual or object. When I had all of that in front of me, my sermons simply flowed onto the page. Letting others into your creativity help sometimes distant ideas become connected in new and interesting ways. If you don’t want to succeed at creativity, never let others brainstorm with you.
    5. You don’t tell stories. You won’t succeed at creativity if you don’t listen to people’s stories, find them interesting, and learn from them. People love stories. They love the conflict, the climax, the denouement, the conclusion. They love following along. Just take a look at the success of all the new shows and series’ on Netflix. People love a good story. Use stories in your writing, in your art, even in your business. They will draw people in. People will see you as more creative when you tell good stories. Keep your eyes open for them. They are all around you in your everyday life. If you don’t want to succeed at creativity, never pay attention to, or use, stories.

What are some other reasons that people will never succeed at creativity?

Posted on

Setting Up Your Own Creation Station

A Creation Station is a helpful place or space for you to do your best creating. Recently, a friend of ours was cleaning out their home office to make a nursery for their soon-to-come new addition. As she was doing so, their young daughter decided to make her own Creation Station filled with idea notebooks and recycled materials. While she was creating the space, she hung up the “Heart for Art” award she got from school. It was “for displaying great enthusiasm and passion for visual arts.”

PARIS, FRANCE - November 23, 2014: Artists in Place du Tertre. Many artists set up their easels each day for the tourists in this famous and picturesque square in Montmartre

As the little girl was putting together her Creation Station, complete with an award for her art, she said:

“Whenever I think I can’t make something I’ll just look at this and know I earned it because I can do it; just be creative!”

You can do it, too. Just be creative. And it’s easier to do so if you create space for you to do it. Space isn’t just an area or expanse where you do your creating. It is also space on your calendar. And it is space in your brain.

Here’s how to make your own Creation Station:

  1. Make a space. Your Creation Station should be a place that inspires and motivates you. One of my least motivating places is my office at church. I find that there are far too many interruptions to get much time for deep, creative thinking. I need a place that inspires and motivates me, so I do most of my writing at a table in our eating area at home. I like to have the door open, and often have instrumental music playing. Music with words is too distracting to me. Another place that I create well is in a public place like a coffee shop or a Panera restaurant. You’d think the noises in those places would distract me, but they don’t. They energize me. If your creativity involves painting or other messy pursuits, you’ll probably have to make your space at home. But when you do, you are more free to surround yourself with art, pictures, or quotations that inspire you and motivate you to create. Creation Stations aren’t just for kids.
  2. Make time. Your Creation Station needs to be on your calendar. Creativity takes time. Sometimes it takes “empty” time, where you just do some thinking, or even something unrelated to your creative pursuit. Doing things unrelated to my writing are often the times I come up with my best ideas. But when I have the idea I need the time. I don’t want to just find the time. I want the time actually scheduled into my calendar so that it becomes an appointment just like anything else on my calendar. When it’s there, I take it seriously and use the time for making and creating.
  3. Make room in your brain. Your Creation Station starts first in your brain. You know that cluttered closet way back in your brain, with the door shut and dust collecting everywhere? It’s time to open that door, clear out the clutter, remember the times from days gone by when you were creative (because we all were), and make that old closet a Creation Station in your head. Watch a movie. Read books both inside and outside your area of creativity. Go to a museum and spend an hour taking it in. Attend a concert. In The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron says that you should take yourself on “artist’s dates” at least once a week, by yourself, to fill your creative reserves with material. You never know how these dates and times will inspire you or give you material when you most need it.

It doesn’t take much to make your own Creation Station. So when you do, remind yourself to “just be creative,” like our little friend. You can do it.

Where is your Creation Station?

Posted on

How to Extend Your Christmas Holiday

Raise your hand if your Christmas holiday went too fast. You can’t see me, but I’m raising my hand. My Christmas holiday went far too fast. It always does. Our son, Ben, came home the Saturday and left the day after Christmas. While he was here he got engaged to his girlfriend, Emily, who had also flown in for a couple of days. Her family surprised her by flying into Orlando the night they were engaged. My parents came in the day after Christmas. In the midst of it all our daughter, Ashlyn, and her husband, Josh, were at our home Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach, San Diego, CA

For weeks we had anticipated this time together with our family. More than that, we had anticipated everything the entire Christmas holiday stands for. Advent worship services prepared us. Devotional time got us ready. We did our shopping (mostly online) for Christmas gifts. We had a party. We cooked and baked things that we seem to have only this time of year.

