What does it mean to be creative?
Do you see yourself as creative? Many people don’t, and yet they're very creative in their everyday life! You can create beautiful meals that look like they should be photographed and hung in an art gallery. How you decorate your home or bedroom can have a special flair that only you have for doing things. Or, like me, you can be in an amazing place where you get to create as an artist, photographer or illustrator for a profession or business. But the key here is to not miss how creativity appears in what you think is a normal thing. If I could be paid a dollar for every time someone has said to me, “I wish I was creative” - I would be rich! It has become one of my missions in life and a real passion to actually open people’s eyes to their creativity and help them unlock it in their lives.
I don’t have a quiz for you to take to score from 1 to 20 to see if you are creative. But what you could do is take a look around your living space with a new viewpoint and assess: is it arranged in a bright fun way or just thrown together? When you write - do you have a poetic rhythm or visual language? Do you dress different or do incredible makeup?
A different perspective:
My creativity comes out simply when I am breathing haha! I love to dress with colour and funky patterns. My home always has an eclectic mix of paintings, coloured quirky furniture with throw rugs or scarves artily placed across the arm of a chair and a cluster of little vases or shells I’ve collected from somewhere in a corner. When cooking for friends, I arrange the food to be colourful and arty. I ran a café for a year and my favourite thing was to make towers in food. My pavlova tower had layers of meringues drizzled with syrups and topped with sky-high layers of raspberries and cream – they received many oohs and ahhs. So if you have assessed being creative by only being able to make music, paint paintings or write books – you may be blinded to your own creative talents.
When I was emerging as an artist, the thing that really was evident when I created was that I went into a completely different place. When I was painting I felt so happy and energised inside to the point where I wouldn’t realise that hours had passed - it was nearly dark and I hadn’t eaten lunch or worse, it was 2am! I understand now that creativity is in my Godly DNA and my particular style is a gift from God to bring His creation glory - as I love to paint nature, especially trees and flowers.
What ignites your fire and gets you wanting to tell others about it?
I want to encourage you to take care of this gift and actually draw it out. Don’t be tempted as the scripture in Romans 12:2 says,
"Don't be conformed any longer by the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – good and pleasing."
This applies to creativity also. Be yourself, not a copy of someone else’s vision, style or branding. Be brave and be unique. If everyone is following the same current trends and not making their own unique work, we will all look and sound the same. But just as snowflakes are all made individually unique by God, so was your creative gift.
If we don’t remain our own unique self, then when we overlay someone else’s style onto ours - it's not going to work! It will either become weak or fake. It's ok to be inspired by others, but dare to be different and dare to be authentically you! Play, discover and unveil the real you.
Tanya XO
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