Creativity: A Lifestyle in a Series

If you were going on  a trip around the world (doesn't that sound amazing?) and only got to take one bag what would you pack? I would take my Bible, journal, computer, iPad, sketchbook, and some pencils. (And a baby grand piano all folded up. It works that way, right?) I could travel the world and only need those things. Ok, maybe some books and clothes too. 

What's funny is that this list would have been about the same when I was in the 8th grade, just minus the computer and iPad. Writing, art, and music have always mattered to me. I've been scratching nonsense in notebooks and sketchbooks since I was little and never realized these activities would be a common thread throughout my life. I haven't always participated in these activities and there have been times when I didn't fit them into my life. But they are back. A few of them have been back consistently for years and the rest are just now finding their way into my life on a regular basis. 

Create: to cause to come into being, as something unique

-to evolve from one's own thought or imagination 

That's part of the dictionary definition of "create."  You are making something that is unique to you. Here's my definition of creativity. Creativity means the lifestyle or the process of making something unique to you. 

Creativity is a process of your mind and your experiences. You will create different things at one stage in life than you will ten years later. My work certainly doesn't look the same as it did when I was in junior high. 

Creativity is different for each person. Creativity for you may mean making homemade cards or throwing elaborate birthday parties. Creativity may mean painting your living room a different color every year or singing lullabies that you composed to your baby. Creativity may mean decorating cupcakes, designing dollhouses, or writing novels. 

If you are a creative person (and I think everyone is to some extent, whether it's creating spreadsheets, designing houses, or bonding molecules) then cutting off your creative activities stifles your soul a little. Your soul is who you are: your personality, your gifts, your talents. You are a better person when you make room for yourself (even if it's just a little room). 

People will always have an opinion on your creative endeavors. They may not feel a need to express an opinion on how someone invests stocks or writes prescriptions but they will feel a need to tell you if they don't like your art or the way you play your music. Creativity brings critics because it's personal. Everyone gets an opinion because there is no universal standard for creativity. 

This doesn't mean you have to show your work to the world or make money from your creativity. It is worth just as much when it stimulates your mind or benefits those in your own world. Money and fame are not the issues in creativity.  Create for the love of it and if something comes of it- great. Don't classify your art or your work by a price tag. 

Do you consider yourself creative? How do you make room for that in the midst of daily life?