We didn’t want it to end. But now Ben and Emily have gone back to Nashville. Most of the food and baked goods have been eaten. Wednesday Advent services are finished for another year. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, when we sang, “Glory to the newborn King,” are but memories that will linger for a long, long time. The gifts are opened. Some have already been returned. People in our neighborhood are inexplicably taking down their outdoor lights.

Now it’s all over.

Or is it? Though it may seem the the Christmas holiday is over, there are certainly ways to make sure that it is extended. I’m not delusional enough to say that the “Christmas spirit” can last the whole year. But it can most certainly last far longer than the radio stations or retail outlets will lead you to believe.

Here are three ways to extend your Christmas holiday:

  1. Count to twelve. There’s a good reason for the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” The church has always celebrated Christmas for twelve days. It’s the number of days between Christmas and the day of Epiphany (which is the remembrance of the visit of the Magi). Even though most of the world has already moved past the Christmas holiday, thousands of years of tradition allow us twelve good, long days to celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world, as well as the love of family and friends, and an extra measure of peace. Be intentional about using all twelve days to celebrate. Keep cooking the good food. Make one more batch of cookies. Give a few more surprise gifts. It doesn’t all have to end quite yet.
  2. Record your memories. Every Christmas Eve since Tammy and I have been married, we have taken a picture of our family on Christmas Eve. Each picture now resides in a little photo album that comes out each Christmas holiday. It’s a great way to extend the season as we look through it these days after Christmas. There are other ways to record your memories, as well. You could start a journal in which you write the memories of the season. Then bring it out next year and write in it again. In this video age you could put together a Youtube “trailer” of this year’s events. It would be a great project to bring you into the new year and leave you memories to cherish in the future.
  3. Be counter-cultural. Keep the Christmas spirit. Despite the lack of Christmas music on the radio and in the stores, keep playing it in your home and in the car. Don’t give in to our throwaway culture that wants to immediately move on to the next thing. Linger a little while. Bask in the warm glow of Christmas. A new year may come and go, but Christmas lasts until January 6th. Keep it going. If we all do this, maybe we’ll start a movement.

How do you extend your Christmas holiday?

Posted on

A (Joyfully) Blue Christmas

It’s going to be a blue Christmas. But despite what Elvis sings, it’s not because I’m going to be without you. It’s because of the joyfully blue Christmas one of my favorite artists, He Qi, portrays in his Nativity. He Qi uses blue Christmas tones to portray the deep of the night on that Night of all nights. Everyone is “blue” that Christmas night except the virgin Mary, meek and mild, and her tender child who’s holding (of all things) a red apple in His hand.

The red apple symbolizes the reason why your Christmas and mine should be truly blue: like Adam and Eve we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But because Jesus came into our flesh to bear our sin and be our Savior, our spiritual night has been turned into day, and we have been saved. The angel tells it. the shepherds stand in awe. And Joseph stands watch. The Light of the world has come.

Here’s something I wrote a number of years ago, reflecting on this piece of art, and on the Nativity itself:

Nativity, He QiNativity, by He Qi. Used by permission. Go to www.heqigallery.com to view and purchase prints and posters.

The hue is blue, but the mood is not. Into the pale, dark depths of a broken and fragmented world, a Star falls and lands into the waiting arms of a young lady, pink and pure. Faceless angels spread their arms in blessing, while sheep and goats bow their heads in praise. A father’s lantern wants to lend some light, but the Star provides a beam that will not be overcome. Lost in wonder, rag-topped men can do nothing else but crane their necks and gaze into the sky. From whence this light? From whence this love? From whence this Beaming Babe?

A Star has fallen into the waiting arms of a young lady, pink and pure. And in His tiny hands, Eden’s fruit that, this time, will not be consumed. Spread your arms in blessing. Bow your head in praise. Bask in the light that will not be overcome. Lose yourself in wonder and crane your neck in eager expectation. The hue is blue, but the mood is not! The Morning Star has come to bring His beaming brightness into the pale, dark depths of a broken and fragmented world. The hue is blue, but the mood is not.

What’s the reason you celebrate the joy of a “blue” Christmas this year?

Posted on

10 Things I Learned from Writing the First Draft of a Book

The first draft of a book is a major hurdle toward getting a book published. I recently finished the first draft of the book I hope to publish in the first quarter of 2016. It was exactly 35,800 words and felt like a major accomplishment. I know that there’s a great deal of work left to do in the editing process, but I felt a true sense of accomplishment as I wrote those last few words of a first draft.

