Let me sum up what I've learned about creativity from the world of Wholehearted living and loving:
- "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. Unused creativity doesn't just disappear. It lives within us until it's expressed, neglected to death, or suffocated by resentment and fear.
- The only unique contribution that we will ever make in this world will be born of our creativity.
- If we want to make meaning, we need to make art. Cook, write, draw, doodle, paint, scrapbook, take pictures, collage, knit, rebuild an engine, sculpt, dance, decorate, act, sing--it doesn't matter. As long as we're creating, we're cultivating meaning.
It's New Year's Eve. While planning and looking ahead to the coming year, consider:
Unused creativity doesn't just disappear. Find it. Use it. Cultivate it.
These ideas are remarkably expressed in the following short video. I posted it a couple years ago, but it's worth sharing the inspirational message again.
"Don't let the voice of critics paralyze you". I am most often my own worst critic. Very timely post! I have to remember that I can start creating, again, today. So what if I've set down my pen for a couple of days? So what if I have to blow the dust off my camera? Just pick it up and start where I left off. These are things I must tell myself constantly. When I'm creating, I never feel better than that. Truth!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right...the internal critic can paralyze. I fight that battle frequently.
DeleteYou have such a knack for carrying your camera and capturing moments. I'm glad you share them on your blog!