The case for creativity

Source: etsy.com via Vintage on Pinterest

I have been on a long search for creativity.  A purposeful quest for inventiveness and originality.  To establish my own voice through my photography, to define the visual imagery that I present as mine.

It is said that curiosity has its own reason for existing, no doubt about that.  It is a natural impulse given to us at birth, and it is one of the most primal and basic instincts for survival.  Asking the right questions will lead us to the right answers.

"Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers"- Voltaire

Or maybe not, but it is a good starting point.  To inquire what truly moves my soul, to understand my fragility... these are the kind of questions I am asking to myself.

Whenever I dig into these kind of subjects, I do it because I genuinely need to understand something.  This is the first time in my adult life where I've paused to examine my own criteria for innovation, and I must say that it is very challenging.  I am self critical to the point where I get frustrated with my work.  I have to push myself forward to cross over the frustration and turn it into motivation for self improvement and for continuance.

As I've searched around for writings on the subject, one name keeps popping up in my readings.

Leonardo Da Vinci.

I have a copy of the book "How to think like Leonardo" that I never finished reading.  I think I will get to work and start the book again, since I think it is exactly what I need.  A good reference to use as a starting point for my own creative exploration.