The Groove 101 - The Power of Attitude In Creativity
THE POWER OF ATTITUDE IN CREATIVITY
There’s a pervasive and erroneous belief that the creation and design of our lives, businesses and careers depend on external circumstances over which we have no control. That all our power belongs to someone or something else. But that’s a lack of creative attitude.
A creative attitude grows stronger when we’ve put in the work and training to be good at something and when we wholeheartedly believe that our creations enhance the world and serve other people in a positive way.
Regardless of his immense talent, without creative attitude, Archibald Motley wouldn’t have been written about in the books of art history as the first Black American to have a solo show in New York City in 1928. He wouldn’t have made a very comfortable living in Chicago selling his paintings at a time when being a Black artist, much less a successful one, was extraordinarily uncommon.
Believing in Your Talents
Archibald J. Motley Jr., Self-Portrait (Myself at Work), 1933. Oil on canvas
Motley, who grew up in the South side of Chicago in a family of modest means, always knew that he wanted to be an artist.
When he was about to graduate from high school, a wealthy acquaintance of his father invited him to his office and told him that he’d be thrilled to pay for his whole tuition, provided he enrolled in architecture or engineering school.
Motley politely declined, saying that he wanted to be an artist and that he was going to the Art Institute of Chicago, no matter what. The man couldn’t convince 17-year-old Arch otherwise, and marveling at his attitude, he offered to pay for his first year of school, which the artist gladly accepted.
The Interconnectedness between Style and Attitude
Archibald J. Motley Jr., Hot Rhythm, 1961. Oil on canvas
While it is undeniable that Motley had a great talent for painting, it was developing his own style while still at the Art Institute of Chicago that gave him confidence for the future of his career.
In a long conversation he had with curator Denis Barrie as part of the Smithsonian’s Archive of American Art, Motley recounts how one of his teachers, after watching him excel in portraiture and his representations of fun and uplifting experiences around being Black in America (like the nightlife scenes of going to a club or a jazz concert in a speakeasy), told him to never change his style.
Elaborating on the issue of style and uniqueness, Motley said: “There are no two individuals who do the same thing alike… you do it your way, which is the easiest way for you…”
Here’s the point: both style and a creative, life-affirming attitude about what you do best should become intertwined.
Archibald J. Motley Jr., Barbecue, 1960. Oil on canvas
In business or in art, if you know you are good at a particular thing, and you do it with your own point of view, you will not only find people who support what you do, but you will develop the attitude to move through difficult and challenging times, not doubting your style or your talents.
Being willing to tweak and adapt when necessary doesn’t mean giving up on your style either. That’s the stuff you bring with you to all you do, and your attitude is your belief in what you do and in the way you do it.
When Motley was 88, two years before his passing, he recalled his time in Paris, which came with winning the Guggenheim Fellowship. As he mentioned how many Black artists had decided to move to other countries or give up on their artistic pursuits, he explained why he thought his career in the US had taken off: “I don’t give a damn what color my skin is. I’m going to stay right here and I’m going to fight it out, and I’m going to make my name right here.”
And that, my friends, is attitude.
UNLEASH YOUR CREATIVE GENIUS
I’ve put together a free webinar for those of you who are not members of my online course, Jumpstart.
If you’d like to watch it, please register here (it’s on auto-repeat every 15 minutes once you have registered).
HOW CREATIVITY RULES THE WORLD
I am super thrilled that my book won the International Book Award in the Business/Entrepreneurship category!
Have you already gotten your copy?
It’s in three formats: hardcover, eBook and audiobook. Get it here.
TEDX TALK
Have you already watched my TEDx Talk: “NFTs, Graffiti and Sedition: How Artists Invent The Future”?
I share three lessons I have learned from artists that always work for anyone in their careers. Watch it here.