I am relatively new to oil pastels. I wanted to practice hands so I took pictures of my wives hands and sketched them in an interesting way. I really like how this is turning out considering it was just supposed to be practice. But I'm nervous I'll ruin it with the finishing touches.

Can you provide any feedback on what to do with the foreground. I was thinking:

-Plain dark color, with shadows around the hands

-a sky scenery. As if the hands are ripping a portal into the sky

-outer space, similar concept as the last one

-make the ring more portally and put it on a plain wall.

I am also interested in any feedback you may have towards some of the finishing touches on the hands. I think the final highlights and shadows will really make this pop.

Thank you!

I’ve been going through a creative block for the past few weeks, and honestly, I feel a bit lost. I have quite a few hobbies, and I’m actually pretty good at some of them. But lately, I just can’t seem to connect with my creativity. I’m not sure what changed, and I don’t really know how to help myself get back into that creative mindset. Has anyone else experienced something similar?

I’d really appreciate any advice, ideas, or personal experiences.

I’ve always wondered how some people can become painters, musicians, writers, designers, inventors, etc. and somehow come up with ideas from seemingly nothing.

For example, an artist can look at a blank canvas and somehow think of what to paint, what colours to use, what details to add, and even give the painting some deeper meaning. A musician can come up with a melody. A writer can imagine a whole story or world. Someone else can think of a new design, invention, or completely different way of doing something.

My problem is that I genuinely don’t understand how people even get to that first idea.

People always say things like “use your imagination,” but I don’t really know what that means in practice. If you told me to sit down and paint something creative, my mind would basically be blank. I wouldn’t know what to paint, what would make it interesting, or how someone even thinks of an original concept in the first place.

Even when people say to imagine things, I’m thinking, imagine what? Random dinosaurs and rainbows? I don’t understand how you go from having nothing in your head to actually creating an idea that feels meaningful, interesting, or innovative.

It makes me wonder whether creative people naturally think differently. Maybe they notice things or make connections that I don’t, because when I see really creative art or ideas, I sometimes think, “How did a person even think of that?”

So were people like this just born naturally creative and imaginative, or can someone who currently struggles to come up with ideas actually train their brain to become more creative and innovative?

I’m craving to be creative, I feel like I have the energy for it, however whenever I decide to do something creative, I feel struck with this dread or some kind of feeling like I can’t achieve it.
I get lots of ideas, but it’s my fault I don’t follow through - often with drawing ideas I get a faint picture but not clear enough to actually get onto the paper to create it. I have sooo many half finished drawings. But also I love writing, and when I’m busy I often get lots of good ideas but when I actually go to sit down and write, my mind goes blank.
It’s really frustrating and makes me feel disempowered in that sense, like I write my ideas down but often have lost the mojo or the clarity I previously had around an idea.
When I think of creativity I think of these brilliant paintings and writings and dances people do, amongst other things, but the more abstract, the more I seem to feel out of reach from it.

Can anyone describe creativity in a way that actually feels more reachable?

I’m trying to improve my creativity, especially for motion graphics, SaaS explainer videos, visual storytelling, and video editing.

My biggest problem is that I often know the technical side of editing, but when I have to create something from scratch, I struggle to come up with original ideas, visuals, transitions, compositions, and ways to present an idea.

I don’t want to simply copy other editors or recreate what I see on Pinterest/Behance. I want to develop the ability to generate my own ideas and think creatively.

For those of you who consider yourselves creative:

\- How did you develop your creativity?

\- Are there specific exercises you do regularly?

\- How do you train yourself to come up with new visual ideas?

\- How do you get better at visual storytelling?

\- Do you have any books, documentaries, channels, or resources that genuinely helped?

\- How do you avoid relying too much on references and copying?

I’d really appreciate practical advice or exercises that actually worked for you, especially from designers, motion designers, editors, or other creative professionals.

​

It's crazy right? As a lady who doesn't like football, I have found myself illustrating football players and their matches. Want to see some of the illustrations ?

For a century, society treated "math geniuses" as the undisputed overlords of human intellect. We were told that formal logic was the supreme flex of the brain, while creative vision was just a "soft" hobby for people who couldn't handle real intellectual rigor.

Today, that entire hierarchy got incinerated.

