We believe everyone is creative, so seeing people express what creativity means to them for our 2016 #BeCreative campaign has been amazing! We’ve been able to speak to people young and old with a diverse range of talents, each one a creative character in their own right.
Over the next month, we’ll be talking digging deep with some of those characters taking part in the campaign. One of those characters is the co-founder of 64 Million Artists. They use a fun process known as Do, Think and Share to support people in everyday creativity.
Jo Hunter tells us how creativity influences the work she does:
Jo
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Birmingham but grew up in Leicester which had a big influence on me, partly because of its brilliant multi-culturalism and the opportunity to meet so many different people from all walks of life.
I learned Kathak Dancing, sang in a choir, went to the famous Caribbean carnival and countless other festivals and was in plays with a local community group.
Creativity, especially music, felt like it was everywhere when I was growing up.
What creative work do you do?
I run 64 Million Artists and we aim to unlock human potential through creativity. We use a process we call Do, Think, Share that gets people to try something new, reflect on what it was like for them, and then share that with other people.
Our creativity is all about the everyday, and how we transform normal everyday activity into acts of creative magic! We want to inspire people to re-connect with their innate creativity, we’re all artists in there somewhere.
What does creativity mean to you?
To me, creativity is all about self-expression and uniqueness. For me it’s all been tied up in my ability to find my own voice, be confident in articulating who I am and what I stand for, and being able to have more influence on my reaction to stuff and the way I deal with it.
Creativity has helped me take more risks, be more vulnerable and connect with people I wouldn’t have before. It allows me to approach things from a new angle and better contribute to the world and the people around me. I love my life a lot more as a result!
Most challenging part of being creative?
The commitment I think, finding space to nurture your creativity in this busy world can feel like an impossible task. But it’s something I am getting better at and hopefully we encourage people by getting people to just spend 5 or 10 or 15 minutes rather than feeling it has to take a whole day or more.
Also, I think for me creativity is about self-expression and encouraging yourself to explore you, and to share a bit more of you. And that can be really daunting.
To feel different or to put yourself on the line can be really tough. But the more of us that do it, the more normal it can feel, and the more we can celebrate the brilliance of everyone!
Why should young people be creative?
I think everyone should be creative but especially young people as often the structures we have in the world tell us to conform, get things right, do things in a certain way, and holding onto our creativity by practicing is vital to bringing new and fresh ideas and opinions into the world.
Young people have the benefit of seeing things fresh, and using their creativity can help them maximise the influence of their ideas.
Who is the most creative person to you and why?
So many people! I constantly feel inspired by people who do our work or put themselves out there on a daily basis and just have a go. In terms of artists I love Kate Tempest’s work because she speaks so authentically from the gut and doesn’t try to hide who she is.
I also love Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher’s Learning to Love you More and anything massive and participatory. I used to be Head of Strategic Development at Battersea Arts Centre and I always feel inspired when I go to that building.
Just the people there in general as well as artists I’ve had my first taste of there like Little Bulb, Bryony Kimmings and Subject to Change.
