How are you creative?

When I share with people that I have all these crafty interests, I often get told “you’re so creative.” When people see how I decorate a training space, I get told “you’re so creative.” Even when I make cookies and experiment with the recipe, I get told “you’re so creative.”

I’ve heard the words “you’re so creative” so much in my life that I can’t tell whether I have internalised it or if it is a meaningful expression of who I am. Either way, taking the leap to be creative is where I find so much joy in my life. The act of creating something meaningful, trying something new, and playing out a bold idea is where I find great happiness.

I also appreciate creativity in others. I love hearing my partner making music in the spare room, receiving handmade presents from my friends, and seeing those close to me come up with creative solutions to problems or situations.

For me, creativity is where our human uniqueness meets the objects of the world. It’s our ability to look at something in front of us and imagine an alternative or discover it as we play, whether intentionally or not. Creativity is synonymous with play. You can’t create if you’re not willing to bounce ideas around and not just occasionally, but often, get it wrong.

Can you be playful without being creative? I think so. I think there are parts of my life where I was playful and tried something new, but I wasn’t exactly creative because I didn’t land on a new understanding or produce anything significant. For example, when I dabble in watercolor painting, I have been playful, discovering new techniques and mediums, and enjoying the process. However, I’m not sure I have been completely creative because I haven’t invested the time to paint something unique or used the techniques in new or novel ways that would help me grow my understanding.

There are many ways to be creative in our lives. You can be intellectually creative, musically creative, artistically creative, the list goes on. I think that the word “creative” almost scares people off, and it certainly scares me. When I sit down to paint or write, I often feel an overtone of “I want to be creative,” and then I don’t do anything because I’m afraid that what I create won’t be good enough.

A more useful approach may be to say, “let’s be playful.” Let’s throw some ideas out there and see what happens. There is no best or worst, there is just play. When children play, they don’t care about doing it right. They focus on following their stream of consciousness and living in the present. They don’t evaluate whether they are the best at the monkey bars and let their perceived competency prevent them from trying new things. Generally, they just give it a go.

Maybe the goal of creativity is to first let yourself be playful. With play comes the joy and the flow of the magic of creativity.