Find Your Creative Self
I used to think only some people were creative. I was thinking in a binary, like the stereotype that boys are good at math and girls are good at English. This binary said that creative people are unorganized dreamers, while practical people get things done. But like all binaries, this one left no room for nuance. Creativity is more than an aspect of right-brain/left-brain disposition. I have come to see that every single person is creative by nature of being human.
What do we mean when we say “creative”? We may think about innovation, originality, imagination. The word creative comes from Latin, meaning “to give birth to.” A creator is someone who makes something new, who brings a unique contribution to the world.
In Christianity, the term imago Dei is explained as the concept that “humans mirror God’s divinity in their ability to actualize the unique qualities with which they have been endowed” (PBS). This is a mouthful, but to put it simply, we can think of ourselves as being essentially creative because we are bearers of the divine. We are all full of potential to create in every area of our lives.
I feel more fully myself, more alive when I bring creativity into the different aspects of my life. When I take time to write in the morning, I feel like I’ve started the day as my truest self. When I work in the garden transplanting flowers, I sense my deeply creative self engaging in planning where each flower should go, imagining how the colors will look around different corners of the yard.
Creativity shows up in all sorts of ways: we can be creative in cooking, visual arts, music, dance, writing, scheduling, designing documents, project management, research, party planning, fashion, gardening, photography—the possibilities are endless. Tapping into your own creativity can bring new joy to your life, give you a sense of wonder, and lead you on new adventures, as well as bring beauty and innovation to your work life. But it’s all too easy for us to hide our creative selves and stick with routines and normative thinking and behavior.
Prioritize time for yourself to be creative.
If we don’t set aside time for creativity, it probably isn’t going to happen. Sometimes I get writing inspiration in the middle of my workday when a random idea pops into my head, but most of the time, I don’t get any writing done unless I choose to spend time on it. If I’m tired and bored and start scrolling social media, I stop and remind myself how much joy I get from putting words on a page. Mindfulness is what gets me to prioritize this time for me to be creative.
Look for new ways to be creative.
If you’re like me, you can find yourself developing a routine in your creative art of choice. Personally, I start to feel like I don’t have anything to write about. That’s when I know I need to break out of my rut and try something different. Newness gets us out of our comfort zone. Try adding something new to your art or creative activity. If you always make art in one corner of the house, try doing it outside or in a park. If you only write about one topic, try brainstorming a topic as different as you can imagine. Perhaps you could try a different mode of creativity altogether, something you’ve never done before. Not too far away from me is an “art barn” where anyone can come and create different kinds of art, like mosaics, pottery, and painting. This environment encourages creatives to explore new ways of expression.
Take small steps to spark creativity.
You don’t have to be a full-time artist to be creative. Taking small actions throughout your day can give you small doses of the energy that creativity sparks. You could start a gratitude journal to get you thinking and writing about what inspires you, what fills you with happiness. You could take a walk at sunrise or sunset, noticing and photographing the wildlife alive around you. You could use a coloring book to help relax your mind as you think about putting colors together to make something new.
Celebrate the creativity in those around you.
Rather than the stereotype of the lone poet holed up in a dark apartment, many creatives are engaged in community, spending time with other creative people and sharing their work. Being in community can be vital to a creative practice. I miss the days of writing workshops when I was in college. The feedback I received from other writers was invaluable as it both showed me new ways to think about my work and encouraged me that I wasn’t alone in my endeavors.
As you lean into your own creativity, I hope you find that not only are you creating art or food or music, but you are also bringing newness to your life, finding new ways to be in the world, and enjoying a re-creation of yourself as you explore creativity wherever you are.
is a writer, reader, and publishing professional who lives with her husband in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After leaving the stay-at-home-daughter movement, she started over by studying creative writing at Michigan State University, working in education and literacy, and eventually finding her way to an editorial position in book publishing. Find her at caitwest.com and on Instagram and Twitter at @caitwestwrites.
Photograph © Elena Mozhvilo, used with permission
