Happiness: The key to unlocking Creativity

23 June 2015 Mitchell 0 Comments

Hey, my name is Mitchell Ellis. I am Freelance Illustrator currently, but I have done work for start up businesses and even animation companies like Bento Box Entertainment. Most importantly, I have done work with Cameron for his stories (I Illustrated his book cover). Cameron inquired me about my own insights on creativity and being creative. So here is my attempt at unlocking the ever elusive concept of creativity! 




How do I come up with new ideas?

I don’t think I really come up with anything truly “new” as  far as an idea goes. But I do try to take things that are familiar and make them feel new. Lets goes ahead with an example to help extrapolate this idea. Let us start with any idea of something we feel like drawing “spaceship”. Now that we have a raw start, we need to start seasoning the idea with whatever interesting flavors we can come up with! So we have a space ship, we will give the space ship some sort of a purpose. I am fan of Star Wars and many of it’s “knock off” films, so we will make it a “Star Fighter”.

Now our raw idea has been developed into something with purpose and we are actually ready to begin being creative with the idea. I personally like to try to juxtapose words or phrases that you don’t usually see beside each other. Here is an example of what I am trying to say. African Safari Star Fighter, Barnyard Chicken Star Fighter, Mystical Unicorn Star Fighter, The combinations are endless, and the more strange ideas you try and combine, generally the more creative they become. It is also important to note, that allowing humor into these brainstorming sessions allows the ideas to flow more freely. Humor is essential to unlocking the “flow state” of creativity, the mindset where your creative ideas tend to pour out abundantly.

There are times that your first idea can be a really good one, but most of the time, there are better ideas that come later down the line. It is best to avoid the “safe first” idea that comes across your mind by pure luck!



What do I do when I’m faced with a blank page and nothing’s coming?

You aren’t always going to have creativity spewing from your brain through your fingertips. There will continuously be “bad idea garbage” and residue cluttering your mental roadways, especially if you have had a particularly good session the day before. We need a way to clean these pathways out, or rather beat the “suck” out of yourself! There are a few things that I do that can be helpful.

Sometimes I listen to some music that gets me really pumped, the type of music to listen to should be from an era that resonates well with you. I personally am a big fan of the 80’s, so I tend to listen to music that resembles that time. Music tends to put me in a good mood quickly, and it also allows my other senses to relax.

Another thing I tend to do is look through the work or ideas of professionals that I look up to. Since I paint I tend to look through an “Art of (insert awesome movie or artist here)” book. Seeing the way they solve problems and iterate ideas can really inspire me most of the time, and that tends to get my work rolling. I’d be careful with doing this though, because it is very easy to just copy their work instead of build off of their work! I consider this activity research in it’s most pleasurable form.

I’d say the most effective practice for me is sitting down and actually drawing. Drawing anything, even if it isn’t relevant! Make sure to have fun with the ideas as you work on them! This a great way to get yourself into the ever coveted “flow state”. 
I am basically saying, Happiness is key to creativity!


How do I get myself in the mood every day?

To be honest, I’m not always in the mood. It can be mentally draining to feel the pressure of creating on a daily basis. Finding ways to recharge your brain either at the beginning or end of a particularly creative day can help relieve this pressure. I tend to find activities that aren’t always art related, things that involve being out in a public place around other people. Human interaction is not only encouraging, but it is also rewarding. Sometimes sitting down on a bench in the mall is a great way to see new and interesting characters that can inspire you to create.

Recharging shouldn’t take too long, but it should ultimately allow you to relax your mind.

Another thing is setting goals for yourself. When you make yourself accountable for your work, you tend to be more motivated. What if you make a goal and not live up to it? Analyze yourself and the goal and figure out what went wrong. Self analysis is really a different topic though.


How do I decide if something is good enough?

I tend to just post it on some sort of social media tool and see if it generates traffic with my peers. I am never 100% happy with what I make, but I am usually at least 65% happy with it! I never really know if something is good enough, but I do try and see if what I am producing is matching up with my peers.



What have I done in my life to stay creative?

Visit museums, read books, play an occasional video game (just don’t let it rule your life), watch a movie, listen to stories, tell stories, walk through a forest, take a different route to school/work, find love, fall in love, play an instrument, involve yourself, give yourself worth and meaning!

Ultimately, I have chosen to be happy with my choices. Like I said before, Happiness is key to creativity!


If you are interested in learning more about me, be sure to visit my website www.theoriginalmitch.com. Through this site you can find anything "Me" related! I hope to hear from you all soon! Stay awesome, stay creative!