iPad Apps for Discovering Your Creativity
One of the highest goals of health is for the patient to activate and unfold their own creativity. So many of my patients (myself included) went through the public education system, where our interests and creativity were only discovered accidentally (if at all), and not as a conscious goal of the curriculum. The healative aspect of Heilkunst medicine includes all the work that the patient does to activate or re-enliven their creativity as they expand all other aspects of their health.
The iPad is a wonderful new tool which is capable of assisting us in all forms of creative work, with many built-in or third party apps of all types. I’m using the iPad in particular, and the apps below as examples, but there are, of course, other options. It is the idea that is important here, to be adapted to your own circumstances and preferences.
Photography
One of the most obvious art forms for the iPad is photography — its built-in camera is complemented by many photo editing apps, including:
- Photos – Apple’s built-in photo storing and editing app has a limited feature set, but may be a good place to start.
- Camera+ – This app by TapTapTap is one of my favourites. Its camera features are an enhancement over Apples’ built-in camera app, and it has many different editing features and filters which can be applied to your photos. Your finished pieces can be saved to the built-in photo album on your iPad, or exported by email or through social media sites.
Videography
Video technology has evolved tremendously, and what can be done on a simple home device, now, is quite remarkable.
- IMovie – Apple has done a fantastic job at re-designing their Mac desktop app to work well on the iPad. From simple home movies, to small scale productions, many things are possible with the iPad alone.
Drawing and Painting
Whether as an analogue of paper or canvas, or as an enhancement, creating visual art on the iPad screen can be a very engrossing and creative activity. Some apps include:
- Sketchbook Pro – Turning the iPad into a canvas, with many brush types and colours available, this is a favourite app by iPad artists.
- Paper – A simpler approach to drawing, and a concept which is more like a sketchbook than a more formal canvas like Sketchbook Pro.
Music Creation
Whether imitating “real” instruments, or creating new technological approaches to music-making, the iPad has a vast array of choices for creating through sound and music. Some apps include:
- Garageband – Like iMovie, Apple has successfully ported this popular Mac app over to the iPad. A multi-track recording environment, and many helpful features for putting a song together which works very nicely.
- Tachyon – This unique app allows the user to create their own instruments and sound palettes, and works through a very interesting visual interface.
Writing
Word processors transformed the way we write, whether in a formal or informal context. The small, portable form factor of the iPad has extended the reach of this technology into even more contexts. One of the more simple, uncluttered writing interfaces comes with:
- Byword – Has a simple, uncluttered interface, yet is not lacking in useful features. It can sync your work to other devices either through iCloud, or Dropbox, where perhaps the editing or polishing can be completed on a desktop computer at a later stage in the writing process.
This is a very small representative sample, but I hope you get the idea of the range of possibilities with an iPad or similar device. The key always is to follow your own resonance function, and rediscover your own creative voice, even if your work is for your eyes or ears alone.
The band “Atomic Tom” gave us this sample of what could be created with portable devices (iPhones, in this case):