Creativity and Other Scary Words
When you think about a Creative Person, what do you imagine? An artist with canvases and paints? A musician with a guitar, writing a new song? An author and illustrator of children’s books? Certainly these all qualify, but I think we should look closer at this idea of creativity. For years - most of my life honestly - I did not consider myself creative. I would sadly, or sometimes with a sassy tone, tell people I didn’t have a creative bone in my body, or I “couldn’t draw a straight line to save my life.”
In reality though, I longed to be a creative person. I would play around with craft projects or bake something new or draw with my kids, but I wistfully left the real creating to those who had “the gift of creativity.” (Insert angel chorus and fairy dust here.)
But a couple of years ago, I began defiantly buying colored pens and art supplies like they were going out of stock. I dabbled in bullet journaling and added color to every piece of paper I could find. I colored for fun again.
{I should confess here that my mom tells the story that every Christmas, no matter how many cool toys Santa brought me, the new coloring book and fresh pack of crayons in my stocking were my absolute favorite. FACT: There is nothing more precious as an oldest child than a new pack of unbroken, perfectly sharp crayons, unspoiled by younger siblings.}
I felt a joy and lightness as these moments became a solace in my grief and stress. I shared this newfound “coping strategy” with my Counselor, along with the hidden wish that I was creative. She championed the self awareness that art helped me process my emotions and thoughts, but she also challenged my belief that I wasn’t creative. (Wait!!…She had not seen my dubious art skills - how could she even think creativity might live inside of me?) We discussed the abundant creativity of God and sat with the idea that if we are created in the image of a Creative God, that spark of creativity lives within us.
I left my session that day with a secret hope that she was right, and I vowed to research this idea of creativity. I started noticing God’s creativity in everything - the many shades of green in trees above me, the way the sunset changes as time passes, the variety of animals, and the sparks of creativity I saw in other humans.
Then I read a quote by Brene Brown in her book “The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are” (2010, p.108)
I’m not very creative” doesn’t work. There’s no such thing as creative people and non-creative people. There are only people who use their creativity and people who don’t.”
That startled me. Did I have untapped creativity that I had ignored as a result of listening to my inner critic?
I took to the scriptures and found verses steeped in God’s love and creativity. The Holy Spirit kept pointing me to the truth that when God made humans, God made us to create! We are created to reflect our Creator.
Genesis 1:27 (CEB) God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them; male and female God created them.
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) For we are God’s masterpiece. God has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things God planned for us long ago.
Psalm 19:1-4 (NLT) The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display God’s craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make God known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.
At first this scared me. What if I couldn’t create? What if I was the exception? And then I realized how wrong I was to believe that inner voice that said “everyone else, but not you.” I’m not capable of escaping the grace of God. God is big and deep and wide enough to include us all. Even me. Even you. We are included in that circle of love and grace and creativity.
So I started creating on purpose. I doodle and draw, and I use color wherever I can. I call my love of finding the perfect harmony in a song an act of creativity. I cook with an eye of creating something beautiful and nourishing to the soul and body. I believe that I can use creativity to solve problems.
My life verse takes on new meaning with a lens of creativity.
Psalm 19:14 (NLT) May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
So here we are. I am creative. Full stop. I get to start each day with the choice to use the creativity I am given. It is like a muscle I need to exercise. I choose how I want to express God’s creative spark in me every day. I get to create as an act of worship and self nourishment. And God loves creatively through me. I get to glorify God through my creativity and use it to lead others closer to the Creator of their soul.
What about you? How does creativity show up in your life? Where do you feel resistant to the idea that you are a creative being? How are you creatively loving God and others?