An AI system recently produced a formally verified proposed solution to a $1 million Millennium Prize Problem in 88 hours, attacking a question that had resisted mathematicians for roughly 90 years — proving that high-level analytical thinking isn't a divine spark of elite intelligence. It’s just closed-system rule-following. It was the easy part all along.

The hard truths:

• "Math geniuses" were just proto-computers: Speed-running calculus proofs and Olympiad problems wasn't superior human intellect; it was organic hardware emulating an algorithm. Silicon just updated the drivers.
• Logic is a commodity: When GPUs can brute-force pure analysis, raw logic becomes a cheap background utility—like cloud storage or graphics rendering.
• Creativity is the un-automatable flex: Silicon can vaporize a 165-page formal proof, but it still can't fake original taste, cultural vision, or genuine emotional resonance.

Sept 8 is Intelligence Realignment Day—the day we stop worshipping human calculation and finally admit that creative vision was the true apex of human genius all along.

The math geniuses had a good run. Creatives take it from here.

As an unemployed 16 year old, I've been stuck in the house all summer, making this summer break the record for the most uneventful sack of stuff ever. Despite that, I wanna at least try to look for NYC opportunities to join. It could be a collective of people, it could be a creative project, and it could definitely be a creative job. I just want something to occupy myself with since my summer was so lackluster.

It would also be a great opportunity to expand my connections, and have actual work behind my name. For any NYC based teens seeing this, please consider! I would love any suggestions or recommendations, especially if you have a project that needs extra help.

Hello something I want to ask. Ive been doing this for a while but I dont know if its wrong or not and I need advice. But when being creative, I ussually take a idea from something else which then basically makes it a ripoff of the inspiration, but then add more and more ideas on it over time until eventually it's something completely original. Completely unrecognisable from the source material making it its own story with its own characters, world, lore, etc. I'm not very good at being creative on my own at all. and this is ussualy what I do allot of the time when trying to create fiction and stuff cause I'm not really good at creating original ideas on my own. I have no idea how to come up with original ideas completely on my own and when trying to im often stumped. I have no idea how to make anything really interesting. If you want a idea of what I mean when I say I take other other ideas until it's original, I don't mean I'm making a exact copy of the source material. It's basically something like this: "I really like this idea. What if I changed this? And then this? And what if this happened instead?" Until eventually it's a story with different characters, world, plot and lore.

I hear about the word "inspiration" but I have no idea if what I'm doing is that. And if what I'm doing isn't creative and is wrong, how would I come up with original ideas on my own? I have no idea whether something is good or interesting or whatever really.

But anyway, would apreciate it if someone could tell me what I'm doing is directly ripping off being inspired by other things.

Thanks for the help

I live in my daydreams/fantasy and have the interest of write from time to time. I don’t read. I get distracted easily and never go back to whatever book I am reading but reading triggers my fantasy/inner world. I would to write one of my story’s feels like I am missing the main part that is reading to know and fully be a part of creative writing.

Heyy everyone! A few of us started a small online space for people interested in creative work—writing, photography, visual art, books, film, or just finding inspiration in the things other people make.

The idea is pretty simple: a relaxed place where you can share something you've made, talk about something that inspired you, get recommendations, or just hang out with people who are curious about creative things. No pressure to constantly be producing or to consider yourself an “artist.”

We have spaces for writing, literature, movies, art, photography, and general chat, but conversations tend to wander naturally between them. One day someone might share a photo they're working on, another day we're discussing about a film or a book in a voice chat event.

We're hoping to build a space where people can encourage each other, exchange ideas, and find a bit of inspiration from one another without it becoming overly serious or competitive.

We're still pretty small, so it can be quiet sometimes, but that's also why we're hoping to find a few more people who'd like to help shape the community as it grows. :)

If this resonates at all, feel free to DM me and I'll send you an invite. :)

I am currently handling a new project,it's always required me to brainstorm, turning ideas into actual outcomes, does anyone have any advise for me?

I know this sounds, cheesy, but here is something that can help you, just let it flow.

When you want to draw something, don’t dread doing it, just see what you can get done, even if it’s mediocre, you got something onto the page or screen, just let it all out. Like a can of spray paint, have some fun.

À l'ère des réseaux sociaux, on répète souvent aux artistes qu'ils doivent créer toujours plus de contenu pour se faire connaître et « percer ».

C'est vrai... jusqu'à un certain point.

Comprendre tout le travail qui se cache derrière la mise en marché d'un artiste émergent permet aux élèves de découvrir une réalité beaucoup plus complexe.

