Invite More Creativity Into Your Life
By Shannon E. Brewer ’03
An Interview with Art Professor Krista Hoefle
As an art professor and one of the many creative minds on campus, Krista Hoefle knows a thing or two about the pursuit of creative passions. As a college student, she started out as a history major—“I love history,” she says—but as she sculpted away her spare time in the art studio at her alma mater, Hoefle decided to make a major change. Strapped with her creativity and curiosity, Hoefle established herself as a furniture design student at Savannah College of Art and Design, went on to earn her M.F.A. from Pennsylvania State University, and eventually landed at Saint Mary’s.
In addition to running the Moreau Art Galleries on campus, Hoefle teaches courses in sculpture, design, and special topics in new media, video, and theory/criticism. Her installations, animations, works on paper, and videos have appeared in national and international venues. Below, Hoefle shares her advice on how people can cultivate creativity in their own lives.
What’s your advice for people who say, “I’m not creative”?
Start with a technique or process you’ve always wanted to try and go with that. Just dive in and try to find as many resources and as much information on the topic as you can. If you’ve always wanted to try knitting, for example, buy a book, join a knitting group, watch “Knitty Gritty” on the DIY Network, or go to a yarn and fabric store. Find a podcast about what interests you. Just Google-ing “knitting” on the Web will give you a plethora of information and resources. The more you engage the more you’ll get out of the experience.
Where can we go for inspiration?
Getting back in the classroom is a terrific way to gain a new perspective on what you’re doing. If you can’t take a class, go to your local bookstore and check out their do-it-yourself section for a wealth of books and magazines related to techniques and processes. I love learning about how others work or how they cultivate their ideas. It gives me great ideas in return!
How do we connect with fellow creatives?
Artists lectures are a great way to gain new insight. Going to art openings is another way you can meet artists and tap into what, how, and why they do what they do. I love learning new techniques that way.
5 Ways to incorporate creativity into your daily routine
Explore.
Take a different route to work, or a different mode of transportation. If you usually drive, try walking or taking the bus. New scenery often inspires new ideas.
Shake up your routine.
Perform your daily tasks in a different order. This will retrain your brain to think in new ways.
Get Close to Nature.
Take a walk in the woods or spend time in your garden. Poets and other writers and creatives often draw inspiration from the natural world.
Pray or Meditate.
Just five minutes spent alone in a quiet space can reconnect you with your creative side.
Take note.
Carry a small notebook and pen around with you. When you see or hear something out of the ordinary—a funny joke, an interesting magazine ad, a new song on the radio—write it down. Use the things going on around you as fodder for a creative act later.