Being creative during the times of Matisse took courage, but creativity truly is the embodiment of bravery today. Those who still try to pursue new jobs and markets even in times of daily crisis, instability and fear, are brave, as much as those who defy stereotypes and lazy habits.
The 6th phase of my book “Make The Sky Bloom”, particularly within the 5th chapter (The Stars of Friedrich), I talk about how this crisis could turn into a great opportunity to get creative. According to the philosophy of Albert Einstein, one cannot solve problems with the same mindset that generated them. Nowadays, more than ever, we need to change our mindset. Creativity and an open-mindedness in all forms and shapes are what it takes to save us.
Being Italian, we carry a huge history of creativity that we should never forget. Almost as ironically as the most iconic Totò skits, we managed to get incredibly creative at times when we didn’t have anything other than the street-wise wit that allowed us to live on day by day, always on the edge between poverty and dreams.
We got lazy and banal by living above our means, having everything we want at our reach and fearing risk. On the other hand, we should challenge ourselves every day, as new stimuli are out there for us to discover. True creativity lays within our daily routine. This is art’s most important lesson: being able to see things from a different perspective than our usual. Be artists, even if art is not your profession.