You are creative.
What comes up for you when reading this heading? Maybe you think, “I’m not creative– I don’t even make art.” Or perhaps you like to create in private but don’t share it with others. Or maybe you make a living with your creativity, but haven’t made a piece of art in a while and feel like an imposter.
I’m here to tell you that no matter who you are, what creative stuff you think you do or don’t do, you are constantly creating and creative.
Have you cooked recently? Look around at your home– how is it decorated? Did you decide what to wear today? Have you thought about how to express something through a text, email, or verbally? What about using a pen, pencil, or writing software?
All of these things are inherently creative. If they weren’t, everyone would do them exactly the same. Yet, your space, your food, your words, your writing, your expressions– they are all uniquely you. These are all so unique to you, in fact, that you might be hard-pressed to find a person who shares 100% of your exact tastes, styles, and creative choices. The act of making decisions, your particular tastes, being yourself are all expressions of you, so life itself is a creative process.
Everything you create is a valid expression of you.
Think about how children create in the world around them. They sing, dance, draw, play, imagine. They do so completely unencumbered by what other people think, and often without really thinking about what they’re doing. It’s only when adults tell children that they like or dislike their expression that they create an opinion around it.
That’s because art itself is inherently neutral, because it is simply expression. Every single creative act is neither good nor bad, and instead simply is. The “good” or “bad” art we hear about isn’t talking about art itself, but is rather the reflection of someone’s individual taste. We’ve already established that these unique facets are different for everyone, so why live a life worrying about what people think about your unique expressions of self? The reality is that your creativity will not be for everyone, but it is purely and exactly for you.
When we allow art to just be, it becomes a tool. A tool for self-expression that doesn’t need to be judged on its beauty, skill, or even effort to be valid. And when we pull away our own restraints on our creativity, we may sometimes find we enjoy it or want to share it.
What do you want to create?
First, get in an open and curious mindspace, like that of a child. Then pull out a journal and write down 10 answers for each of the following questions.
What am I curious about?
What sounds fun to create?
Wouldn’t it be fun if I…
Allow any frivolous, silly, playful, childish, fun idea to come to you and write it down. Then challenge yourself to write down 10 more for each of these. Are you curious about clouds? Would it be fun to bake a cake? Wouldn’t it be fun if you drove to the beach this weekend?
The point of this exercise is to drop your adult guard and play. Allow your inner child to let go of all the things you “should” be and lean into what brings you excitement and joy. And once you’ve done this, you can put your adult hat back on and pick 3 of these things to try to do this week. It can be something as small as pulling out an old sketchbook from your drawer or as big as planning an upcoming trip!
Interested in more in-depth creative recovery? Check out The Artist’s Way, which inspired the above exercise. Let me know if you have questions or if I can support you through this. Sending you so much love this week, friend 🌊