RachelleHarp

Today, I thought I’d repost this in preparation of a blog series I’m writing about creativity. The “Unleash Your Creativity” series will post on Thursdays starting next week.

I used to think that being a creative person meant you had to wear a beret and sit outside of a café, rattling off lines of literature. Or maybe you had to be a tortured soul who was always mad if things didn’t end up a certain way, wandering around depressed all the time. So what does it mean to live a creative life?

Passion in Life

People kept telling me they admired my creativity. Me? Creative? I’d never thought of myself that way because I didn’t wear a beret. I just did what I enjoyed, worked hard, lived life. But the more I thought about it, I realized what they were talking about. People said I was creative because I was musical, and I was a writer.

Those things seemed to come so easily to me – at least that’s how others perceived it. They didn’t see the hours of hard work and practice, the daily study and drills I put myself through for my music and writing. To others, I seemed super creative. To me, I just thought it was what I was passionate about and pursued it.

Embracing the Life

I wondered what it would look like if others embraced this creative life as well. How could creativity become natural to our daily lives? For some of us, creativity is locked up tight, just waiting to get out. So many people have told me they don’t believe they are creative. I don’t believe that.

I’ve met dozens of teachers who create amazing lessons for their students, moms who create cool stuff for their kids and countless others with dozens of ideas sparking in their heads of what that they want to share. We all have creativity inside us. It’s what we do to release it that grows our creativity. We just need the right keys to unlock it.

Living the Life

• Ask Questions: Don’t be afraid to ask why something is the way it is, or how it might be different. There are a thousand questions you can ask – it only takes one to start an idea.

• Write it down: When the moment strikes, it may be fleeting, so write it down. I cannot stress this enough. If not, you’ll lose the idea or thought, and most likely, not remember you even had it.

• Let go of inhibitions: Sometimes, the biggest battle is our analytical side telling us our idea is no good, and no one will care about it. But you can’t be afraid of what others will think or say. They may love it or hate it. You’ll never know until you create it.

• Set aside daily time to create: Preferably, choose the same time of day to work on your ideas. This will train your brain to open up that window of creativity. I practice free-writing or writing exercises during this time to open up those creative crevices and enjoy quiet times to think and reflect.

• Start creating: No excuses! It’s time to start creating and unlock all the stuff that’s been dying to get out. Commit today to pursuing your passion in life.