How Do We Know If We're Creative?
How do we know if we’re creative?
If you’re someone who doesn’t think you’re creative and have believed that all your life, how do you know once you’ve “become” creative? Is there some sort of graduation ceremony, where someone bestows a gap and gown on you saying “Now you have earned the title of Creative.”
Nope.
No bells, whistles, gaps, gowns, or flowers.
Being creative is not a distinction that is granted upon you from other people, such as someone who you consider creative saying “yes, now you are creative.”
Being creative is a decision.
It is a mindset.
It is owning the creativity you were born with.
It’s like saying “I am Jackie.” Jackie is my name, I was given it when I was born and grew up with it. (Okay, funny side story, my full name is Jacqueline, but I was always called Jackie growing up and that’s how I learned to spell my name. When I started kindergarten, we were asked to find the lockers with our names on it but I couldn’t find mine. I felt so sad that I wasn’t there, and my teachers were confused because they thought I should at least know my own name. It turns out I was registered as “Jacqueline” — the name I didn’t know — not “Jackie.” It was quickly sorted out, but I could have gone my entire school career being the person who didn’t know their own name!) Okay, back to the main topic.
Maybe someone called you “not creative” or “not creative enough” and you heard that, believing that was who you were.
Maybe you saw someone draw a picture you liked better than your own, or that people responded to more than your picture, and you didn’t feel as special or as good of a drawer / painter as someone else (we’ve all been there.)
Maybe you took those small hurts to heart, making them very significant and very life changing. (We’ve all done that, too.)
Guess what — you can do the same thing, but in reverse.
You can make a decision today to say “I AM Creative.”
You can decide that yes, I may not be the best painter, but I can paint. I may not be the best baker, but I can learn to bake. I may not be the best welder, but I choose to learn.
I am creative, and I will step forward into my creative life.
Creativity is a mindset.
It is a place to live; it is a framework to see the world.
When you choose to be creative, every sunrise is the opportunity to write another poem, to paint another picture, to start a fresh new story and share it with the world. Every rainy day is the opportunity to practice your new skill, to dig into a technique, to bake that cake. (Although bread apparently doesn’t rise as well on a rainy day, so maybe try that on another day.)
For example, on one rainy morning — I think it was the fourth rainy day in a row — I got tired of the rain. I had worked on a watercolour painting the previous night and I wasn’t entirely happy with. I pulled it out and stood on the back deck for a few seconds, letting the rain pelt the paper, leaving big washy-drops in the lacklustre colours. It changed the whole feel of the painting, and now it’s one of my favourites.
Creativity is a decision and it’s one you can make right now.
You are creative!
We are all born creative.
Life sometimes punches creativity out of us, but it is always there for us to reclaim. Step into your birthright, and own your creativity.
Go for it - right now exclaim “I am [insert your name here], and I AM Creative!!”
Welcome to the club!
Now, the only rule about being a creative, is to share your creativity, but that’s another post (don’t worry, you don’t have to post your pictures for the world).
Remember, creativity is a mindset. You’ll see what I mean after a few weeks of reminding yourself each day that “I AM Creative!” :)