If I were to ask you the question “Do you consider yourself creative?” How would you respond? Would it be an automatic “YES”, or a pause to think and respond shakily with a “maybe?” or have you been like me in the past and immediately respond “not even remotely.”
For the majority of my life, I truly believed I didn’t have a creative bone in my body. Growing up with a sister that could listen to a song on the radio and then immediately play it on the piano, I carried the narrative that unless it was some raw talent, some ability to just channel art through painting or music, some “gift from the gods” kind of experience, that was your credibility to be creative. Since I was none of those things, creativity was clearly not my path in this life.
Me, the person who didn’t consider herself creative, yet made her halloween costumes from scratch every year(and we are talking some *good* halloween costumes too). Me, the person who didn’t consider herself creative, yet had decorated her whole home through thrifting items and breathing new life into these pieces. Me, the person who didn’t consider herself creative, yet had landscaped her whole yard, poured concrete paths and built fire pits, all from her mind’s eye and just “winging it”.
It wasn’t until I was having a conversation with a friend who pointed out all of these areas that I was so obviously creative in. He found it nearly shocking that I couldn’t see this within myself. It wasn’t until what felt like someone else giving me permission to be creative, someone else to help me redefine what creative actually means, I realized just how many areas of my life that are influenced by my creative touch.
Creativity is all around us. It’s all within us. It’s where our passion and play resides. And sometimes that passion doesn’t just fall onto our laps, but it starts with an inkling. That inkling can turn into curiosity. That curiosity can turn into desire. That desire might need a push, perhaps by yourself or a kind friend that pushes you for you.That push can place you on the path for that passion. Just like anything that is worth pursuing, it’s the practice that makes it that fulfilling. It’s not so much “what” or “how”we create, it’s the fact that we are allowing ourselves to try, without any expectations, to create simply for the sake of seeing what could be possible.
The clay does not form into the vase until it’s thrown onto the wheel and molded first. The song you can’t help but hum along to started first as clashing of keys and finding the harmony many times before landing it. The poem you read that brings you to your knees began as a single line on a napkin, scribbled out and each stanza built upon one another over time.
So let me ask you again, do you consider yourself creative?
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