Jonathan Rackley: Toastmasters and Creativity

Um, so this podcast is called Dialogues with Creators, and I don't ever give a standard or set definition of what I mean by creativity.

It's more about how my guests use it in their lives and what it means to them.

So what do you think about when you think about creativity or being creative?

Well, it's sort of like a joke that I like so much.

When, um, God created man, he created us from the dust of the Earth.

And if scientists were to try to duplicate that, they would have to, uh, use dirt, and then God would respond to them by saying, "Get your own dirt." And the reason that applies to creativity is all of us, really what we're doing is we're taking something that's already there, and we're making something new out of it.

Creative people usually find a new way of saying something that's already been said, but because it's so new, it's appealing, and, uh, that's what makes it wonderful is because you have all these raw materials all around us all the time, whatever we're talking about, whether it be words or stuff.

You're just taking the stuff that's already there and combining it in a new and different way that people have never seen before.

Mm-hmm.

So is it original? Yeah, but not really.

It's always been there.

It's just you came up with a new way to explain it.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, that's, uh, it, it, some, a theory that I came across in, in my research that what is, um, seems creative is usually something that is familiar so the people can understand it, but different enough that it s- distinguishes itself.

And there's a, there's a term for it, and I've forgotten.

It's a, an acronym.

But, um, yeah, the, uh, creativity is not like we're actually creating in the sense that God did, um, from nothing, ex nihilo, as they say, but, um, that we are using things that are already, you know, we're building on what other people have done.

And, uh, so that being the case, I know you work in safety in the workplace.

Um, so this podcast is called Dialogues with Creators, and I don't ever give a standard or set definition of what I mean by creativity.

It's more about how my guests use it in their lives and what it means to them.

So what do you think about when you think about creativity or being creative?

Well, it's sort of like a joke that I like so much.

When, um, God created man, he created us from the dust of the Earth.

And if scientists were to try to duplicate that, they would have to, uh, use dirt, and then God would respond to them by saying, "Get your own dirt." And the reason that applies to creativity is all of us, really what we're doing is we're taking something that's already there, and we're making something new out of it.

Creative people usually find a new way of saying something that's already been said, but because it's so new, it's appealing, and, uh, that's what makes it wonderful is because you have all these raw materials all around us all the time, whatever we're talking about, whether it be words or stuff.

You're just taking the stuff that's already there and combining it in a new and different way that people have never seen before.

Mm-hmm.

So is it original? Yeah, but not really.

It's always been there.

It's just you came up with a new way to explain it.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, that's, uh, it, it, some, a theory that I came across in, in my research that what is, um, seems creative is usually something that is familiar so the people can understand it, but different enough that it s- distinguishes itself.

And there's a, there's a term for it, and I've forgotten.

It's a, an acronym.

But, um, yeah, the, uh, creativity is not like we're actually creating in the sense that God did, um, from nothing, ex nihilo, as they say, but, um, that we are using things that are already, you know, we're building on what other people have done.

And, uh, so that being the case, I know you work in safety in the workplace.