The lack of creativity thing

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I'm probably more creative than at least 95% of people. Especially as a kid, I was the most creative and resourceful little squirt you could imagine. At the time, my creativity was what set me apart from most people more than anything else. That and my intense focus and persistence.

I have many creative SKILLS - I can paint/draw/use graphic design programs, etc extremelly well. I even have a uni degree in design.

Though I have very little imaginative creativity. Without crystal clear guidelines (provided by someone else or established myself) I am just a blank.

The majority of creative work that I have done over the years is based on strict rules and a ton of reasearch. It is difficult for me to see anything as it not already is - A blank canvas IS a blank canvas. I have no visual imagination (I think in words) and am easily overwhelmed by the vast freedom in creative work.

I believe that you can reach creative solutions through research-- That is how I got through at uni, if you reasearch something you will always find the "right" answer, even if you are looking for a creative one. It is kind of like using maths to create art.

That seems like a pretty Aspie way to be creative, and very unique to the way that others work. But I can come up with amazing things working this way. When it comes down to it though I don't feel that the way that I think is suited to a creative field, so do not work in it anymore.

There are two types of people in the world: artists and programmers.
Programmer doesn't always necessarily mean 'computer programmer' but can be one with a more left-thinking brain.
People usually aren't both and if they are than well congratulations to them. But most artists I meet are not a fan of maths or organisation and most math wizards I meet can't even draw a stick figured cat.

The most creative people use the right side of their brain when they do their art. The left side makes it hard to get into this creative mindset. There's actually a book called Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain which teaches you to ignore the left side so you will be able to come up with more creative arts.

I used to be really good at drawing and coming up with my own characters, but since I tapped into my left side that has decreased. I'm still a good artist but I have to learn it like I have to learn social skills.
I can't draw something if I haven't seen an example before. Sometimes I can think something up in my mind and draw it but it has to be really vivid.

So yeah, people with AS are either really creative or not. So don't feel left out if you don't think you're very creative. I use to envy those people that math came easy to.

Guys I'm sorry I should have come back to this thread earlier. The title of it doesn't really match what I was trying to ask.

I was trying to talk about those incidences where I was unable to think of what to do. And they occur many times where I'm "forced" to become creative/imaginitive. I was wondering if this is my version of a shutdown. In those situations it's like the entropy of my thoughts instantly increases many-fold to the point where there's thousands of thought processes running through my head but they're multiplexed in a way my brain can't decode. It's like a runaway chain reaction that I can sometimes keep in check with the control rods but often gets to the point where chaos takes over and the overwhelming feeling that I'm no longer in control of my thought processes makes me shut down to protect "the me". Does that make any sense?

My son nearly had a meltdown last year in musical expression class: he was asked to listen to a song and learn it and sing it. That was fine. Then he was asked to listen to the music only and sing on top f it. But THEN: they asked him to listen to the accompaniment (i'm french, so not sure if it's the right word, could also be "back up music": the drums and bass only, without the guitar main melody), and invent a melody that would fit that accompaniment.
How on earth.
Even I couldn't come up with anything that wasn't the original melody. My brain just couldn't function that way. I ended up writing a note to the teacher telling her that this was an IMPOSSIBLE assignment. I guess this is what "lack of imagination" is about?

I have a facility with art (long unused and rusty now) but have always had a problem with coming up with things to do. One problem is if I do come up with an idea I get bored with it before I start and another is just not having an idea at all. Years ago I belonged to an artist's group (It was open to any female because it was a woman's art group) that would have regular shows. If the show was open ended I would be lost but if it had a theme I would have no problem interpreting the chosen subject matter. I guess the point being is I need a framework or some kind of structure.

I've been writing stories since I learned how to write, and scribed many poems as a teen. But as I get older, the creativity is mainly brought out by deep depression.