Simple Sunday #4
Posted on August 31st, 2008 in Simple Living
Today’s food for thought comes from jazz musician Charles Mingus.
“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.”
Does simplifying help you tap into your creativity? Is creativity required for simplicity?
I’d love to hear your take on this quote, so jam on into the comments drop a note!
photo credit: heyjoewhereyougoinwiththatguninyourhand
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Tags: creativity, jazz
This post has 22 comments
August 31st, 2008
Cool quote, Sara!
It’s ’simply the best’
August 31st, 2008
When complicity comes to simplicity that means that you mastered that thing. So what looks complicated to other person for you is very simple.
August 31st, 2008
I do think it fosters creativity and that creativity is necessary for simplicity. Of course, I would bet the definitions of those two terms are varying depending on who you ask. Like maybe I am not creative or simple to someone else, but if I feel it in, me then that’s all I can draw from.
August 31st, 2008
Yes and yes and thankfully we are able to be creative because if not I have a quote from Ezra Pound -
“Man is an over-complicated organism. If he is doomed to extinction he will die out for want of simplicity.”
A good a reason as any to simplify!
August 31st, 2008
That’s a very profound statement – I think we do tend to over complicate things. We should certainly learn to take things more easily.
August 31st, 2008
Love this quote and I think most areas of life improve if we keep it simple. Whether it’s visualisation, writing, or painting, making things complicated and too full of details says to me that you are using the left side of your brain. Pure creativity comes from the right side. It should be free and uncomplicated. That’s my take anyway.
Kelly
August 31st, 2008
Sara,
How funny…my husband (who is both a jazz lover AND a mathematician) throws that quote out so often that you would think he “owned it!” I guess he likes it better – and it DOES say more than K.I.S.S. – Keep it simple, stupid!
I wholeheartedly agree with the quote, but admit that I am a total failure at its implementation. (That’s probably why I hear the quote so often!) Give me a problem to solve, and I will – but in the most convoluted and complicated fashion. I am a “creativity cretin.”
The name “Rita’s Digest” actually is a reversal of “Reader’s Digest,” of course: my motto (unintentional, I think) is: “where a short story is made long!”
Definitely MORE food for thought for me.
Thanks,
Rita
August 31st, 2008
Scott: Thanks–this is one of my favorites.
Adam: I love the idea of mastery as a path to simplicity. I think that’s fantastic.
Emily: There’s definitely not a universal standard of simple. It sounds like it would be cool, yet completely boring.
Mark: I absolutely love that! Wow!
Effortless Abundance: I agree–but it’s easier said than done. Is it ironic or just weird that simplifying can be so hard?
Kelly: “Free and uncomplicated”–yes! There are so many things we need to go of (inner and outer judgement, assumptions, fears) in order to be truly creative.
Rita: Haha! Thanks for the laugh! It does seem that complicated solutions are easier to come to. Then once I’ve found the simple answer, it seems so obvious. And I love the name “Rita’s Digest.” The reversal just makes it better.
August 31st, 2008
For me, creativity is required for simplicity. I can relate to this in regards to organizing space. It’s easy for me to have clutter, but it takes energy and creativity for me to declutter and create a simple peaceful space.
August 31st, 2008
I like “awesomely simple”. And yes, I know lots and lots of people who keep making things a lot more complicated than they really are and are drowning in a glass of water.
August 31st, 2008
Hi Sara – I love that quote and I certainly feel that way. I really admire the person who can explain a complicated concept in a simple to understand way. It shows they understand it.
August 31st, 2008
@Cath,
I, too, have great admiration for a person who can understand a complicated concept in a simple way. My experience with such people (like my doc) is that their explanations of how to make things simple take longer than just doing things the “long way” myself!
And therein lies the conundrum!
Rita
August 31st, 2008
Great question, made me really think about it. Simplicity, to me requires being organized and in control. Otherwise things get complicated and hard to manage. To be able to be creative, you need to have the time and space to allow your creative juices to flow. To have sufficient time, you have to be organized, which is linked to simplicity!
September 1st, 2008
I definitely think simple is good, but you need to avoid dumbing down in this day and age when the sound bite is everything. If you can avoid that then yes simplicity does aid creativity because it clears away distractions and complications.
I’ve enjoyed browsing your blog by the way.
September 1st, 2008
Hi Sara.
I answer yes to both questions. I especially like to make things more simple by being creative while doing it. Sprinkling a dash of creativity on anything makes it taste sweeter
September 1st, 2008
What a cool quote!! It does make sense. If you think about it, simplicity can “cost” a premium.
September 1st, 2008
I don’t like to complicate things and I love to simplify things. This is the reason why I love to teach. I take complicated concepts and simplify them for my students.
Unfortunately, I was born into a family where complication is the norm.
September 1st, 2008
Stacey: Oh, I feel you there! It’s so much more of a creative challenge to simplify a room than to clutter it up for me.
Marelisa: “Drowning in a glass of water”–that’s such a perfect way to put it.
Cath: So true. Big words and complicated sentences do not indicate understanding. I didn’t realize this until my schooling was done and I was teaching. I knew I only really understood something if the 7th graders I was teaching were getting it too.
Rita: It’s definitely frustrating! Some people seem to have a gift for understanding to how to explain things simply, and the rest of us have to learn it the hard way.
Andy: I like your idea of circularity; there’s definitely a flow to it all. I would differ from you on being in control, though; leading a simple life helps me to let go and function even when things are totally out of control.
Crafty Green Poet: Love your name! Dumbing down has been on my mind a lot lately as well, especially with all the election news and ads. Sometimes there are no simple answers, and it’s disingenuous to expect things to fit in 10-word answers. You make a great point.
Davina: You have such a fun style of writing! Creativity as a dash of sweetener is such an appealing way of putting it.
Evelyn: Hmm… I love the way you put that. That sounds like a great post idea to me!
Chris:
We take simplicity where we can get it, right? It sounds like you’re the kind of person Cath is talking about–you get that in order to teach something, you’ve got to understand it well enough to make it simple. Wish I’d had more like you in school!
September 2nd, 2008
I guess simplifying does held me tap into my creativity. mostly in terms of my surroundings and other things that are going on.
For example, whenever I brainstorm ideas for a certain blog post then I like to have nothing else distracting me so I can really focus on the task at hand.
Love the quote!
Cheers,
Glen
September 2nd, 2008
Glen: I also need a distraction-free area to really get down to the business of writing. Too bad it took me years to actually figure that out!
Glad you enjoyed the Mingus gem!
September 3rd, 2008
One way I’ve found to keep life simpler and less stressful is to just give yourself one major goal for the day. Don’t have a to-do list full of 20 things that you’ll never accomplish. Have one key thing to do and when you finish it, you can do others if you wish, but you’ll know the day has been a success, and you’ll feel good that you accomplished the one main goal.
September 3rd, 2008
Lindsay: I like the core of that: figuring out how to make each day a success on your own terms. And actually getting things done, instead of just making minor progress here and there–that’s appealing!
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