THE VOID OF CREATIVITY
KARLY BENSON
KARLY BENSON
20230325
Age: 22
Hometown: Windsor, On
Primary Medium: Contemporary Dance
Secondary Medium: Writing Fiction
When did you start dancing and why did you keep up with it?
I started dancing when I was 3 like many young kids do and I eventually stopped because I wanted to play other sports, until I realized I was mediocre at every other sport. I think dance was always something that came easily to me… Not that I did not have to work for it but it was the one thing I connected to, the one thing I kept coming back to.
Once I graduated high school I knew I had to keep up with it because I knew that if I didn’t keep moving I’d always feel a VOID.
When did you start writing?
I started creating stories before I could read. I remember my Mum would give me books and I would look at the pictures and create my own stories given that I couldn’t read and I feel like this turned into writing when I was around twelve years old. I kept up with it, I took a lot of creative writing courses, I actually ended up having some of my work published!
Does writing affect your ability to choreograph/dance?
Absolutely, writing has impacted all my choreographic endeavours. I think writing and story telling plays a huge role and inspiration behind all the choreography I have done. Choreography, at least for me, has to be based on something I don’t really love creating steps for the sake of steps or dancing for the sake of dancing, I usually start my process with a pen and paper, trying to create a story, a world, and creating the steps through that. I feel like this process gives more value to the dancing rather than just moving your body just because.
Aside from that, how else do you consume art? What is your relationship with art in general?
I try to keep my relationship with art organic and not overly forced, I don’t want to be over exposed with art, I enjoy museums, music, films visual art. I enjoy being surrounded by art, but I try my best to not over analyze it in an attempt to find the deepest meaning behind it. I try to appreciate art from a distance in a lot of ways. I feel like it can over saturated our lives and your whole world is constantly art and I feel like it can lose its value if that happens.
What do you do when you feel devoid of creativity?
I usually completely stop everything.
For me at least it is really hard to power through when you’re in a slump. I try to take time to, sometimes once a week, to be in nature, talk to friends, try to connect with those around me and discuss things other than art, and I feel I just… wait… sometimes all you need to do is wait for a creative impulse to come to you and I feel that if you’re a true artist at heart this impulse will always come. I think it’s really important to be patient we live in a world where we want everything to come to us immediately and I really believe having a creative impulse is not something you can force.