Creativity. The word sounds so mysterious and out there. It’s like this indefinable ability to be different and tap into a resource ‘normal’ people don’t have access too, but this is not the case.
Very often creativity is seen as an innate ability that we are born with, and while some people may display their creative bend more obviously than others we all have within us the capacity to be creative.
The bible tells us in the book of Genesis that we were created in God’s imagine. It also tells us that ‘In the beginning God created’. If God is a creative being and we were made to be a copy of his likeness, it stands to reason that we to are creative beings. The real problem is how to tap into that ability and make the most of your creativity.
A good place to start is to understand what being creative actually means. The dictionary describes creativity as:
The ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination.
It’s a well-known phrase but the easiest way to describe creativity is ‘to think outside of the box’. Creativity is not dependent on talent (although talent can help in the expression of being creative). You don’t have to be an artist or skilled at a particular art to display creative skill. Think of creativity as a muscle. We all have to muscle to come up with new ideas, methods and the like, but if you don’t flex and grow that muscle it will remain weak and insignificant.
There are many articles, studies and blog posts on the internet all looking at the topic of creativity and how to increase this skill. Here are just a couple of the things you can do to unlock your creativity:
- Play – Have you ever watched children and noticed how naturally creative they are. Whether it’s figuring out how to get a ball down from a high place, how to dress up like a super hero with a cardboard box, an old blanket and a tennis racket or what to do when there is nothing to do, kids are full of creative ideas. Playing can release your mind and allow you to use your imagination to come at problems from a different angle.
- Start collecting – Ideas and inspiration are everywhere but with all the information out there it’s easy for these seeds of creativity to go in one ear (or eye) and out the other. Start writing, scrap-booking, pinning and collecting things that you see, ideas; concepts. Write stuff down and use it as a spring-board to spark your own creative juices.
- Do something new – This could be in the form of a class or it could be as simple as change your morning routine or route to work. Challenge yourself, step outside of what is comfortable and familiar.
- Change your space – If you’re struggling to be creative where you are changing your environment can sometimes be the perfect catalyst. Get outside or move to a different room, just a change in location can make all the difference. Find a space where you can relax and be comfortable and focus on your ideas rather than your surroundings.
The biggest myth about creativity is that some people are creative whilst other just aren’t. Each of us has the ability to be creative and use our imagination in amazing ways. The Bible says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Created in the likeness of the Creator and the ability to be creative is a gift given to us all by a God who loves us.