{"id":2307,"date":"2026-05-06T06:00:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T06:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Magazine\/?p=2307"},"modified":"2026-05-06T06:30:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T06:30:19","slug":"the_art_of_creation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Magazine\/the_art_of_creation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art Of Creation"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.postcontent p {line-height: 150% !important;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"postcontent\">\n<h3 style=\"text-align:left;\">Savannah is a city of creatives. In this series we explore how to bring out the most in our creative selves.<\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align:left;\">A Conversation with Mona Bozorgi on Showing Up, Staying Consistent, and Making Work That Matters<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align:left; font-size:14px;\">Mona Bozorgi&#8217;s Exhibition Strain and Strand, currently on view at the SCAD Museum of Art, runs through May 17.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad_width1\">\n<div class=\"fl-lt ad_width2\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-Art-of-Creation_1.jpg\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:100%;\" \/><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"fl-rt ad_width2\">\n<h3 style=\"text-align:left; color:#759c88; text-transform:capitalize;\">Creativity gets romanticized.<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">We talk about it like it&#8217;s a spark. A rare gift. Something you either have or you don&#8217;t. Mona Bozorgi disagrees.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">With work currently on view at the SCAD Museum of Art, the photographer and educator speaks about creativity not as magic, but as muscle. Something built. Strengthened. Practiced.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">&#8220;I want to be creative in every moment I can,&#8221; she says. &#8220;If I&#8217;m cooking, if I&#8217;m making artwork, even the way I choose the route I take somewhere. I want to do things in a different way. I want to break the boundaries we have around us.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">For Bozorgi, creativity is not confined to the studio. It&#8217;s a way of moving through the world.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align:left; color:#759c88; text-transform:capitalize;\">When do you feel most creative?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">&#8220;There&#8217;s not a specific time,&#8221; she says. &#8220;Sometimes I need to think about an idea for a week or two weeks. I&#8217;m not able to start anything because I&#8217;m under this ideation session.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">She teaches at the university level, so summers become her most immersive stretch. &#8220;Summer is usually the best time for me to make work. I don&#8217;t teach, and I go to the studio every day. Sometimes I have ten hour studio days. That&#8217;s exciting.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">The takeaway is simple. Creativity is not about waiting for inspiration. It is about giving yourself space to think, and then committing when it is time to work.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align:left; color:#759c88; text-transform:capitalize;\">Did you always think of yourself as creative?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">She pauses. &#8220;I believe in consistency,&#8221; she says. &#8220;I&#8217;m not really a fan of the idea that there is a genius in art. I think it&#8217;s about practice and not quitting.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Not quitting. &#8220;It&#8217;s okay to stop sometimes,&#8221; she adds. &#8220;We read. We research. We live. But it&#8217;s about coming back. Being consistent. Taking yourself seriously.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">In a culture obsessed with instant success, Bozorgi&#8217;s philosophy feels almost radical. Creativity is not a lightning strike. It is repetition. It is returning to the work, even when it feels hard.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad_width1\">\n<div class=\"fl-lt ad_width2\">\n<h3 style=\"text-align:left; color:#759c88; text-transform:capitalize;\">What role does the world around you play in creativity?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">&#8220;We should be responsive to what is happening in the world,&#8221; she says. &#8220;To people around us. That helps us make work that people understand.&#8221; Creativity, in her view, is not isolation. It is awareness. It is paying attention<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align:left; color:#759c88; text-transform:capitalize;\">If someone feels stuck creatively, what would you tell them?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">&#8220;Take yourself seriously,&#8221; she says. &#8220;And don&#8217;t quit.&#8221; She repeats it often, because she believes it. Stop comparing. Find what you care about. Be consistent. Be responsive. Come back to the work.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Creativity is not reserved for artists with exhibitions on museum walls. It lives in kitchens, classrooms, offices, studios, and side projects.It lives wherever someone decides to show up again tomorrow. And if Mona Bozorgi is right, that is something all of us can practice.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"fl-rt ad_width2\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-Art-of-Creation_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:100%;\" \/><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align:left; color:#759c88; text-transform:capitalize;\">Your current project merges photography and fabric. How did that begin?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">The series now on view at the SCAD Museum of Art began in 2022, following the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran and the rise of the<br \/>\n    Women, Life, Freedom movement.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Amini&#8217;s arrest and death sparked protests across the country. Women removed their hijabs in public, cut their hair, and posted<br \/>\n    images of their protest online, often at great personal risk.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">&#8220;I was outside of Iran at the time,&#8221; Bozorgi says. &#8220;I wasn&#8217;t able to participate in the protest. I was always on social media,<br \/>\n    seeing these images of brave women.