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Creativity Cannot Happen Without Authenticity

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The creative space is everyone’s right to inhabit. However, if you are not bringing yourself to the space, the real magic just does not quite happen.

Indviduality holds an important place in the birth of creativity.

The whole self and nothing but the authentic self is necessary. All the techniques in the world cannot supplant working from the heart, which is the home of your individual, authentic self. It is your unique creative spark that is born to start a fire and set you apart from others.

No one can be as creative - like you.

In my experience as a director and researcher in the performing arts, this aspect of authenticity was a critical requirement in working with people and for creating authentic performances in a final production. As an artist, I would be sad to serve up mediocre. Great work was always the vision, no exception. Only by bringing my authentic self into the process would I be able to guide and produce authentic performances in others.

Authenticity gives rise to what we find unique about ourselves and others. Uniqueness is a quality that we ought to value more, instead of just falling into a socially engineered, or self imposed expression of how we *should* act or *should* live or *should* work.

Only a creative space can deal with problems that lead us into unknown country. If we impose ideas on how things have been done or *should* be done, when they are part of the same system that created a problem, then we are going nowhere.

There are countless ways that individuals can tap into their creativity however, laying the foundations ready for creativity is important.

So, being comfortable with who you are and not what you think you should be is a good starting point - this is where you have reached the threshold of authenticity.

Taking your whole self in - warts and all is the next best step you can take. We want all of you in there because that is your unique richness of experience and knowledge combined. Even the vulnerable parts - they could all play an important role.

Being authentic is being all of you. Not only what you are. Or, what you do. It is the courage to be ALL of WHO you are. That is being ready for creativity.

Individuals who produce extraordinary work - artists, inventors, innovators, entrepreneurs - can have excellent skill sets and knowledge behind them but what takes them into a magical space is their fearlessness and playfulness to move into unknown territory. They have stepped into their authentic selves, completely. They are ready, open and available to work collaboratively with others as well.

- They become creative generators - both generous and generative.

- They boldly tap into their creative mojo - explore openly with ways to turn their creative juices.

- They confidentaly tap into their intuitive realms - they let instinct guide them.

- They are prepared to take a leap into *the what if?*

- They are motivated by a pursuit for excellence because they want extraordinary outcomes.

Creativity cannot flourish without these innate human drivers. Works of art, crafty ideas, innovative products - if they are born from this seed of authenticity, they have a unique energy that is life giving.

“In this ever-changing society, the most powerful and enduring brands are built from the heart. They are real and sustainable. Their foundations are stronger because they are built with the strength of the human spirit, not an ad campaign. The companies that are lasting are those that are authentic.”
Howard Schultz, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time


Thank you for reading - Debra Robertson

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Also view this Ted Talk presentation: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Flow, the secret to happiness



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