Aren’t we all Creative?
At least once a week we hear the phrase “Gosh I wish I was as creative as y’all!”. And as weird as this may sound, that statement actually breaks our hearts. It breaks our hearts because we know deep down that everyone is creative.
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“Here’s the truth: It’s impossible to lack creativity while standing in the presence of the creator. The Lord has graced us with an intrinsic ability to create. To design beauty from nothing. To write, to draw, to build, to sing and to dance for something and someone bigger than ourselves.”
– Mike Romero of Relevant Magazine
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If you don’t see your self as creative then you may have just laughed to yourself and thought, “yea everyone but me”. Or if you struggle with creativity and it seems like an elusive creature you only get a glimpse of every once in a while you may be thinking creativity only comes in small bursts of luck. And if you’re an artist who is in a creative block you may be questioning your self identity right now. However, we are here to assure you that YOU ARE CREATIVE.
What is Creativity?
Creativity is defined as: the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work. It is vital to see the definition as Imagination OR Original Ideas. The OR is so important. Brandon and I easily get stuck on the original ideas aspect and lose sight of imagination at times. Over the years we have learned that this happens to so many others as well. To counteract that we have to let go and let ourselves be free to imagine. This is what inspires the best creativity for us, even if what we imagine fails when it is executed. It is the process of imagination that is key.
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“…and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts.”
-Exodus 35:31-33
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Artistic Work – this too can sound intimidating to most, especially if you don’t see yourself as creative. How the heck can anyone produce artistic work if they are not creative? Let’s define some artistic work:
- Writing
- Day Dreaming
- Cooking/Baking
- Gardening
- Sewing
- Playing Music
- Dance
- Paining/Drawing
- Photography
- Video Production
- Singing
- Swimming
- Blogging
- Teaching
- Graphic Design
- Crafting
- Planning/Organizing
- Hospitality
- Silence
And the list goes on and on… the above does not even scratch the surface! But perhaps there were a few things in the list that you may never have thought of as creative when in reality they are. So here is how we fuel our creativity when it seems to be hiding from us.
Creativity Fuel
- The first step to igniting our creative juices is to become more self-aware and God-aware. We get to know ourselves a bit more and we pray. We will take an hour, sometimes a few days and we have even been known to take a few weeks to get away from all distractions and reconnect with ourselves and our Lord. For us that means no phones, no laptop, no tv – basically no electronics at all.
- Then it’s time to focus on what we love and what we really love doing. Where is God calling our hearts? We allow ourselves time to daydream, even if it sounds unattainable. With God all things are possible.
- Time to revisit our childhood pursuits. We think back to what we did as a child that made life come alive. Things that inspired our dreams.
- We take time to read, listen to music and dance.
- Get out into nature, it’s God’s beautiful masterpiece.
- We observe the world around us. We may take a hike in the morning to the top of the mountain and then that evening walk through the streets of downtown Atlanta on a Saturday. The stark contrast inspires so much wonder, awe, inspiration and creative thoughts.
- Taking notes during this time and journey is crucial. We write down all our thoughts, observations and feelings.
What this means for us
For us this has manifested itself into photography, film, blogging, building, sewing, crafting, teaching, cooking and daydreaming. And God is still calling us to more. And here is the thing. Art is subjective. Everyone sees the world + art differently and that is what makes it so wonderful. Art is your chance to show others how you see the world. So if you want to paint, cook, dance, entertain or any creative venture DO IT! Put on confidence and stare failure in the face, because failure is your friend not your foe. Failure is there to help you along the way, to make you better. God has your back!
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