Creativity Manifesto

By Derek Pettinelli
Creativity + Social Change, University of Connecticut
Waterbury, Connecticut

1. Society places restrictions on people, dictating what they can and cannot do. First and foremost, one must completely disregard such things and concentrate on what they want to do. Rejecting social and societal norms is the first step and also the most difficult one. It’s also important to keep in mind that one should not break any laws or harm others when doing this.
2. Rejecting societal norms is the first step and this includes the capitalist/materialist obsession of mass consumption. A goal that is purely monetary is not one worth obtaining and self-fulfillment is much more important. If one is satisfied with oneself, monetary compensation will follow, but it should not be the main goal.
3. One should be a blank slate by this point, which again is easier said than done. This is a stage in which you should acknowledge nothing except the desire to be creative and achieve enlightenment through creative self-fulfillment.
4. Being creative involves seeking out completely new ways of thinking in order to “rebuild” oneself. New avenues of thought must be explored in order to achieve a higher level of being.
5. Researching think tanks and progressive ways of thought are one part of the equation, but one must also look into classical ways of thinking by learning about classical psychology, existentialism and philosophy through works such as Aristotle, Nietzche, Socrates, Plato, etc.
6. The reading and consumption and processing of information is pivotal. One must devote a large amount of their time to not only seeking out new forms of thought, but to disregarding such useless information such as celebrity gossip, as that only serves to cloud the mind and stifle creativity.
7. Entertainment must be limited, especially TV. Advertisements and marketing are the ultimate forms of quelling creativity, as it is someone else being creative in order to trick and convince the audience into being a consumer.
8. Institutions of higher learning are an excellent place to express creativity, especially compared to pre-college schooling and the business world.
9. Random acts of spontaneity serve to further expand the creative mind. Such acts are difficult to think of and will require work until they become second nature. One must also get rid of any social anxiety by detaching themselves from the physical constraints of the real world and expanding their horizons. Being playful is a great way to accomplish this.
10. Knowing when to take feedback to heart is also important. Some people are negative and only want to bring others down and these people must be avoided.
11. Creativity comes more naturally to some than others and this should not be discouraging as it can be taught and it’s important to remember that this is a process that is constantly working 24/7 as the mind is the most complex and powerful tool in the universe.
12. Expansion of the mind is the penultimate form of creativity, when one is in complete control of the mind, the physical world bears little importance. This is referred to as opening of the third eye, which is almost impossible, almost.