CREATIVITY what’s it look like to you?
When you think of being creative - what do YOU think of?
If you need some inspiration - look no further than children….. they go ALL IN. They laugh, cry, create and live life to the fullest in every moment - it’s a natural process - they don’t TRY, they just ARE. Children haven’t been conditioned by the world… yet.
Their emotions run wild. They hold back nothing. They say what they mean, sometimes in the most inappropriate (or appropriate) manner. They live in a magical world that we could all learn from. Even the bible references the beauty & importance of being childlike.
Let’s face it - the human experience can be a challenging one - think about all the things you’ve learned since you were a child - from learning the human language to tying your shoe…. riding a bike, driving a car… experiencing love and heartbreak. Success or failure. Finding or losing yourself. Seeking or discovering your purpose. It’s a process and a journey. A child doesn’t have all the stresses of life. In this young form, they are pure, without judgement of self… and what a beautiful place that is.
When’s the last time you pulled out that inner child and danced to your hearts content, or took up a new hobby just for fun? How about listening to music with total abandonment? Or doing whatever it is that your soul fancies?
Life is a learning experience - let’s evaluate together.
We are all on a journey as the most beautiful, spiritual beings having the most beautiful/ugly/amazing/hard/easy/crazy/wonderful/challenging ….. (keep filling in your own life experiential words here……) EXPERIENCE.
It’s everything and nothing. It’s like having every answer and no answer and it’s beautiful… when you step out of your circumstances and look at it all from a higher perspective. We are here to evolve and learn our soul purpose for this lifetime, and to have fun doing it. Being creative is a part of that picture.
It took me a long time to figure this out, but for me, writing is a form of creativity that I enjoy. I genuinely hope it helps the person whose meant to find it, but I’m not offended if you like it or not - I’m doing it for FUN - to let my child artist explore and have fun, doing something I truly enjoy.
The question is…..What are YOU doing just for the fun of it?
I always thought being creative was something more glamorous or tangible like being a real artist - as if there is such a thing, but to me, a creative artist was doing something like drawing, painting, sculpting, or something super fantastic that I longed to do, but lacked the skills TO do. Please laugh with me here - it’s about finding yourself and what brings you joy - whatever that is.
I was comparing and looking to the worlds description of what I thought being creative was, instead of looking inside to what truly fed MY soul or what came natural to me. It’s no wonder I have always loved pens, pencils, paper & English…. thus it should have been no shock that writing brings me pleasure and I never realized it….. or even the fact that I love the forest, trees and the great outdoors…. and trees are recycled or transformed into my favorite thing….paper. The coincidences are all around. We are so blinded sometimes by ourselves that we never see our own creativity…. or we are too embarrassed to take a possible risk to explore it.
What do you like that you have never connected your creativeness to?
I took on the words “I’m not really that creative” most my life, but that my friend is a LIE - one that I believed for way too long. Maybe it was comparisons, comments, thoughts, beliefs or just my own process of learning and discovering self, but I am creative and YOU ARE TOO.
You can’t deny the truth…. we are made in the image of the divine and that alone makes us creative by birthright. We all look different in that field, and how beautiful that is! Just like all the individual pieces of the body are important to the whole, everyone’s art expression is important and adds a piece of beauty to the world in the collective.
Creativity by definition is simply the ability or power to create. It’s about doing something new. We are all adults here - we don’t need technical terms of what the word means - I’m here to encourage you to evaluate how YOU are expressing your creativity. There are no right or wrong answers.
In the simplest form - choose something your heart loves and do it for fun. Remember the scenario about children…. imagine a child coloring and caring if they color outside the lines…. NO, of course they don’t - they color with their hearts content all over the darn page for the sheer pleasure of it. Find something that lights you up and makes you happy like that… then DO IT.
NO excuses. You are never too old or too anything to start a new hobby! At close to 50, I took drum lessons, a drawing class and a pottery class just to start the exploration process.
Pick something - take a class if needed. Search your heart and soul, then take yourself on an artist date to discover more. What have you always wanted to try? and WHY NOT try it?
Something I didn’t realize about being creative that bares sharing…..
Have you ever found yourself listening to a speaker thinking “I could do this better” or reading a book thinking “Man - I could have written this and probably better” or ever seen a piece of art that you thought was OK, but felt in your heart you might could do it better if you tried… Well my dear…. join the club I used to be in….
When you find yourself doing those things and thinking you could do it better …. It’s because YOU are a blocked artist yourself.
This was a hard one to swallow because at the time I heard this, I had been doing it for years. “Man… I could do this better”…. but the point is… I WASN’T doing it…. the other person WAS. So…if you have ever made those comments….it’s TIME to rediscover that child like artist part of you that you have shelved. It’s begging to come out, play and ignite joy from within.
If you need help in this area or are guilty as charged like I was about being a trapped creative and didn’t know it …. I recommend an awesome book called “The Artists Way - a Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity” by Julia Cameron. In Julia’s words….. “Remember, your artist is a child. Find and protect that child.”
Just like a child must crawl before he/she walks…. starting the creative journey is a beginning - a start. Be gentle and non judgmental. The creator has gifted us ALL with creativity, our gift back is to use it. Repeat to yourself just a few of the encouraging words from the book that give us a different angle:
I am a channel for Gods creativity.
My creativity heals myself & others.
Through the use of my creativity, I serve God.
The creator made us creative. Our creativity is our gift FROM God. Our use of it is our gift TO God. Accepting this bargain is the beginning of self-acceptance.
SO……ENJOY being childlike and rediscovering your creative juices! Make a splash. Have fun. Go all in. Ignite the child within! Let me know how it goes, you amazing creative artist you :)
Lots of love, Gina
