You’re Creative Just the Way You Are

A while ago, a friend and I got into a little debate about creativity. Her lifelong dream is to become a writer or a musician or something artsy but that dream has yet to come to fruition. Her mother was a wonderful painter and my friend always felt a little gypped that she didn’t inherit the art gene. Instead, she became a counselor helping empower people to change their lives and heal their pain. To me, that’s the epitome of creativity…to touch the lives of other people and inspire them to change from within.

Creativity is a magic window through which we mortals view the world around us. We don’t have to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to be creative or write the Great American Novel or compose an award-winning symphony. We simply have to stop taking our abilities for granted and instead look around at how we can best use them to serve the greater good…whether it’s our own personal greater good or someone else’s.

Creativity is also not something we possess but rather something we harness to make a difference in our lives and the world around us. A tool. Obviously, some people are better at wielding creativity than others, just as some are better at public speaking or brain surgery or lawn mowing. However, everyone can learn to tap the well.

So how do you do that? Well, the first step is to get out your mental Windex and clean off your window. Remove the labels that block your view and begin looking at the world from a different perspective. Just because you’ve always used a hammer to bang a nail into a two-by-four doesn’t mean you’re in a jam if you need to build something and your hammer is lost. How about a rock? It worked for prehistoric man. It can work for you.

Once you’ve changed how you view things, you need to cultivate your new mindset. How you do that depends on your personality. You could keep a journal and write about the things you notice around you, which will generate ideas. You could invent a game where you take an everyday item or phrase and turn it into something else. For example, a friend and I used to take tired idioms and rewrite them. So, “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” would become something like “a dollar in my pocket is worth a check in the mail.” At the very least, you’ll get a good laugh.

Another trick is brainstorming. Think of a problem you’re facing and then write down all the possible solutions. Don’t judge the ideas. Don’t think any idea is too insignificant for your list. Just write and write and write some more until you’ve exhausted your supply. You can even have a friend or two join you in developing your list. When the list is finished, mentally apply each idea and see where it leads you. Trying to work out even your silliest ideas frees a part of your mind that allows creativity to flow. It tells your subconscious you’re open to new ways of thinking and your subconscious will happily oblige you.

Play with what you have and what you’re good at and in no time at all you’ll find your creativity working for you.