What If I’m Not Creative?
I'm not creative. I don't paint, draw, sculpt, dance, or play music. Therefore, I'm not creative.
Have you ever said that? How'd you feel?
I'm going to guess, not great.
Here’s the thing. That's a VERY narrow view of creativity. There are so many ways to be creative that don't involve traditional arts. Defining yourself as "not creative" based on this view can severely limit what you think you're capable of. So…let's change that, shall we?
Creativity is simply the ability to create something that doesn't yet exist. It could be how you create solutions to things that come up at work, how you parent your kids (each one a little differently), how you plan your vacations, how you set up your desk, etc.
How is it that you affect change in this world?
Creativity is how you access and share your wisdom. It's how you tap into what makes you unique. People who write code for a living are creative. Those who fix cars are creative. Those who teach math are creative. Those who organize people, processes, or spaces are creative.
When I was younger I didn't feel like I was creative because I wasn't artsy. By this I mean I was comically not artsy. However, I loved math, science, and people. So I went into psychology and slowly I found that I actually was creative and NEEDED to be in order to do this well. I needed to look at things in different ways in order to create hypotheses to test with my social psychology experiments. I had to be creative in order to interpret the data that came from those experiments. I also had to be exceptionally organized to keep paperwork and data records secure and I had innovative ways of doing so.
Over time I found that I was actually very creative. While I may not be artsy, I am crafty. I can see things from many perspectives. I can pull things together from all the different facets of my career and make something completely new from it. I can come up with solutions others would never see. I can start my own business and create my own coaching model. I can be a successful travel coach when people don't have any idea that such a job exists. In short, I can blaze my own trail and so can you.
So, how are you creative? Everyone’s creative in some way. What's your gift?
What I know for sure is that everyone has world-changing work to do and we need everyone to do theirs. Your creativity is part of how you tap into that work. Please understand, this world-changing work doesn’t have to be your job. (Have a look at this post to learn the difference between your work and your job.)
The ability to understand your unique creativity and tap into it is a key to living a joyful life. How do you tap into your creativity?
You can start by asking yourself these questions:
What do you really love to do?
What are you really good at? (You may not think it's a big deal because it's so easy for you but I’m here to tell you it's a big deal.)
What do you really want to change in the world? (Your world-changing work could center around your family, your community, your country, or the world.)
What can you do for hours without feeling exhausted?
When do you feel "in the zone"?
I promise that you are creative. Don’t let that traditional narrow definition of creativity define you or stifle how you express yourself, how you help others, or how you change this world.
How do you define creativity for yourself? Send me an email and let me know!
