Yes you.  You are creative, because creativity is inherent.  We all have a spark of creativity, some utilize their gift more than others, but creativity is innate to us all.  That we can string words together in a sentence is simple proof that we are creative.  We don’t communicate by rote; we uniquely tie words together to express our thoughts.  Finish this sentence: “If I were a building, I’d be a __________ because _________.”  Even though most of the sentence is given, the variety of answers that fills in the blanks never ceases to surprise me.  Many times I have heard this sentence repeated and never have I heard the exact wording or reasoning.  Instead I have heard things like: “If I were a building, I’d be a log cabin because I like plain, simple things”, “If I were a building, I’d be a hotel because I welcome people into my life”, “If I were a building I’d be a hospital because I like to make people feel better.”  Creative, imaginative, original, inspiring, artistic, inventive, inspired and resourceful describe the abilities within each of us.  Yet many doubt, not realizing the foundational talent they have upon which to build. 

            I found the courage to admit I was creative by desperation, not because I believed it.  I suffered severe post-partum depression when our children were born.  Because my doctor did not believe such a malady existed, I endured it silently with our first two children.  When he moved from town, I found a new doctor before the birth of our third child.  He asked me if I experienced post-partum depression and I immediately acknowledged that I did.  He then asked, “Are you creative?”  I didn’t see a parallel and I certainly didn’t see myself as creative, so I quizzically looked at him.  He continued, “I’ve found that creative women seem to suffer from the baby-blues more than others.  I figured you must be creative.”  If admitting I was creative was the key to finding relief to that horrid experience, I was all for being creative.  I nodded my head and said that I supposed I was.  From that point on whenever I doubted my ability, I would think, “You’re creative, remember?  That’s why you get the baby-blues so bad.”  Since that time, I’ve learned creativity is inherent and of course creative women get the blues...there is no other kind of woman.  But, that conversation with my obstetrician gave me confidence to tackle new things and find better solutions for old things, because “I must be one creative woman to suffer so desperately.”

            The first key to developing creativity is to recognize that creativity is inherent.  We are children of God—the Great Creator.  Just as we inherited eye or hair color from our earthly parents, we inherited divine qualities from our Heavenly Parents.  Creativity is something we are born with.  It is often subtle and difficult to recognize at first; it may as uncomplicated as hanging a picture in a new place, organizing a drawer in a more effective way or substituting an ingredient while you are cooking.

            The second step to developing creativity is to give yourself room to think.  A constant barrage of television, radio, newspapers, magazines, internet, e-mail, ball-games, malls, phone chats, etc. clutter our thought process.  When searching for solutions or creative alternatives, give yourself room to think—quiet ideas have a hard time competing with $200 million special effects.  Some of my best ideas have come while walking, sleeping, folding clothes, showering or early in the morning—silent times.  Try doing a mundane chore in silence that doesn’t require a great amount of thinking and see where you mind takes you.  Pray for ideas and then quietly listen for answers.

            The third step is to learn from those around you, but don’t compare yourself to anyone else.  Ever.  Eliminate comparison; it shuts down the ability to think creatively. 

            Avoid negative stress and people who constantly criticize your ideas.  To fully understand how damaging negative people and stress is to the creative process, we must realize how the brain works.  There are three portions of the brain.  The most basic level is the stem or reptilian system.  It is responsible for our ‘flight or fight’ survival thinking.  The second level is the limbic system and is known as the ‘feeling’ part of our brain.  Intense emotions are processed in this part of our brain.  The third level is the cerebrum and is known as our ‘thinking brain’.  Higher order thinking and rational thought takes place in this area.  When bombarded by negative, threatening stress or comments, the brain downshifts from the cerebrum to the limbic or (worse yet) to the brain stem.  Dangerous and negative stimuli can dam the thought process.  Let’s say you are faced with a messy house.  If the stem (flight or fight) is in control, your solution might be ‘flight’ –go anywhere away from problem:  the mall, the ball game, the exercise club, your friend’s or mother’s house are all likely escapes.  If the limbic (intense feelings) is in control, your solution might be to yell, nag, cry or be depressed.  But, if the cerebrum is in control, you are able problem solve using higher order thinking skills: perhaps by loading the washers, then while the clothes and dishes are washing, sweeping, vacuuming, making beds and organizing your troops to help.*

            When Winnie the Pooh didn’t know what to do he would tap his temple and say “Think, think, think.”  The next step to improving creative abilities is to think.  Creativity is nothing more and nothing less than solving a problem in an original way.  Identify the problem and determine what it is you want to have happen and then brainstorm by writing down as many solutions as possible.  Don’t toss any ideas aside until you have several, especially welcome are the off-beat unusual ones.  Unrealistic solutions will weed themselves out, but they may be the source from which a good idea expands or builds.

            Next, incubation may be necessary.  Some eggs take awhile to hatch and so do some ideas.  Be patient.  I recall one situation where I had several wallpaper sample books.  I loved flipping through the beautiful sheets of paper, but knew re-wallpapering our home was not realistic.  However, it didn’t keep me from stroking and wanting to use those beautiful patterns.  For six months I wondered what I could do with that paper and then one day the idea combined with an idea from several years before.  Packets—paper envelopes to hold a variety of gifts: potpourri to hot chocolate, seeds to coupons.  I brought those sample wallpaper books in the house and started cutting and folding packets.  With the kids’ help, we folded and glued over one hundred packets, then filled them with hot chocolate, attached a pair of gloves and the tag that said, “Your friendship has warmed me the whole year through—I hope these gloves and hot chocolate will do the same for you!” and sold them as gifts at a craft barn.  The supply was gone in no time and we struggled to keep up with the demand.  The packet idea had been incubating for several years; the wallpaper question had been simmering for six months.  Whoof.  They merged and were a great combination.

            Give vision to existing ideas.  Borrow an idea, work with what you have, and build upon it.  Case in point, I like kettle corn.  My daughter’s friend was spending the night and said she thought she knew how to make it so we experimented through several batches and created a recipe.  I put the recipe in a booklet that a woman bought.  She told me a year later that she had made several hundred dollars by selling kettle corn at a craft sale.  What a creative soul—she borrowed my borrowed idea and made a source of Christmas income for her family.  That is resourcefulness at work—borrow an idea, work with what you have, build upon it and solve your problem.

            The last step to improving creativity is to express gratitude and humility for the talents, abilities and ideas you have.  Gratitude and humility fosters growth, which cultivates creativity.  When humbly acknowledged the cycle is renewed.

            In summary, we are all creative because it is inherent.  We must allow ourselves room to think so that new ideas can build.  By eliminating comparisons and avoiding negative stress and people who constantly criticize new ideas, creativity thrives.  Thinking of a variety of solutions results in better answers.  Some ideas must simmer before they are plausible.  By giving vision to existing ideas a whole new solution is born and expressing gratitude and humility for abilities continues the creativity cycle.

                          C: creativity is inherent

                          R: room to think

                          E: eliminate comparisons

                          A: avoid negative stress and people who constantly criticize your ideas

                          T: think, think, think

                           I: incubate ideas

                          V: vision to existing ideas

                          E: express gratitude and humility for your ability

Recognizing and building the creative talents we have will help us discover solutions and add a rich variety to our lives.

*(Source: TRIBES, A New Way of Learning and Being Together by Jeanne Gibbs, pg 66-67)