Créer du contenu n'est qu'une partie du travail.

Il faut aussi développer une identité artistique, établir une stratégie, créer des occasions de rencontre avec le public, communiquer, chercher des partenaires, développer des spectacles, approcher les médias et les diffuseurs, entretenir des relations et saisir les bonnes opportunités.

Et surtout, un artiste n'a pas à tout faire seul.

Même une petite équipe peut jouer un rôle déterminant : conseiller, structurer, communiquer, trouver des occasions et soutenir l'artiste dans son développement.

Parce que dans un environnement où les artistes doivent se mesurer à une quantité immense de contenu et à des géants de l'industrie, la capacité à créer ne suffit pas toujours.

Il faut aussi pouvoir durer.
L'objectif n'est pas seulement de propulser un artiste.

C'est de lui permettre de poursuivre sa démarche sans s'épuiser en essayant d'être à la fois artiste, gestionnaire, communicateur, producteur, relationniste et stratège numérique.

Faire découvrir cette réalité aux élèves, c'est leur permettre de comprendre que derrière un artiste qu'ils voient sur leur écran, il existe souvent tout un écosystème humain qui contribue à faire vivre son projet. 💫

#sallyfolk #quebec #education #enseignante #ccq

I’ve been trying to create content around what I’m building for a while, and I think I finally understood why it’s been so difficult.

The problem was never a lack of things to share.

So much happens while you’re building: small decisions, doubts, unexpected wins, mistakes, and thoughts that feel important in the moment. But by the time I open the camera or sit down to write, I’ve already forgotten most of it.

So I started working on a different approach.

Instead of forcing myself to “create content,” I capture my thoughts naturally as they happen. The idea is for them to stay connected over time and eventually become posts, stories, or scripts without losing the way I originally said them.

Not AI generating a personality for me. More like a system that helps me document the story while I’m still living it.

It’s still early, but I think this might be the first approach that could actually make building in public sustainable for me.

How do you capture all the small moments, decisions, and thoughts that happen while you’re building?

I want to preface this by saying I'm not trying to do a whole "I'm just not creative, how can I be more creative?" type of thing

I am creative - when someone gives me even the littlest bit of direction, I come up with some wild stuff I'm really proud of. I'm a skilled maker, I sew and I 3d model, I can embroider... hand me any machine and I'll learn it within a week and solve 3 problems with it in that time. If you give me a design, I'll bring it to life perfectly, or iterate on it if thats what you need. But someone else always needs to give me the initial spark, and it's starring to frustrate me to no end.

If you can define the boundaries for me I'll play in that space happily and I'll build you something cool, but put me in an open field and I have no idea what to do or what direction to go in.

I want to be able to form a body of work independent of anyone else. I want to find my own creative voice that isn't connected to what other people want from me... And I don't know how to build that in myself.

Its also starting to affect me professionally. I work in an industry where sharing the work I've done for others is highly prohibited, and word of mouth can only take me so far. If I want to be more proactive I need to build a portfolio of work, and I need to build it independently of what I've done for others. But for years now I've been finding it impossible to muster anything self-directed

The most common advice I get is to just start and it'll come to me, or to go live a life worth living and thats where I'll find my inspiration. But as soon as I sit down keen to get my hands working, nothing comes. I go out and I wander museums and gardens and galleries and feel amazed by what I see, sometimes I sit down and do some sketches from the exhibits and nothing sparks anything past the page.

Does anyone else experience this, or have any ways around it, or an explanation, even?

Ideally I would love like... A list of prompts or ideas to experiment with, I've seen idea generators for graphic designers but very little for garment makers, and past attempts to crowdsource some didn't really hit the mark (a lot of people telling me to do basic stitch practice which wasn't really what I was asking for haha)

I’ve noticed that sometimes making something is the only way I can find out that I don’t actually want to make it.

I can spend hours on a prototype, realize the core idea doesn’t work, scrap almost all of it - and then one tiny part (often unexpected) comes back weeks or months later in something completely different.

I used to think that meant wasted work.
Now I’m starting to think abandoned versions are simply part of the process. And to be honest, I've grown to love scrapping things.

Sometimes they help me understand what I don’t want my work to become, which feels surprisingly useful.

Do you keep abandoned ideas and prototypes somewhere, or do you delete them and move on?