Gadgets and supplies necessary for modern business

The process of writing the first draft was fun, frustrating, and frightening. I suppose it could be compared to labor pains (although I have thankfully never had to have that experience). As I reflect on the process, I have learned some important lessons this first time around. I hope to apply these lessons for my next book (I hope this book is the first of  many), and am happy to share these lessons with you. Whether or not you are now, or ever will be writing a book, I hope these lessons will be helpful to you.

  1. I need guidance. I found my guidance in the form of an online “course” that helped me, called “Author Launch.” Author Launch is a series of weekly materials and videos that walk writers through the process of becoming authors of books. I can’t recommend Author Launch highly enough. I would never have written a first draft without the things I learned.
  2. I need encouragement. It’s tough to spend the hours and days writing a book without encouragement. I found it in three places: My wife who constantly encouraged me to sit down and write; a Facebook page set up by Author Launch where all those in the program encouraged one another; and a team of four people I put together who held me accountable and applauded me for my milestones. Encouragement is a nearly essential ingredient in getting a first draft written.
  3. It is good to get away. About two-thirds of the way through the process I was able to spend a week in a cabin the North Carolina mountains thanks to the generosity of some friends. I was at the point in the writing process where things had come to a screeching halt. The time away was just what I needed to dig deeply down and accomplish a great deal toward getting the first draft complete.
  4. It took me far longer than it should have. I began writing the first draft in February and didn’t finish it until December. I let too many distractions and “life” get in the way. I used too many excuses not to write. Had I really buckled down I probably could have finished the first draft in about three months. That will be my goal in the future.
  5. I enjoy interviewing people to learn from them. The book I am writing is largely based on the interviews I did with people. As I did them early on in the process, there were times when friends or family would listen in on the interviews. After I was finished with each one I wondered whether the people who listened found them as fascinating as I did. To a person they all did. As a result, I hope to launch a podcast in the new year that will be patterned after the interviews I did with the people I questioned for the book. I’d also like to use this tool for future books.
  6. I need a team to surround me. As I said, Author Launch encourages writers to create a team: 1. An Ideator; 2. A Writer; 3. An Editor; and 4. A Marketer. These people were kept apprised all along the way, and will now serve very important roles as the book moves from the first draft into the creation of a book that will be edited, published, marketed, and read.
  7. I love Scrivener software. Many authors use Scrivener software. It allows a writer to jump from one place to another (for instance, from chapter to chapter) as you write, instead of having to scroll through an entire document like you have to with a Microsoft Word document. It helps with organization and even publication. You can even use the software to publish a book to Kindle platforms. It’s a powerful tool.
  8. The best way to write is to sit down and do it. It may sound obvious, but you won’t write unless you’re sitting in front of the computer with a blank screen and an idea in your head. You have to commit to writing. It takes dedication. It takes effort. It takes time. It won’t happen unless you make the commitment to do it, and then…do it.
  9. The best time to start writing a book was yesterday. Finishing a first draft showed me that I can, indeed, write a book. It’s something I always wanted to do. Now I have. I have learned that I wish I would have done it a long time ago. I should have started writing “yesterday.”
  10. You can write a book, too. If I can do it, you can too. Trust me. There is absolutely nothing extraordinary about me or my ability. I simply sat down and did something I had always dreamed of doing. I have no doubt that you could do the same. Really. Start writing now. You won’t regret it.

If you would write a book, what would be the topic?

Posted on

Creativity Friday: Time to Be Creative

Happy Friday: It’s time to be creative! It’s the weekend again and more than likely you’re going to have some extra time. Weekends are great for setting aside some creative moments, reading books to fuel your inspiration, or taking in a few articles to spur on your creating. Here are three articles to help you do just that.

Hello friday! Creative calligraphic card.

  1. You Have More Time to Be Creative Than You Think If you read only one of these articles, this is the one. Here are some fantastic tips to help spur on your creativity, and a great deal of motivation to taking and making the time that we far too often waste. There’s even a cool story here about Albert Einstein.
  2. The Incredibly Inspiring Life of Williams-Sonoma’s Founder Did you know that Chuck Williams didn’t start Williams-Sonoma until he was over 40? His interest in quality kitchen goods and interesting kitchen gadgets came on a two-week trip to Paris in 1953. From there, he rode the cooking craze started by Julia Child and James Beard in the 1960’s. Williams wrote more than 200 cookbooks. So, what are you doing this weekend?
  3. The Best Art Books of 2015 This blog post is a feast for your eyes. Have a look at the art from these books that graced the literary scene this year. The visuals are stunning, and you might even find a Christmas gift or two as you peruse the post.

