Creativity does not tolerate violence. This is something everyone knows who has ever tried:
to congratulate sincerely,
to create a new product,
to hunt for Wow-ideas,
to compose music,
to draw,
to sculpt, and so on.
All the usual methods of “stimulation” fail here:
tighten the will,
triple the effort,
tempt yourself,
mock yourself,
shame the conscience,
threaten with consequences,
remind yourself of responsibility,
scratch at feelings of guilt.
In this way creativity shares much with play. In play, as we know, one wants to join freely, spontaneously, and of one’s own will.
When a game interests us, we engage. When it becomes boring—goodbye.
Violence is the gesture of despair when there is no personal answer to the question: “Why?”
The issue is not whether creativity demands effort, will, or discipline. Of course it does. But not to chain the personality to a labor camp.
The purpose of extra effort is different:
to find interest—meaning, pull, desire—at any cost.
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
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