Craft: The Bridge Between Creativity and Curiosity
Every episode of the Getting Work To Work podcast ends with the same phrase: “Until next time, may creativity and curiosity fuel your life.”
For years, I viewed creativity as something I do, an action I take, an answer to the question, “What do you make?” I looked at curiosity as inspiration, something personal and unique to who I am, my interests, quirks, and worldview.
But today, I had an epiphany: What if there’s more to fueling your creative life than just creativity and curiosity? What if I’m wrong about what creativity is and what curiosity looks like in practice?
To answer these questions, I started writing in my sketchbook in search of the connective tissue between creativity and curiosity.
I drew a line down the middle of the paper.
On one side, I wrote curiosity and a few things that I am currently curious about. Interests, obsessions, ideas, but I also scribbled an important word next to curiosity, “searching.” Curiosity is more than just inspiration, it’s a search for meaning and purpose.
On the other side, I wrote creativity. At first, the column was blank, leaving me confused. Normally, I would write phrases like, “Produce podcasts, edit films, write newsletters,” because that’s how I express my creativity.
But beneath both columns, I wrote a third word: CRAFTY (I guess it needed to end in a Y). I wrote down two words: “podcasts” and “documentaries.” It looked like craft was taking the place of how I originally viewed creativity.
And this is what led me to my epiphany: if craft is the action, then creativity is how I uniquely shape my craft and curiosity. Craft takes the burden of the mundane from creativity so it can be magical and momentous.
Here’s what this looks like in practice:
I am endlessly curious about interviewing people. I read interviews and books about the art of interviewing. This study informs my craft of producing podcasts and documentaries composed of interviews. My creativity is how I research, form questions, listen, respond, and use the interview to tell a larger story.
Spark Your Creativity!
Maybe you’re like me and something feels missing from your creative process. Take a moment and reflect upon these three prompts:
What am I searching for in my work? (Curiosity)
What am I making? (Craft)
How am I shaping this work to be uniquely me? (Creativity)
Your Inner Broadcast (GWTW881)
When was the last time you listened to your inner broadcast? You know the one. It’s your unique internal monologue full of beauty, curiosity, hope, imagination, wonder, and intrigue. It’s always broadcasting and we have the opportunity to tune in or drown it out with the noise of the world. I’ll be honest, it’s been hard to hear my inner broadcast lately. Focus is reserved for a handful of daily scattered moments of productivity. But the rest of the time? My mind wanders in the desert of this season of life. As I’ve talked about before, there are a lot of changes right now, but what I’m realizing is that no matter what happens, I need to listen to what’s going on within. If I don’t, I’m going to get steamrolled by the discordant soundtrack of the world, which just gets louder by the hour.
“Exploration in Absurdity” with Karl Jahnke (BYI10)
Never before in the entire history of cinema has animation been more crucial to film and television production. Not to mention technologically possible and affordable for artists around the world. From his early days programming draw functions in computers to currently teaching students rotoscoping and animation, Karl Jahnke has been exploring stories and the surreal much of his life. In this conversation, he shares the significant influences in his early career, his approach to storytelling, why he created the Mobile Animation Film Festival, and his prediction for the future of animation.
Newsletter Notes:
Today’s sonic soundtrack is TRON Ares: Divergence by Nine Inch Nails.
The photo in the graphic above is Modern Circuit Board Background Banner. background or texture from Envato Elements.
I set “Spark Your Creativity” in ITC Serif Gothic® and “On The Podcasts!” in Headline Gothic ATF Round.
Thank you to Deadbolt Design for designing the Chris Martin Studios 20th anniversary badge below.