So, what are you going to do this weekend to fuel your creativity?

Posted on

Why Quietness is a Lost Art

In 21st century America, quietness is a lost art. No matter where you go there is “noise” of some kind. You can’t walk into a store without music playing. You can’t enjoy a meal in a restaurant without some kind of background noise. We have stereos in our cars that play the radio, podcasts, or our favorite musical artists. Most of the time I enjoy all of those things. I think good music can make a restaurant, retail outlet, or coffee shop. I listen to music and podcasts in my car all the time.

Solitude

However, Monday is a day of quietness for me. It happens to be my “day off.” As a pastor I work most every other day of the week. And, truth, be told, I often do at least a little bit of “work” on Mondays, as well. But most of the time I do it in the quietness of my own home.

It may be a surprise to some, but I do have some introverted tendencies. That’s why I thoroughly enjoy Mondays as a time to get in a bike ride, do some writing, run some errands all by myself, and generally enjoy the quietness. Though I love my wife very much, while she’s away at work on Mondays, those few hours of solitude are just what I need most every week to recharge my batteries. Introversion isn’t about being shy, it’s about the source of your energy. Extroverts are energized by being in a crowd. Introverts are energized by enjoying some time of quietness and solitude.

Already back in 1985, Neil Postman wrote the book Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. He makes the point that the influence of entertainment has been a detriment to politics, journalism, education, and even religion. Many people find it difficult today to be silent for any time at all, let alone a whole day. We love to be amused by our screens, the noise that fills our ears, and the general background rumble that helps us through the day. Quietness is a lost art.

But I would argue that every once in a while quietness is a good thing for everyone. Quietness helps me in the following ways:

  1. It helps me remain in touch with my inner self. Without noise of any kind I have the opportunity to pay attention to my thoughts, to set goals for the coming week, to think through problems or issues I may be facing at work, and to remember once again who I am as an individual.
  2. It helps me remain on task. Since Monday is a big writing day for me, the silence helps me focus on the topic at hand. I get to delve into the deepest places of my soul to find the words I’m looking to put on the page. I don’t have the distractions of TV or music that takes me away from my train of thought.
  3. It helps me remain centered. All the “noise” that influences me throughout the week can take its toll, put me off kilter, or leave me in a place I’d rather not be. Devotional time, quiet time, solitary exercise, writing down my thoughts, and simply doing some rather mundane tasks help me to remain centered and balanced.

I’d encourage you to practice the art of quietness. It may be a lost art, but it doesn’t have to be lost on you. Do your best to practice at least one period of quietness every week. It will bring you the benefit of a better week, a better demeanor, more thoughtful decisions and solutions, and a more peaceful self.

How do you practice the art of quietness, and what benefits does it bring to you?

Posted on

How The Piano Guys Gained More Than 4 Million Subscribers on YouTube

If you haven’t heard of The Piano Guys, you have now…and you will be more and more. Their spectacularly visual and inspiringly musical videos on YouTube have been viewed over half a billion times. They have more than 4.3 million subscribers on the video platform. The Piano Guys are Jon Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson, along with their producer and cinematographer, Paul Anderson and Al van der Beek.

So how did these self-proclaimed geeky dads gain a following that would be the envy of most any business owner, celebrity, or author? In an interview on CBS Sunday Morning, one of the members said:

You have to do something different that people haven’t seen before in order for them to want to share it.

So, here’s what The Piano Guys do:

  • They shoot musical travelogue videos around the world in exotic places
  • They once hoisted a piano on top of a thousand foot cliff in Utah
  • They have played at a massive waterfall in Brazil and on the Great Wall of China
  • They use their incredible gifts, talents, and skills in unique ways

All four of The Piano Guys understand that it can all be taken away as quickly as it came. But they were still willing to take a special risk when a big record label came calling. They said no to Sony Records six or seven times. They didn’t want to sign a contract at the expense of their personal lives. They insisted on working tours around their families.

But they were doing something different that people hadn’t seen before. Because they did that, they were wildly popular. That’s what put them in the position to be able to do things the way they wanted, to make demands that centered on their families, and carry out the kind of lifestyle that’s both comfortable and profitable.

What are you trying to do? Are you trying to build a platform for your writing? Trying to build a business? Trying to create your own, specialized kind of art? Maybe even trying to grow a ministry? Here’s what you can learn from The Piano Guys:

  • Do something different, even if it’s slightly different from what someone else is doing
  • Find a niche that’s an inch wide and mile deep
  • Don’t be afraid to ask people to “share” on social media what you’re doing
  • Be bold, outlandish, and honest

Live! (Deluxe Edition) (CD/DVD) is the latest offering from The Piano Guys, and it comes with a CD from their sold out concert at Carnegie Hall and a DVD of their concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater. It includes as tracks as diverse as “Let it Go,” “Beethoven’s 5 Secrets,” and “Rockelbel’s Canon.” Check out their art and see if it inspires you in your art.

