As I briefly mentioned in the Introduction, almost everyone is creative, and you don’t have to be an artist to be creative. What does “creative” mean anyway? In looking up the word, I discovered that in addition to “artistic,” it means: inventive, inspired, imaginative, ingenious, and resourceful, among other things. Everything you see has been created out of raw material. Even we as human beings were, I believe, created by a divine and awesome God of the universe. He is the only true God who is able to create. And if we are made in His image as the Bible clearly states (see Genesis 1:26-27), then we also have that same creative ability, although obviously not with the same omniscient power. I’ve often heard it said that when we start creating things, we are really participating with God in a divine invention and one that is completely unique to the world.
Although most people are creative, for some reason, their talents are untapped, or if they know they have them, they fail to use them. I know of some people that can sing beautifully, for instance, and yet refuse to sing for the benefit of others. Others can paint and yet will not ever show their work. The problem with this is that if a person who has a special talent is not using it, they are really robbing a waiting world of something unique and, in Biblical terms, hiding their light under a bushel. In many cases, your talent, whatever it is, was given to you, not only for your own benefit, but for the sake of others as well. In a world where there are so many troubles, heartache and sorrow, I believe that God gave us various talents that would touch us to the very core of our being, and affect us in such a way that it actually helps us to heal. For sure, He gave us music to soothe our weary souls, and perhaps put a smile on our face, to cheer our hearts and draw us together to sing in harmony. He gave us color to appeal to all the different emotions and to calm us, soothe us and even put us in a better mood. So the first thing we need to think about is that if we know we have a talent and we are not pursing it or using it, then it is time to get started.
Perhaps fear of failure is the greatest detriment to pursuing our creative talents. So I want to discuss timidity and the false assumption we may have that we are not very creative, or whatever our talent or craft is, that it is not good enough. I believed this about myself for many years when it came to writing. I had sent some things off to various publishers and would only receive rejection letters. But writing is not something I could easily put aside, because I always had ideas for writing. So even though I felt like giving up, I still kept writing. I stopped sending my work off to the publishers, but eventually I found a way to self publish my works and that is what I do now. Then I became interested in photography. I bought an expensive 35mm camera with different lenses, learned how to use it, and then went on all these interesting photo shoots. I’d take the pictures, and then keep them stored away in photo albums. One day a friend saw these photos and thought they were good enough to make into greeting cards. I was scared and not sure what reactions I would get, but after friends and family were ordering them by the half dozen, I ventured into stores who started buying them, and soon I developed my own photo greeting card business. I had started drawing as a child, but as an adult, I wanted to learn how to paint using watercolor. So I took a course in that and loved it. I had no idea how relaxing and fun it would be. Similar to creative writing, every time I painted, I’d enter into another world, and one of my own choosing.
After a friend invited me to join a local art club, fellow artists encouraged me to try my hand at acrylic painting. They were kind enough to offer me instruction, and then they gave me all kinds of encouragement to frame and hang my work and put it up for sale. After awhile, my paintings started to sell. The sales actually helped me to overcome my shyness and feelings that my work was not very good. Being part of the art club helped too, since other artists were very encouraging and supportive while I was first learning the craft. Of course, now I paint or do creative work just for the sheer enjoyment of it, although sometimes I put it up for sale.
How do you know what your creative talent is? Usually it is something that comes natural to you. It is also the thing or things you are drawn to again and again. For one thing, you can discover what it is by the places you most often frequent. For me it is art galleries. I will try and attend as many openings as I possibly can just to see what new talent has arisen or what new art a seasoned artist has produced. I also enjoy live theatre because it inspires me to pursue new avenues of writing (great for learning conversation techniques in fiction stories, too). You may enjoy music and find yourself drawn to musical concerts or listening to people sing. Maybe you like to sing in the church choir. If you like music like I do, you may listen to music all day either on your radio while driving, through the TV, play CD’s or listen to it through your computer. Some day I would like to learn to play the electric guitar, or take singing lessons, and then sing with a group. I think it would be fun!
One area you may want to begin to use your creative talents and discover what they are is to start with just one thing that you enjoy. If it is cooking, perhaps you might start doing some research on food. Discover what the top chefs do by perusing through cookbooks or watching one of the many cooking shows on TV. My husband and I love to watch the cooking contests on TV. Some of the chefs come up with the most unusual combinations of food types in their attempt to win first prize. I’m not sure if I could ever be that daring, but it sure looks like fun! Maybe it’s time to revamp your kitchen and go out and buy some new cooking gadgets, then experiment with different recipes using your new gadgets. If it is working with material, then you need to consider using your sewing machine or purchasing one that has several different decorative stitches. Perhaps it’s woodworking you think you might enjoy. Again, you will need to invest in wood materials and the proper tools (perhaps carving or various power tools), to get you started. For every interest, there are usually courses available in your local school or community club. Of course, if you have internet access, there are oodles of sites with how-to’s on every creative pursuit imaginable, and usually it’s free!
Even if you do not actually pursue a particular creative talent, or want to at this time, you can still be creative in other areas of your life. In the next three chapters, we’ll look at very practical ways to be creative in our home, in our jobs, and more importantly, in our relationships.
