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rowing up, I recall doing everything so quickly and getting bored fast. Applying myself meticulously was not my flavour. I was always quick on my feet, feeding numerous pleasures. A treasured tradition we held at home was the creation of homemade Christmas cards. My sister, the proclaimed artist of the family, as she painted just like my grandma did, drew amazingly and conquered my parents hearts every year with a sophisticated Santa Clause, reindeer, or snowflake card. I, on the other hand, despised the drawing moment as this was not my thing. My cards exploded with glitter. A rainbow of sparkle, falling every year on my family’s lap. Glitter could have been seen as my magic, but it did not. I felt I never met the standards of my own artistic sister. And the laughs received by my bathed glitter cards were surely memorable in my child’s mind and still are today. I remember thinking I could never be anything close to the creative sister I had.
What I’ve come to notice is when a sibling gets the accolades of being “The Creative One” or “The Artist of the Family”, this can lead little room for other relatives to consider their own inner creativity. I deeply know this never came from a mal intentional place from my parents. Nevertheless, as a society, we tend to be quick on labeling (or not) children “x”&“y” talents, influencing positively or negatively a child’s inner perceptions. These impressions can taint and follow a child for many, many years even until adulthood. In my case, I had come to associate creativity with a restricted lens; one that I could not wrap my mind around and patience with: the classical drawing and painting.
This limited perception led me to believe just up until quite recently actually, that I wasn’t necessarily a creative being. My mind was fixated on the erroneous idea that to be an artist or a creative person, you had to do elaborate works of art or obtain a diploma to attest your natural ability. What had never crossed my mind was that creativity had enumerable ways to be expressed daily and professionally, not solely reserved to those with an Arts diploma.
From my classical impressions of painting and drawing, other creative treasures to be discovered could be: dancing, singing, playing an instrument, writing, photographing, orating, costume/jewelry/clothe/pottery making, recipe inventing, flower arranging, acting, teaching, designing, circus entertaining, problem solving, event organizing, teaching, mediating, counselling, project ideas creating…and the list would go on. I am undoubtedly missing a whole bunch of ways we creatively can express from within. I’m sorry if I am missing yours on this concise list (I invite you to write to me so that I can add it with immense enthusiasm). I just hope you get my point.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Tapping into our creativity is tapping into our heart, where our Soul resides. Our Soul longs for us to listen and hear it’s calling. A calling for inner harmony, expansiveness, aliveness, and creative expression. As I write these words, I know deeply that this – writing – is one of my ways to connect from within. Words feed my Soul and nourish my creative spirit.
Creativity is an experience – to my eye, a spiritual experience. – Julia Cameron
The good news is that you are not alone on this so-called creative journey. All along, you are supported by something grander than yourself, than anyone else. Spiritual this may sound. It is. Believe it or not. Open yourself to this notion or not. This is up to you. Co-creation with life is available and accessible to all. Being inspired is exactly that.
When you are inspired, what happens? Do you feel a sense of aliveness?, excitement?, possibility? And where does this intuitive and imaginative idea or creation come from? There are things that simply cannot be explained but rather just experienced and felt. Many practicing a certain form of creativity (or call it art) will express how sometimes they just don’t know where it all came from…but it came knocking on their door. Why? Because there was openness, a curiosity and most importantly, an ear to listen. An attentive ear that either decided to act accordingly or not. To experience or not the potential of something magical and unique. That is a possibility for us all to taste. Listen to your heart and your intuitive longings. What does it tell you and wish to experience and express?
Creativity is harnessing universality and making it flow through your eyes. – Peter Koestembaum
Not only can we let ourselves discover our own sense of creativity, which is my invitation here if you haven’t gotten the memo yet, but why not also acknowledge that we are all creators. A creator, you? Yes, you! And me. And anyone you can think about. We are for one thing, creators of our own lives. Every single day, we create. We create our beliefs, thoughts, decisions, actions, bodily moves, attitudes, relationships, reactions etc. How we come to live our full expression daily, by just being ourselves is how we reflect creation.
In a sense, as we are creative beings, our lives become our work of art. – Julia Cameron
We were mysteriously created to experience life on this Earth. The beauty in that, apart from witnessing our magnificent planet, is we were all created uniquely. No one shares the exact same DNA, nor natural abilities, interests, and dispositions. To top that off, we will come to experience and make our way into life influenced by various factors (economic, social, psychological, environmental, etc) all contributing to our one-of-a-kind life. Every time I come to think about the uniqueness of human expression, I am blown away and fascinated by the gift of an Earthly life.
Let us come to connect with and invite more often, that unique creative spirit that we all inhabit. We are a creation, and we are all creative beings. Every single one of us is a creative lifeforce that has the ability and potential to express from within.
Will you choose to listen, discover, and consciously create from your own special, unique, and magical expression(s)? What makes you come to life and feel deeply connected? Have fun exploring what that could be if you are newly navigating these artistic waters. There is certainly something out there that intrigues you or that you have a natural calling for. If you are already offering yourself such a path, please, do more of it. Have fun, care for and cultivate your creative journey and most importantly, embrace your brilliance! “Like an ability or a muscle, hearing your inner wisdom is strengthened by doing it.” – Robbie Gass
Enjoy exploring your creative power! If ever you wish to dive more deeply into the topic of Creativity/Creative Living, I suggest two amazing books and inspiring authors:
- The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
- The Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Why should we all use our creative power…? Because there is nothing that makes people so generous, joyful, lively, bold and compassionate, so indifferent to fighting and the accumulation of objects and money. – Brenda Ueland