This is Everyday Creativity, a newsletter about finding where creativity really lives. We have an idea that creativity is just a measure of how beautifully you can paint a sunflower or whether or not you can draw. Or, specifically, whether or not you can draw a straight line.
What does a straight line have to do with creativity? Honestly, I have no idea, except that it is a social code or shortcut - I have asked people why they don’t see themselves as creative, and a number of people respond “I can’t even draw a straight line.”
Which is fascinating and I am always at a loss for what to say. Because I CAN draw a straight line AND I am deeply creative. Coincidence? I think not. Or, maybe it’s the 2 years of architecture studio classes where I learned how to use all the rulers and t-squares to make very exact straight lines (which is how I still draw straight lines now) but I also learned to doodle in straight lines. I draw rectangular boxes when I am doodling. Boxes and flowers. Usually, it’s boxes if I am thinking and flowers if I am listening. Why? I have no idea. I only just realized that while typing this.
I just heard the term “Thought terminating cliche” in Cultish: The Language of Fantaticism - a fascinating book by Amanda Montell. The term was coined by Robert Jay Lifton in his book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism (1961). A thought terminating cliche is a casual-sounding tool to end a conversation. They exist in everyday speech, and it can often be a shield from uncomfortable questions or turning away from vulnerability. Hearing someone else’s terrible news, a person can shield themselves from their own vulnerability by holding up “everything happens for a reason.” Or maybe they want to create a story where everything works out just fine - like you lost your job but you found a better one. Voila! The world is good and everything happens for a reason. Or “lets agree to disagree.” or “it is what it is.”
So, is “I can’t draw a straight line” a thought terminating cliche? I have been wondering about this for 3 days. And I still don’t know. I can’t fault people for wanting to shrug off a question that doesn’t matter to them (and it was a *voluntary* online survey - I swear I don’t confront people on the street about their personal identity!) But I CAN start a newsletter to follow my curiosity about creativity and cultivating a creative practice for our own pleasure and fascination. I hope you will join me!