eel like creating something? Well, that’s just divine- literally! It is my belief that every person, whether you’re a scientist, an athlete, a stay-at-home mom, an executive or a chicken plucker– is CREATIVE. Let me explain.
Have you ever heard that we are all “created in God’s image”? The more-specific version says that “we are created in God’s image and likeness.” We are, in fact, like The Almighty in many ways, but one way in particular: God is creative (the Creator), and we are therefore also creative. All of us! So when we create, we relate on common ground with the very Creator of the Universe!. No wonder so many people feel some sort of spiritual connection through their creativity…
Some people tell me things like “I wish I was creative like You”, or “I don’t have a creative bone in my body”, or the ever-popular “I can’t draw a straight line”. Yet as I observe them, they have dressed and groomed in myriad creative ways, and use colorful creative expressions in their conversation, and use creative problem solving all day long. There are those who may not be participating in the visual arts, but they can sing like an angel, or they have a green thumb, or they are known for their culinary talents. There are healing arts in medicine, therapy and holistic hands-on treatments like massage. Well-laid plans are creative, especially when bringing people together for mutually beneficial purposes.
Occasionally, I teach mosaic classes, and I talk about this subject with the students. For those students who think they are not very creative, I challenge them to think back to a time in their youth when someone may have made fun of them while they were singing, or drawing, or doing something creative. Perhaps they were proud of some art piece, only to have a teacher give them a bad grade on that piece. Or maybe a family member teased them in some way. It is amazing that every one of these students, no matter how old or young, will remember various times in their lives when such things happened to them, and they realize that it is at those very times in their lives when their creativity was “stolen” from them, when there was a little switch that was flicked off in their brain that made creativity a non-option, a non-strength. From that moment on, each person lived their lives believing that they were not creative.
Once these students realize that they are, in fact created in God’s image and likeness, and that they are actually creative, then they are able to go back to the “scene of the crime” in their youth and say, “It’s a lie! I AM CREATIVE, and I now take back my creative heritage. It is my birthright!”
So- since you ARE a creative person, look for signs of it in your life. Is it seen in the way you decorate your home, or in your correspondences, or in your interpersonal skills? Look at your hobbies, and I bet there’s creativity there. Anything that is inventive, construction-oriented, problem-solving or people-centered is probably creative, too. Of course there’s dancing, writing, poetry, acting, singing, and all kinds of visual art to employ your creativity. Sewing, cooking and growing plants? You bet! Even education, exploration and travel are creative; they are creating experiences and life-skills that will affect many in positive ways…
Wherever there is anything positive, excellent, encouraging, generous, thought-provoking or skilled, there is creativity. Creativity is positive, transforming, birthing energy, an energy akin to Love itself. Creativity is the act of expressing ones’ ideas, of bringing things forth, of celebrating beauty with depictions and adornments, among other things.
Who am I, Steve Terlizzese? I am a creator. And because I give loving Creative Energy the freedom to flow from me, my life has purpose, meaning and significance.