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Her academic research focused on selfies and self representation. She began asking herself how to move these images beyond the flat surface of a phone screen.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">&#8220;What we see on social media is very flat,&#8221; she explains. &#8220;I wanted to bring the materiality back. To give life to these images.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Fabric became her answer. &#8220;There is a tight connection between women, fabric, and representation,&#8221; she says. &#8220;For a long time, Iranian women&#8217;s bodies and hair were covered with fabric. Now I use fabric to reveal their images. To reveal their stories.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Even the frames carry meaning. Inspired by early photographic daguerreotypes, small boxed images from photography&#8217;s beginnings, she began thinking about the cell phone as another kind of box. A container for identity.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">She also references geometric traditions found in Islamic art, where figurative imagery was historically restricted.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">&#8220;I try to bring the image back into these geometric shapes,&#8221; she says. &#8220;Everything is in conversation. The concept and the material.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Her work may be rooted in a specific political moment, but the creative lesson is broader. Respond to the world around you. Let your materials speak to your message.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align:left; color:#759c88; text-transform:capitalize;\">Can anyone become more creative?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"ad_width1\">\n<div class=\"fl-lt ad_width2\">\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">&#8220;Yes,&#8221; she says without hesitation. &#8220;By education.&#8221; Education, for her, is not only about degrees. It is about environment and exposure. It is about being in spaces where ideas are encouraged.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">&#8220;Education provides an environment to learn the basics. I believe education and care can change lives.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">She credits her mother, who never had the opportunity to attend college but deeply valued learning, for shaping her path. &#8220;I think what I&#8217;m doing now is because of her. Because of the care she put into my education.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Knowledge first. Then discipline. &#8220;When you know the basics, after that it&#8217;s about consistency,&#8221; she says. &#8220;And not comparing yourself with others. We should find our own path and just be consistent in making work about things we care about.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">It is advice that applies as easily to a small business owner as it does to an artist.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"fl-rt ad_width2\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-Art-of-Creation_3.jpg\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:100%;\" \/><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align:left; color:#759c88; text-transform:capitalize;\">How did scad shape your creative thinking?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Bozorgi earned her bachelor&#8217;s degree in photography in Iran and ran her own<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">photography business for nearly a decade. After an artist residency in Vienna shifted her trajectory, she applied to SCAD for her MFA. It was the only school she applied to. She was accepted.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">&#8220;The photography department was very unique,&#8221; she says. &#8220;The professors were very supportive. The resources were incredible.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">One class in experimental printmaking changed everything. &#8220;I realized I could transfer images to different materials. That was the moment I started thinking about<br \/>\n    going beyond just printing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Today, standing in Savannah with work exhibited at the SCAD Museum of Art, the journey feels layered and full circle. Education, once again, was the catalyst.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a style=\"width:100%;\" href=\"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Subscribe.html\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/September_2025_Issue-1.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:100%;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"authorbio\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad_width1\" style=\"padding:2%;box-shadow: 0 4px 8px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2), 0 6px 20px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.19);\">\n<h3>About The Author<\/h3>\n<div class=\"fl-lt ad_width6a\">\n<p style=\"margin-bottom:0;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Brett.png\" alt=\"Brett\" style=\"width:100%;\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center; margin-top:0;\">Brett Bigelow<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"fl-rt ad_width6b\">\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">\n        <!--Bio Text will Go Here-->\n      <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Savannah is a city of creatives. In this series we explore how to bring out the most in our creative selves. A Conversation with Mona Bozorgi on Showing Up, Staying Consistent, and Making Work That Matters Mona Bozorgi&#8217;s Exhibition Strain and Strand, currently on view at the SCAD Museum of Art, runs through May 17. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[264,263,262,265,437,92,77],"class_list":["post-2307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-georgia","tag-savannah-ga","tag-savannah-tourism","tag-visit-savannah","tag-heeler-supper-club","tag-savannah","tag-savannah-georgia"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2307"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2314,"href":"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2307\/revisions\/2314"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savannahmadesimple.com\/Magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}