Sarah and I recently got to visit Italy – home to some of the world’s greatest art, architecture, and historical sites. It is a very moving experience to stand in front of Rome’ Pantheon or Michaelangelo’s David statue in Florence and reflect on the human ability to create beautiful art.
You could make the case that some people are more gifted at certain skills and talents than others, but we are all still incredibly creative – more so than we give ourselves credit for. I believe God has imparted His image (which includes creativity) upon all humans. We all have a divine creativity deep down inside of us, and unfortunately, many people go through life not tapping what is already there.
I used to think that I was not “the creative type.” Then I realized that that was just a cop-out. Check out what some of the Bible’s first words say:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)
That means we are stamped with the image of the one who created the universe out of nothing. Let that sink in for a moment.
When I am juggling or playing the piano (my favorite ways to express creativity), I feel like I am transported to another world. I think that is God’s way of showing us that He has made us all creative in unique ways and we can celebrate His greatness by doing those creative things. He fills our hearts with joy when we create the way He creates.
I recently presented a workshop on this topic. I don’t have all the answers, but I do feel there are some steps we can take that will help us grow in our God-given creativity. Here they are:
1. Realize that you are inherently creative.
2. Explore new things and ideas all the time (even things that seem risky or uncomfortable).
3. Face the fears associated with trying new and creative things.
Whenever I ask for volunteers at my shows, you know who wants to volunteer? Kids. The adults just sit there and stare in any direction except me when I ask for volunteers. The older we get, the more averse we are to trying new or different things. Kids want to try new things all the time. Jesus taught us to have faith like children (Mark 10:15). That’s the only way we can enter the Kingdom of God!
Growing in creativity means returning to a childlike view of the world around us – always exploring, trying, and discovering.
“Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten. Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and replace them with dry, uninspiring books on algebra, history, etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the ‘creative bug’ is just a wee voice telling you, ‘I’d like my crayons back, please.”
-Hugh MacLeod
Here is a link to my notes for the workshop if you’re interested. Feel free to use these as long as you give credit as to where you got them 🙂
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1num3oEhjmTdFJHT0lKcW5tSXM/edit?usp=sharing
