Art adds color and flavor to our everyday lives, but many people fail to realize the impact it has on our society as a whole. Countless people would not be where they are today without art’s influence on them, and art should be recognized and supported as such! Whether you’re an artist or simply appreciate art in its various forms, read on to discover the ways in which art improves our culture, economy, education system and much more!
Did you know?
The numbers are astonishing: The United States of America is home to more than 4,000 arts and cultural organizations, which employ more than 200,000 full-time workers. Arts and culture contribute almost $700 billion each year to our nation’s economy — or approximately 3.8 percent of GDP. In fact, every $1 we invest in arts and culture generates an additional $5 for our economy (at both local and national levels). On a local level alone, every $10 million invested in arts and culture results in 568 jobs for American workers! For centuries, artists have found ways to inspire us with their gifts.
Why Should We Care?
America has a long history with art, dating back to Colonial times. With so many artistic opportunities available, it’s hard to know where to start; and even if you find your passion and decide to pursue it as a hobby or career, it can still be tough to break into a competitive field. For any aspiring artists out there who are looking for guidance on how they can make their craft a successful one, here’s what you need to know about thriving as an artist.
How Can we help?
The first thing you need to do when starting a new non-profit organization is establish your organization’s mission statement. A mission statement should summarize what your organization does and why it exists, but shouldn’t get caught up in philosophical talk or emotional appeals. Keep your mission simple and direct—avoid buzzwords, emotional appeals and jargon. The primary purpose of a mission statement is to help you figure out how you’re going to achieve your vision for an organization, so keep it focused on that goal. As with all marketing communications, make sure that every word counts—you can’t afford to waste words on unnecessary text or filler language when working within limited space constraints. What are we here to do? How will we achieve our goal?
Five Ways to Practice Creativity
What if I told you that creativity is a skill we can all develop? It’s true! But here’s what you probably don’t know about creative thinking: it requires practice. A lot of it. So let me share with you my five favorite ways to foster creativity every day. These will help you tap into your intuitive problem-solving abilities and turn common ideas on their head, which can be exactly what innovative companies need today. The best part is that these techniques are simple and fun to use—so get started!
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Make time for creativity
Many people make the mistake of simply waiting for inspiration to strike, and therefore don’t see creativity as a skill that can be honed and developed when you need it. Try to re-frame the way you see your creative skills and actually make time for creative thinking.
If you have a job that requires large amounts of creativity, schedule out time for this in your diary – while it may feel strange to factor in ‘creative time’ at first, it takes the pressure off having a sudden burst of inspiration when you least expect it – which definitely isn’t a sustainable way to work!
2. Keep learning
A creative mind is a curious mind, so make an effort to keep learning new skills and indulging your natural curiosity to find out more about the world and everything in it.
Once you’ve developed some creative skills, it’s important to keep on challenging yourself and acquiring new knowledge to inspire you and help you grow. Whether you simply make an effort to read more in your spare time, or look into taking more actual courses, constant learning is vital to boost your creativity.
3. Do what you love
When you actually love your job, you are naturally going to be more inspired and enthusiastic about creative problem solving and coming up with new ideas. A task that you keep putting off is going to be very difficult to approach with a positive, creative attitude.
Find a hobby that lets you be creative that you love to do, such as playing an instrument, painting, or even a sport that completely places you in the present.
4. Find the conditions that make you most creative
Some people are early birds and find they’re at their most creative and productive in the early hours of the morning before most people even begin to stir! Others (the majority, in fact) thrive on the quiet of night – while some might find the typical 9 – 5 is perfectly suited to creative thinking.
The key is to find what working conditions work best for you – not only the hours that you work, but other things such as location, lighting, music (or silence!), the tools/equipment you use. Start thinking of yourself as an artist – you need everything to be perfect to perform your best!
5. Collaborate with others
As well as asking for feedback, collaborating with your colleagues and within your network can be a great source of inspiration. If you’ve been struggling to find creative solutions and ideas for a certain project, bringing in a trusted peer can be a fantastic way of boosting your creativity.
Sometimes, having someone else to bounce off and spark ideas can be extremely helpful – especially if you’ve been struggling with something in particular on your own for a while!
What is creativity anyway?
To many of us, creativity is a fuzzy and scary concept. Tell a group of people about to begin a task that they need to rev up their creativity engines, and you’ll feel the air in the room turn so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Feelings of puzzlement and uncomfortability and a whole lot of self-doubt is what we encounter when we are expected to do something without instructions, to follow our gut and strike off from the beaten path. But what many of us don’t know is that ambiguity is an essential part of the creative process and without it, creative endeavors cannot happen.
Creative Geniuses with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
What did Thomas Edison, Kurt Cobain, Oscar Wilde, Lord Byron, Jules Verne, Che Guevara, James Dean, Clark Gable, Picasso, Mark Twain and Sir Walter Raleigh have in common? According to psychiatrist Professor Michael Fitzgerald, of Dublin’s Trinity College, they all had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – and it was this disorder that allowed their creative geniuses to flourish.
“The same genes that are involved in ADHD can also be associated with risk-taking behaviour. While these urges can be problematic or even self-destructive – occasionally leading people into delinquency, addiction or crime – they can also lead to earth-shattering breakthroughs in the fields of the arts, science and exploration,” Professor Fitzgerald told the 2010 annual meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Faculty of Academic Psychiatry at Keele University.
“People with ADHD have symptoms of inattentiveness, but they often also have a capacity to hyperfocus on a narrow area that is of particular interest to them. Clearly, ADHD is not a guarantee of genius, but the focused work rate that it produces may enable creative genius ADHD and creative genius to flourish. For example, Kurt Cobain – who we know was prescribed the anti-hyperactivity drug Ritalin as a child – had an amazing ability to focus on writing music.”
Professor Fitzgerald’s research has led him to identify ADHD as a recurring factor in the creative genius of many historic figures. He argues, “The best evidence we have suggests that Lord Byron had ADHD. He had a turbulent life – at school he was often in trouble, and as an adult he engaged in criminal activities and was eventually forced to flee the country. But he was also the greatest lyric poet in the English language. Similarly, Sir Walter Raleigh was a reckless character. But his insatiable quest for new stimulation and risk-taking behaviour also made him a famous soldier, adventurer and explorer.
“There is a considerable stigma surrounding ADHD, and people tend to focus on the negatives of the disorder. But we should balance this by remembering that ADHD can, in the right circumstances, be a fertiliser helping to generate a seed of untapped potential in a person.”
