P#20 Q1B: Everyone Can Learn to See Creatively

All Levels of Creativity Count

Bryan Peterson: I would say it's a combination of a yes and a no. By "yes", what I mean is that there are some people who have more of a creative bent, but I would not necessarily suggest that that creative bent is a visual creative bent. It's just the way they think and interpret things.

Creative people tend to think and interpret things that are happening around them differently. It could be things that they smell, it could be things that they touch. Their experience is somewhat unique and doesn't quite fit the mold like it would for the rest of us.

There are students who don't get it at first, but can learn it. They make great attempts when they start shooting the camera, but the results show me they just don't understand the creative aspect of it. They may get the technical aspects of it, but not the artistic aspects of it. Yet in a matter of a few sessions, they're well on their way of making the grand discovery that they too can be just as creative.

There may be stumbling blocks, but I don't believe the people who say that you can't learn to see creatively. I've always said, "Well, if that's true, then the ones who are born with it simply have the head start. That doesn't mean that if you weren't born with it, you still can't be in the race."

That simply means you have a little bit more to learn. At some point, there is no reason you think you couldn't overtake that person who's in that same race who supposedly was born with it. I really can't stress that enough. I've seen it happen amongst my students more than once.

In Summary

According to Bryan Peterson, some people are born with more creativity than others. That doesn't mean that those who don't have a creative talent at first are completely out of luck. The ability to see creatively can be learned, and with dedication and persistence you can meet or exceed the artistic level of those who were "born with" the ability.