Creative is as Creative Does

I have a little story for you…

 

When I was in 8th grade we had an English assignment to write a poem about anything we wanted.  Since it was the fall time, and my favorite season, I decided to write a poem about the fall and the leaves changing colors.  I really liked what I wrote, and when we came into class the next day they were displayed for all to see. I was proud that others could read what I wrote, that is…until a boy in my class read it and started making fun of what I wrote.  Now you can say he was being a typical adolescent boy, but the fact is it made me really self conscience about it.

 

When I was little I used to draw, write, sing…create.  I loved anything and everything creative and didn’t care what anyone thought about it, it was my creation.  Sadly, it was incidences like this story that caused me to edit my creativity and hide it from people.  So gradually through high school and college my creativity got more and more stifled to the point that I pretty much just stopped.  I might have done a little picture here or there in secret, but there was no way anyone else would see it. 

 

Before the race I decided I wanted to get more into photography.  It was another one of those things that I enjoyed doing in high school and college, but there was no way anyone would see my work.  I worked in a photography store to learn what I could, but other than that, I was a closet photographer. 

 

While on the race I walked through a lot of freedom and came to realize it’s ok if people don’t like my work, or if they critique me.  It only makes me better and besides…it’s MY work, my creativity.  Photography was really the gateway to an amazing realization.  As I became more comfortable receiving feedback with photography a desire sparked in me to just be creative again.  I’m talking from drawing, to singing, right down to my clothes.  The best part is, there’s a new found freedom in it, a freedom to just be me.

 

The truth is God gave us all the ability to be creative.  It may not be as obvious as drawing or photography, but you have the ability to create.  So what is it?  Music? Cooking? Mathematical equations?  Whatever it is, my encouragement to you is to reflect God’s own creative side today and create something.