How to be Creative

I am often asked where my creativity comes from or for advice on how to be creative.

You can find my views, on how I believe ANYONE can be creative, in either:

- A chapter titled "Creatively Changing Light Bulbs - Creativity and Problem Solving" in the book Manifest: Our Call to Faithful Creativity , which was launched at the Manifest Creative Arts Festival.

- A workshop in the General Conference's Accent Magazine. (download the creativity issue here or view below)

 

Practicing Creativity / Creativity and Problem Solving

Got creativity?

How many creatives does it take to change a light bulb? (The answer a little later on.) Everyone is creative. God made us that way. Believing you have little creative ability probably comes either from a misunderstanding of what creativity is, or not realising there’s methodical steps that can lead to creative results.  Some are so effortlessly creative it’s hard to comprehend how they arrive at such an outside the square result. However, these ‘creative geniuses’ are usually following, often subconsciously, the steps we’ll soon look at. This means anyone can potentially reach such radical creativity if they just knew how.  

The Complete Disciple

Performance: Lilydale Seventh-day Adventist Church - March 2, 2013

The brief given to Scott: A short play introducing the month's theme "The Complete Disciple" 

Cast - Jesus, Eager Disciple 1, Scholarly Disciple 2

Scene - Jesus sits on a chair (or stage rise) facing audience.

Disciples sit on floor facing Jesus, backs to audience.

Jesus: I am the vine. . .

[Disciple 1 jumps up and walks to the audience and begins to preach]

[ Jesus looks miffed briefly and then starts miming to the remaining disciple]

Disciple 1:  Jesus is the vine. He is . . . thin and has brown flaky skin. 

Jesus . . . grows grapes that we can . . . make wine to sell to our neighbours.

He . . . is the vine of . . . knowledge of . . .  god and evil??

Of Mice and Men

Scott Wegener on why one should hop at the opportunity to
be an ester bunny.

Signs of the Times, Mar 2013

If you ever get the opportunity to wear an Easter bunny suit, hop at the opportunity!
Yes, you may sweat like a colander draining pasta, but it’s a small price to pay for the experience.
I was chosen to be Mr Bunny for an afternoon at my workplace. My brief seemed simple: wear a large bunny suit and hand out a basket full of Easter eggs to the employees at morning tea. However, once I had zipped into the furry white suit I quickly discovered I was experiencing a mischief maker’s dream – anonymity.

...cancel that!

Performance: "The Gathering" - February 16, 2013

The brief given to Scott: A two part play on the days theme, "Be courageous in the year to come"

Finalist: 2013 Manifest Creative Arts Festival

“Mind” is read by an unseen reader as the conscience voice of a “mime” on stage who silently walks around a ‘lounge room’ after a days work

In Act 2, the script is repeated identically, except this time we can see a guardian angel following behind and radioing to heaven for assistance in the good choices being made – only to cancel them all as the ‘mind’ backs out each time.

Bible Heroes 2.oh [script]

A play for a large group, introducing a theme of "Bible Heroes" and how the Bible hero's power came from God.
Has a science fiction theme and an optional David and Goliath musical mime in the middle for a large cast. 

NOTE: This script can be adapted to be for only the two main characters only if all lines with references to David are removed.
This is a standalone script but also has a follow-up script with the two main characters called "Rule of Love" which talks about how it's better to lead with love, and not domination and revenge.

--

CAST: 

 - Zorg thinks he’s the biggest evil villain in the galaxy, somewhat overacting the role as a villain. Wears a cape

- X-on is a studious assistant, quite level headed and matter-of-fact about things. Wears a hat (for the gag in the script).

- Both can have outrageous ‘space’ attire/accessories if desired.

Script:

[Zorg is on stage, X-on enters]

X-on: Commander Zorg!

Zorg: Yes, what is it, X-on?

X-on: I bring disappointing news.

Zorg: Oh really, what is that? Has my spaceship been towed again?

X-on: No. It's those human Bible heroes we cloned from earth.

Zorg: Oh yes, my ingenious plan to rule the galaxy by re-birthing the greatest
ever heroes of all time. Has the cloning not worked as drafted?

“Believe it or not” [game show Christmas skit]

[either for 3 persons (multiple statements each) OR several person skit (one or two statements each)]

Announcer: Good evening and welcome to “Believe It or Not”, the game show where contestants try to outdo one another with strange and hard-to-believe facts. Tonight is our grand final show. And now I’d like to introduce our finalists.

How was your week? Any last-minute study?

Contestant 1: Fine, just spent it relaxing, reading Wikipedia from A through to Z.

Announcer: Well, you should be ready to go. And Steve, how ‘bout you, any last-minute study?

Contestant 2: Not really, other than watching 6 Jeopardy re-runs.

Announcer: Just 6 shows?

Contestant 2: 6 seasons, actually.

Announcer: Well, this should be a cracker of a game. You all know the rules by now, you simply have to share a fact that is more amazing that the previous contestant’s fact.
If a player cannot produce a more amazing fact, the previous player is the winner.

Breaking News: Probation Closed!

Performance: Lilydale Seventh-day Adventist Church - December 1, 2012

The brief given to Scott: A short play about hope in Jesus

If you have multiple live cameras running on the day and showing on the screen, have one pointing at the news desk and another at each ‘location’ that is crossed to – so the big screen shows the news program as if on TV. Have the actors speak into the cameras also.

Two are seated at a news desk (or one, if you haven’t the actors) and the other actors appear elsewhere for their live crosses, then leave.

  

(Some ‘newsy’ intro music is played as the lively news readers begin to talk.)

[Desk 1] Welcome to Universe Network News.(UNN)

[Desk 2] Coming up in today’s bulletin: Andromeda galaxy begins roll out of a galaxy wide broadband network.

[Desk  1] Horse-head nebular government to fund construction of rest of horses body

[Desk 2] and Pleiades wins the rights to host the 14 billionth universe Olympics