If I had a kombucha for every time I heard this phrase, I would be burping my way out to sea. This phrase is sack of shit story we tell ourselves to keep us stuck. Let me explain.
We are all creative because we are alive. Period.
Simply because we woke up in the morning, and are on this planet, we are inherently creative. Why? Because it is our nature. It is the undeniable, scientific, spiritual, universal truth.
Alight, hold on. I guess it would be helpful to formally define creativity before making these obnoxious blanket statements, huh.
The good old Miriam Webster Dictionary defines creativity as:The use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.
Can you use that in a sentence, please, Miriam?
Firms are keen to encourage creativity. Okay. Now that we have that out of the way, I'd like to invite you think of the last time you solved a problem. Some real snarl that had you in a twisted tizzy. How did you make your way out of it? Did you come up with some creative solution? Got ya! How about stretching a budget to make ends meet, did you use some "original thinking" to feed the fam? Boom. Ever make a sugar packet castle in a diner, fire a spitball, dream up your next vacation? Ever have an imaginary friend, build a fort or doodle? You're creative, there is no escaping it.
The universe is an inherently creative place.
And guess what? You're a part of it. The cells in your body are constantly regenerating, your hormones change due to the weather, inspiration finds you in a quiet moment, you get chills when you hear your favorite song. Its a dynamic, creative place, and you are inextricably connected to its every fiber.
So what happened?
Why are so many of us "not creative people" and others are posting and painting and singing from the rooftops? Internalized garbage messaging and fear, darling creatures. Its a mad world. Many have abandoned their natural state of creativity long ago like an old pair of earmuffs. Some invite it in and then shut it out like an annoying neighbor. Some feel shame, others confusion. The stories we tell ourselves keep us separate from our creativity. The truth is it is not something we have, it is something we are, inherently, just because we are human. Gently, if you have space, think back to a moment when someone questioned your creative genius, criticized your creations, or gave you the stink eye about your bird drawing in 4th grade. An art teacher, a parent, stranger, mentor, the old guy on the bus, if doesn't matter who. Its happened to all of us. Humans are humans and we all make mistakes, its messy out there. When this devastating moment happens, let's call it creative collapse, we give this imperfect human our power, take their word as Truth, and stuff our genius into a box labeled, "I am not a creative person."
What now?
First, I'd like to take a moment to send a big cosmic compassionate hug to that little being who didn't feel safe or seen in that moment of creative collapse. They are enough and brilliant and gifted and worthy of all the love and creative expression in the universe. Second, I would like you to know that you have a choice. You can either play that old mind melting mixtape of shit bag uncertainty and criticism about your creativity, generated by insecure confused humans, or you could reclaim your genius and unleash your gifts that have been in shame encoded hiding.
This choice is my matrix, my praxis, my passion, my life's work. The intersection of wellness and creativity have landed me in a colorful neighborhood called creative vitality. This work is about working with creativity as a way to experience the fullness of our lives, reclaiming and courting your own unique genius, and experiencing increased wellness and fulfillment. It is packed with playful, supportive opportunities to work with people as they dance their shy creativity back into full bloom.
So, the next time you hear someone say, "I'm not a creative person," I invite you to show up with compassion for that person, and yourself. Gently remind them, and yourself, that this story is simply not true, and that we are all marvelous and brimming with creative genius, simply because we are alive.