What lessons do you learn from The Piano Guys?

Posted on

Creativity Friday, Christmas Countdown

Today is creativity Friday and Christmas countdown is on. Christmas is coming, a very creative time of year. We’re counting down the days now, as preparations are made in our hearts and homes for a very special Birth. The weekend is a great time to get to work on your holiday projects, decorations, or gifts. It might also be the time you start your blog, book, or new song. Take at least a little time this weekend for a creative pursuit. You will thank yourself.

Here are three articles to:

  • Tap into some classic creativity
  • Use a network to enhance your creativity
  • Recognize the power of “story” to unlock your creative block

Read on…

Hello friday! Creative calligraphic card.

  1. Behind the Scenes on “A Charlie Brown Christmas” How could we get through the Christmas season without at least one viewing of this classic. Take a look at some of the original scripts and original drawings. It’s guaranteed to inspire you with a little Christmas creativity.
  2. The Unfair Truth About How Creative People Really Succeed Here’s the story of Ernest Hemingway, and how a creative network really helped him succeed in his creativity. Where is the network you can join?
  3. Got Writer’s Block? Are you stuck on your current creative project? This article provides some great advice to tap into the “power of story” to unlock and unleash your creativity. Check it out.

What articles concerning creativity did you see this week? Please share them in the comments below.

Posted on

5 Creative Christmas Gifts to Bring Out the Artist in Anyone

It’s probably not a surprise to you that I like to encourage creativity by giving Christmas gifts that do the same. Christmas vacation is the perfect time for people to crack open their creative selves and start the new year on a fresh, creative note. I also find a deeper meaning in creative Christmas gifts when I remember that the Ultimate Christmas Gift was the most creative gift ever given. God, the Father, gave His Son into human flesh to bring about human forgiveness and salvation.

Packets of presents under the Christmas tree on the background of colored lights

Our human creativity is but a small reflection of the creativity of the Creator God. Why not encourage that wonderful gift in the lives of those we love?

Years ago I received a book for Christmas called: Watercolor for the Artistically Undiscovered. It was a book that came with a paint brush and set of watercolor paints. I loved dabbling with watercolors, but had never really had any instruction. The book I received (meant for any age) gave me both simple instructions in watercolor painting and the opportunity to actually do what I was learning. The book was meant to be painted. It was meant to be an opportunity to experiment right then and there with what I was learning.

How about reserving one gift that encourages creativity for everyone on your list this year? No matter their station in life, everyone could use a creative boost, and whether they admit it or not, will appreciate a creative Christmas gift.

Here are my five favorite picks for creative gifts this Christmas:

  1. Drawing: For the Artistically Undiscovered (Klutz) I am not a great visual artist. Having said that, I’m better at painting than drawing. This book will do for your drawing what the aforementioned Watercolor for the Artistically Undiscovered will do for your painting. This book is great for either kids or adults. Unleash someone’s artist!
  2. The Steal Like an Artist Journal: A Notebook for Creative Kleptomaniacs Steal Like an Artist is one of my very favorite books on the creative pursuit. It’s simple, easy to read, and yet extremely profound. Now Austin Kleon has come out with a journal that will help you interact with your creative self and begin to make great art.
  3.  The Creativity Challenge: Design, Experiment, Test, Innovate, Build, Create, Inspire, and Unleash Your Genius This book will help you change the way you usually think to help you gain creative insight and art of any kind. There are over 100 different challenges and exercises to help you with new ideas and new possibilities in your work or play.
  4. 344 Questions: The Creative Person’s Do-It-Yourself Guide to Insight, Survival, and Artistic Fulfillment (Voices That Matter) This book, entirely filled with questions, is a great way to spark creativity by thinking through things and jotting thoughts and ideas down right into the book itself. The book even includes the questions many celebrities asked, or wished they had asked themselves, on the way to success.
  5. Wreck This Journal (Black) Expanded Ed. The title of this book says it all. I’m the type who cringes when a page in one of my books gets folded or wrinkled. But this book makes me change my fastidiousness and gives me the opportunity to write, poke holes, fold, and generally wreck this book while at the same time moves me massive step forward in my creativity.

What gift would you give to spark someone’s creativity?