Creativity can be perceived as a gift in each of us, waiting to be discovered. As such, we are all talented beings, each in our different ways, and whether we’ve established a workable connection with our creativity, our sense of flow, it is there within us all. Like many other qualities we pose – creativity is something we can work on, can learn to nurture within us and in our lives.
An immediate association we often make in trying to understand the meaning of the word creativity and the action of being creative, is its representation by artists and their art. Whilst this is an accurate and common association to make, creativity is not solely defined by a creation of art or the talent held by an artist. We find creativity in all professions and in all experiences of life – through that of a teacher, an actor, a novelist, a dancer, a gardener, etc. Furthermore, I understand that creativity is neither limited to our practice, our profession, or our place in the world, but rather represents itself as a form of energy within us.
It is a source of energy which, when cultivated, can bring with it such fulfillment and immersion into life’s experiences, allowing us to become more fully functioning, more conscious and co-operative. In these terms, I describe creativity not as being reflective of something that we can objectify and judge physically, for example, through the quality and standard or someone’s work, but rather through the internal experience of sensations and feelings. Naturally, the outcome of what we feel within us is often projected externally into the way we choose to live life, our work and our passions. Creativity follows this sequence of events, however, it is something that is paid much less attention too, with little encouragement and time set aside for, in comparison to more conventional and 'successful' academic skills. Little is understood of how nurturing creativity underpins how we learn, our drive, our internalisation of what we learn and our transformation into a more creatively rounded person.
When we begin to accept that we are all creative beings, we can learn to foster our creativity, and when we act from a place of creation, we are in a place of abundance, where there are no bounds, no limits. We re-discover the workings of our inner child, that are often driven out of us but in themselves representative of a powerful life-force and energy. And whilst there is no such thing as 'being more creative’ (we are already creative beings), we can practice becoming more in-tune or aware of that creative energy surrounding us, all the time. We can begin to better identify and connect to our own creative feelings and let that creative energy flow through all aspects in our lives.
I finish with the reflection that we could learn a lot by taking a deeper look than simply what’s on the surface - in both connecting with our own sense of creativity and kindly taking the same approach when observing, judging, or guiding that of another’s creative self. Indeed, there is often so much more to the picture than what we capture through the lens.
Book Recommendation: The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
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