I don’t feel like I’m a creative person. How could I fix that and get ideas?
I don’t think I’m very creative when it comes to making semi artistic/practical real world things. The summum of my creative abilities is devising CAD models for 3D printing practical simple parts I need to improve/fix things. Not nothing, but not super artsy either.
I currently live in an apartment I don’t like and can’t move out of (life is complicated).
A big part of my dislike of this appartment is that it’s under the roof so it has slanted ceilings and these gigantic wooden pillars right in the middle of most rooms. This make the space cramped and very hard to use.
I’d like to find a way to pimp these columns up so they don’t annoy me as much. But… how would I get ideas?
All I could think of is making it into some kind of tribal totem, but I have no vision for what it’d look like nor how would I do it in practice. And preferably with upcycled or thrifted materials because I’m not investing in this place I’m renting. Also has to be fully removable for the same reason. A few holes are ok but I can’t glue things that will peel the paint or leave marks.
My general question is this: people who find cool ways of hijacking things or decorating, where do you find inspiration? How do you get ideas? Is there some sort of method for someone like me who doesn’t get it “naturally”?
You've got to plant seeds in your mind, the easiest way to do that is to look at what other people have created. Go to art galleries and pay attention to what moves you. The same in nature and with architecture. And so on. Research those things, see if you can find out what they meant to their creator. At some point those influences will start to leak back out of you, when they do, notice and encourage it.
I work with buildings and smaller timber things and I work with a lot of architects and designers, along with the odd artist. All of us are actively working on our creativity, we all have way too many books, photos of interesting ways of doing stuff and a lot of long conversations. It's (enjoyable) work.
No one is miraculously creative in a vacuum, it's active. If you want to output creative work, start by taking it in, then don't be afraid to let it come out again. And again and again. It's practice.
This doesn't answer the question of what to do with your columns. But perhaps it shows a path towards how you'd answer it.
To add on to this: There is no value in attempting creativity without some research. Some people get hung up on the idea of creating something original, but you could safely say that majority of the things that are "creative" are derivative or referential to other works.
I've noticed this with cooking myself. When I started out, I was strictly by the recipe and doing exactly what I was told to do. Now? I know what combinations of flavors make things that my wife and I enjoy. If the recipe does something I don't 100% agree with, I'll gladly adjust it to our tastes. If we're out of an ingredient, I can look for things to substitute with fairly good results. I'm proud to have gotten to a point where I can just eyeball things and just vibe with it. (Don't do this with baking though, baking is an exact science and can be very delicate).
What I'm ultimately trying to say is: You start by walking in the footsteps of those who walked before, then over time more interesting and experimental paths will open up to you. Some will be dead ends, but others will lead more interesting results. For your columns issue? I would browse around the internet to see what other people have done. You aren't the only one to be in this problem. Perhaps someone has a solution that you like. (Also, small holes for picture frame nails are super easy to fill back in and leave less of a noticeable mark than adhesives. Perhaps there's some value there?)
Until it's not! I can eyeball/vibe quite a lot of baked goods (like substituting to make things vegan and/or glutenfree). But I could never make a good emulsified heated sauce, like a bearnaise, without a recipe!
The "blank canvas" problem (i.e. not knowing where to start) is very real, and every "creative" person feels it. As someone who does creative work for a living and doesn't always have the luxury of waiting for inspiration to strike, I'd say the best way to get over it is to just start trying stuff. Sometimes I have a vision for how I want my work to look, but most of the time I don't. So, I just have to get started with the basics and what I'm making forms itself as I go through the process.
Try adorning the columns in some reversible way. Sit with it for a while: if you don't like it, try something else; if you do, build on what you started with; rinse and repeat as necessary until you like the result.
CAD design is one of my favorite creative outlets as well.
Creativity can be functional problem solving. Think about something useful you could do with the pillars. If you move existing furniture against or around the pillars you aren't losing space. If a chair is sitting right next to a pillar it no longer seems like its in the way right? or a bookshelf or a mirror, etc. You might be able to get away with putting a screw in and hanging stuff off it. When you move out you just put a little spackle or wood filler in the screw hole.
Sometimes it helps me to just do something even if I know I wont like it. Just do something cheap and easy first. Then live with it for a bit. Looking at something I don't like and coming up with better solutions is usually easier for me than trying to create something from nothing.
If I've tried a bunch of things and thought about a project for days and I'm just going in circles. Sometimes I'll put it out of my mind, take a break and have some weed while I read a book. Usually at some point I will look up and just casually realize a simple solution that I love and has been staring me in the face the whole time.
I don’t really think you have to be all that creative when it comes to decoration, and you already have some design background. You just need to know what’s possible to do and what you need in order to do them.
You can search up decoration ideas on Pinterest, Instagram, Reddit, and other social media sites I’m sure. Take a bit of time getting familiar with all that stuff and what you can possibly do and it should come naturally to you what you ought to do with your columns.
Two things immediately jump to mind. The first was already mentioned: look at similar projects to search for inspiration.
Second: get out of your own way. You are creative, you just think you aren't because you haven't seen it yet. To be clear, this is not me saying "try harder" (which is always horrible advice). What I mean is, I believe creativity is a muscle you can flex and train just like other skills. And, your creativity is unique to you, the only way to find out what it is it to try a bunch of stuff until you discover it, piece by piece. Trying and failing isn't failing of you learned something!
I sometimes do clay sculpture (I should do it more often, actually), and I simply have a Pinterest board that is full of things that inspire me.
I might be able to elaborate more later, but I've felt stuck on occasion too. There's some books that helped me.
Austin Kleons books -- especially the Steal like an artist trilogy, the Practice by seth godin and then there's this guy on instagram who I think creates very good content on creative work - https://www.instagram.com/fakeplasticbrands
Maybe you can pimp the pillars with some Yarn bombing?
Just. Look. At. Nature. Or Cartoon Network imagery.