Creativity Requires Craziness

type="text/javascript">Creativity is lifeblood to all of us, whatever form it
One of my favourite films is Field of Dreams starringtakes, including building a home, nurturing a child or
Kevin Costner. In it, he plays a struggling farmer whocooking a delicious meal. We are created by a creator
follows otherworldly inspiration and builds a baseballto be creative. Jungian psychologist Clarissa Pinkola
pitch on his corn field because, he is told, "If you build itEstes says creativity requires us to be wild. That
they will come". And you know what? They do, butmeans we must be prepared to look a little stupid in
not before everyone around him thinks he's gonefront of others, to not censor ourselves, to be brave
completely mad.enough to experiment. In a lovely touch of
The thing is, he honours his creative inspiration, hesynchronicity, I was listening to a brilliant song by Elbow
makes the space into which his dream can grow andas I was preparing to write and some of the lyrics
manifest, despite his friends, family and colleaguesleapt out at me as illustrating this idea perfectly - "It's
telling him he's lost the plot and it'll never work. Forsilly wrong but vivid right." How accurate! If no one
many of us, this is the hurdle at which our own dreamsrisked doing anything because it might make them look
fall and all those stories never get written, the imagesfoolish in other people's eyes, how dull, flat and
don't get committed to paper or canvas and soulcolourless life would be.
songs remain unsung.