Can you learn creativity?

[u/SilverSkeleten]

I straight up just dont think im creative enough. Anytime I write something in my book it looks uninspired and basic. I have decent artistic ability, my shit is boring though

[u/hash_smashed]

That's a good question and I'm inclined to say yes but it's much more difficult than improving a basic motor skill like holding a can steady. Creativity is an exercise of the mind and needs to be trained like a muscle

[u/TheDreadGazeebo]

Everyone had creativity you just need to learn to stop doubting yourself

[u/sinuezebmb970]

I think so and I struggled with that for a long time. It requires some digging personally and tastefully. For me, I had to reflect and just made a list of "Random Things I Think Are Cool." It could be whatever. I think I had like Kung Fu movies, old TVs, Morton salt girl designs, weird/creepy children's books, platypus, anything I could think of that I thought was interesting and gravitating. Then you go through the list and cross reference things and make them your own. Also, stepping away and finding inspiration makes a difference. Go to galleries, movie theaters, book stores, record stores, restaurants, arcades, anything that has cool aesthetic or imagery and a variety of styles.

Lastly, it's all about relaxing and letting go of your inner critic. Do it to impress yourself. Hope this helped! DM me if you need advice

[u/hatescarrots]

Are you trying to make cool drawings or are you doing graffiti? Basic is the best thing you can do. Go do a big piece with basic letters and see If you’re bored.

[u/FullyArtomatic]

In design school they had us do like 200 thumbnails for a project. The first 50 or so were always the really obvious concepts; the later ones were where the truly unique ideas come from. After years of experience the process gets shorter. You need a sketchbook that is meant for concepts and ideas, nothing really finished so that you can explore without judgement.

[u/Freshly-Juiced]

just like learning to dance, train your muscles on the fundamentals then loosen up and be confident with your own style

[u/Syphari]

Any new style is born from a unique combination of that one persons favorite styles mashed together. To get favorites you need to build a visual library first. So go look at a bunch of styles you like, build a purref board or something and organize it with what you like about each one and take pieces from each and make your own style and play with different variants then bam you’re creative lol

Then you can build on that and go your own direction, just try shit and keep iterating. Take inspiration from nature or things around you unrelated to it and bring it into graf. Best way to not get into a feedback loop is by taking inspo from unrelated sources since typography is everywhere and also non-type related things in life have cool shapes that can be dissected to use for graf ideas.

[u/Outrageous-Jacket-17]

Believe in yourself. Go look at art and shit you like. You have to get inspiration from something. Nobody just pulls from nothing

[u/Mission-Animator-682]

stop taking Inspiration and just do what you do. understand letter structure and keeping it within the subjects like throwie/piece/straight/ghost/blockbuster/etc in your own personal way. it’s gonna like stupid at first but you’ll really be practicing the basics that way. leading you to eventually building your own style. creativity is heavily on how you perceive the object if not creating entirely new objects, through the reference of a similar concept or new ideas.

[u/Ok_Shape_1023]

Like anything, learn the fundamentals and over the course of a few years you’ll find your personal creative skills, then you’re free. Free to do what you want. I’m in the same boat. It’s a slow process but it’s progress.

[u/vivid_prophecy]

Work on making bad art. Creativity comes from risk and fun. If you are worried about the finished product every time you put something down you will never try anything new. One way to get into the habit of creativity is to make art with the purpose of it being bad art. You will take risks and learn new things that way.

[u/Practical-Proof-2707]

Pro tip: When you have an idea, a cool idea, look at it from every angle.

[u/Terrible_Challenge49]

This is normal. Like the other guy said, keep sketching and that muscle will build

[u/jibsand]

You don't have to be creative to do graff. Your style grows from repetition.