We are all creative in some way. I like to write and I like to take photos. Some people enjoy sewing, or collaging, or painting. Cooking is creative, so is gardening.
Not all of us will be published authors or win awards for our photos or paintings. For me, the important thing is to be able to express myself creatively even in a small way. If I don’t write or take photos for a while I definitely notice it, I feel like something is missing. I think a lot of people who have found their creativity feel like this.
Mine got hidden for many years underneath my education, work and life. But I found it again ten years ago when I did a 30 day challenge, run by author John Williams (F*** Work Let’s Play)* and coach Selina Barker (Burnt Out)*. The idea of the challenge was to choose a project and then do something on it every day, even if it was just for a small amount of time.
I chose to start a blog (the start of a long series of which this is the latest!). And I surprised myself by writing a mixture of both factual blog posts and what I eventually came to call creative snippets: short pieces which were descriptive, and sometimes told a story as well.
There’s a lot more to the tale than that, how I gradually figured out how to sprinkle my life with bits of creativity alongside making money from work! But that’s for another time. The important thing to point out here is that once I’d reawakened that creativity, I realised I needed to find time for it. It calls to me if I don’t let the creations out of my head, or if I don’t go for a walk and notice my surroundings.
Creativity is our unique contribution to the world. Nobody else can create what you can create. It may seem weird, or small, or very niche. But it’s important, because it’s part of you and who you are.
That’s why I need to create.
How about you?
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Image by Chris Martin from Pixabay