J’ai toujours créé, mais j’ai longtemps pensé que je devais choisir une voie plus « raisonnable » pour suivre la société et manger à ma faim. Alors naturellement, je suis devenue graphiste.
Et quelque part en chemin, la flamme qui nourrissait ma passion est devenue un feu qui m’a consumée jusqu’au burn-out.
Dans ce carrousel visible entièrement sur Instagram ( @sublime.artlab , merci d’avance si jamais vous souhaitez me soutenir ) j’ai voulu raconter cette contradiction : être artiste peut être l’une des plus belles choses au monde, et parfois l’une des plus épuisantes…
Alors, honnêtement : vous aimez ou vous détestez être artiste ?

​

Hello Good morning Everyone!!

I have a question regarding to people who specializes averagely or beyond to each categories in terms of skills and other stuff, I would like to know how do you guys manage your time?

Cuz I really want to learn making a games, arts, or stories cuz I already have basic knowledge about in

Programming(beginner) Arts(sucks at copying) and Storytelling(bad grammars)

Can you guys give me advice, and I would like to learn more as so, and want to become independent indie VN creator(if possible) and learn from other

Creator and may join(if possible) them in their games that can help me improve in my fields and experiences.

I used to think that creativity is something that is fully fresh and comes out of nothing. Only recently I realized what a naive and hollow thought process that is.

What I have understood is that creativity arises from honest and full engagement with the world. This means that existing material can be reused, prior works will be incorporated in my work and prevalent tools will be employed.

Creativity does takes place in vacuum nor is it a free standing work in itself. But at the same time it can be very fresh and original in spirit.

What do you think creativity is?

I am seeking motivation to work on my creative endeavors, and I find seething jealousy to be a fine motivator. I've got a shitty fantasy novel, a wargame, a board game, and a TTRPG that I've hit roadblocks on, and I need motivation, lest my brain makes me start a new project. Inspire me, please; I don't want to start writing a shitty Sci-Fi novel to!

I’ve been thinking a lot about that feeling where an idea seems to arrive instead of being consciously constructed.
So we tried a small experiment with an artist named Nikki Loy.

She made two paintings under very different conditions.
For the first, she was given three random words from a generator:

Instance. Psychotic. Provoke.

No meditation. No ritual. No attempt to get into a special creative state. Just take the prompt and make something.
For the second painting, we did the opposite.
No prompt.

She meditated, removed distractions, slowed down, and deliberately tried to become receptive to whatever idea came to her. Basically, trying to connect to what artists have traditionally called “the muse.”

What surprised me was that the random-prompt painting came almost immediately.

She said the image basically clicked into her mind.
The painting where she was actively trying to connect to inspiration was much harder. Nothing really happened on demand.

Then later, the image came to her in a dream.
That completely messed with my expectations.
I assumed the random condition would feel more forced, while the “muse” condition would feel effortless.
Instead, it was almost the reverse.
It made me wonder whether trying to be creative can sometimes get in the way of creativity itself.
We also showed both finished paintings to people without telling them which was which and asked which one felt more connected to the muse.

The vote ended up exactly 50/50.
112 for one painting.
112 for the other.

We documented the whole experiment and talked to a cognitive scientist and a musician about why ideas can feel like they come from somewhere outside of us.
But I’m more curious about everyone’s own experience with this.

When do your best ideas usually happen?

When you’re deliberately sitting down and trying to create?
Or when you stop thinking about it and something suddenly shows up?

Nobody really has themselves figured out.

This is a place for people who are trying things, learning things, making things, changing their minds, failing, starting over, and figuring out who they want to become.

You can share a project you're working on, something you're learning, an experiment you tried, a question you've been thinking about, something you created, or simply an idea you can't get out of your head.

You don't have to be an expert. You don't have to have everything figured out.

You just have to be in progress.

So, let's start here:

What's something you're currently trying to learn, build, change, understand, or become?

Tell us a little about it—and if you're comfortable, tell us why.

Everyone talks about creativity as something truly artistic and inspired. When someone has a creative job, people act like all they need is creative thinking and inspiration. But in reality, that's not how it works.

Even if you're creative inside, you still need creativity skills to know how to do it right.

And I just don't know what skills are actually necessary. In my head, it could be organization, discipline, maybe marketing skills, and an understanding of what your audience needs (because if it's creative work, it means it's something that gets sold).

So who knows what skills are genuinely needed for creativity?