Everyone is not an artist. Sure, everyone can scribble with a crayon, but come on, that’s not art…is it? Creativity and art are so commonly linked, as if those who know how to wield a paintbrush are gifted with creativity, while the rest of us just muck about our lives in various shades of gray, day in & day out.
We rely on and look up to the “creative types” because they make the art that gives the rest of us a chance to laugh, to cry, or to feel inspired. Artists make us feel something with their stories, their films, their poems, and their novels. Those creative types over there, they’re special (kinda weird), I’m not like them...
I am here to debunk the myth that equates creativity with making Art (with a capital A). Let’s look again at the definition of creativity. According to Meriam-Webster, creativity is “the ability to make or bring into existence something new.” Now, who among us has not done this? If you can’t relate to this definition of creativity, then you could be an adult child sitting on your mama’s sofa, eating her food and still mowing the lawn for pocket money.
Otherwise, if you managed to move out of your parent’s home, find a job, a partner, a friend past elementary school, have ever given someone a birthday gift, made your own food and/or dressed yourself, YOU ARE CREATIVE. You have created the life you are living today. Whether consciously or unconsciously, who and where you are today is a confluence of the creative choices you have made given the circumstances into which you were born.
With this definition in mind, who among us isn’t creative every single day?
Human beings have a tendency to make things way more difficult than they need to be. We can also be adverse to change, and unfortunately as the old saying goes change is the only constant in life.
We live on a rock that is spinning through space. Nature knows this, that’s why the trees bud and flower, leaf and fruit, brighten and fall, rest and recover. Animals know this, that’s why their coats change color or get thick for winter, or some just decide to sleep through the whole ordeal.
Unfortunately, our economic and cultural systems aren’t set up like this. We are expected to be on, productive, thoughtful, caring and responsible every single day, at least five days a week, almost all day! Since we live in a system that treats us like robots, in order to thrive, not just survive, we have to get...creative!
I am obsessed with cultures, societies and the human experience. Culture is, after all, how people over the millennia have solved the problems of being human on planet earth. Through many years of trial, error, asking questions, finding teachers, learning and relearning, I have come to a place where I feel like I can share a path with others.
When I was my most lost, I could feel inside that my fire had gone out. Life was dull and I dreaded Monday morning with an anxious stomach churning that ruined half of Sunday. I turned to a simple Mead notebook and the guidance of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. That was over ten years ago and I continue to learn and cultivate my creativity because this I have learned is everyone’s superpower. Our minds are powerful, and the Western Capitalist culture would prefer we stay stuck producing things and spending money. Creativity is the key to unlocking our potential.
Years ago, I looked around and knew I had created what was in front of me. I also knew that I wasn’t feeling the way I was told I would after I had reached these milestones. So, it was time to get creative.
I could sense that the next chapter of my life would be part 2 of the first if I continued on the path I was on. Nobody else was telling me I needed to change, fortunately my crisis was more existential than economic or health induced. But I knew that what would need to change would be me, and the way I experienced and thought about my life day to day.
Now you might be wondering how to do this. Well, it involves a little bit of astrology, a little bit of curiosity, some play, and a lot of wondering. I created Elemental Balance as an invitation to explore life, to begin to question our place in it, to reimagine and make new choices that can lead (create!) different outcomes.
Even simple tweaks can create waves of change over time. In six hours, over six week I guide clients through the four elements: water/emotion, air/communication & relationship, earth/nourishment & support, and fire/passion & action. We experiment with art activities for reflection and discovery, and I support clients to explore their own curiosity and develop an evolving creative practice.
The secret is, it doesn’t really matter what you do, but that you are doing something to exercise your creative muscles. In this way you become more life-limber, adaptable, and feel more joy every day. Outer circumstances may stay the same, but you will experience them differently. Side note, when you’re inner experience begins to change so will your outer…
So, creativity can be a super power if practiced and strengthened. You may have noticed, times are changing, life is evolving and we have to adapt. Creativity is how we solve the problems of everyday life with the most possible ease, flow and joy.
Check out my program Elemental Magic for more information.