LIVE IT OUT! — Sarah Francis Martin

What is the first thing that comes to mind when I say the word, CREATIVITY?

~Do you roll your eyes and say, “I’m in no way creative…?”

~Do you become giddy at the thought of letting your heart free to create something…anything?

During the month of February I’m going to feature some awesome creative souls who use their God-given talent to create beauty. Writers…creatives. Painters…creatives. Photographers…creatives. Musicians…creatives.

We are all creatives.

Take a look at the thoughts my friend and fellow writer, Sarah Koci Sheilz, has on creativity. 

My favorite project in first grade art class was the color wheel. We each got a bigger-than-our-faces cardboard circle and the brightest colored paints in the classroom. All we needed, the teacher explained, was red plus yellow plus blue.

At first, I was confused and surprised. Thinking back to my treasured box of 92 Crayola crayons at home, there were surely more than three colors.

Those three, we learned, were merely building blocks. The potential was so very great.

It blew my first-grader mind and still inspires me today. Every shade, hue and pigment originates from just three simple building blocks.

We put on our smocks and grabbed clean brushes and started mixing. Red plus yellow makes orange . . . yellow plus blue makes green . . . blue plus red makes purple . . . and then aqua, indigo, violet . . . and that’s only the beginning.

So it goes with creativity. We tend to limit creativity to artistic pursuits and box it into the painter’s gallery or the potter’s studio. Not so.

Creativity, like those three basic colors, might begin in the art arena. But it’s so much bigger than its building blocks.

The definition of creativity, like the colors of the color wheel, is limitless. Every occupation, every activity, every item on our to-do list has creative potential. Often, it’s not in the what, but the how.

Our creator, with oh-so much grace, has given us every tool we need to get creative. Creativity is in our bones and our soul and our very being. From those divinely-gifted building blocks, we can make much. Possibilities await, possibilities arise, all to glorify Him.

We can get creative in how we connect with friends – maybe we send a handwritten note instead of a text, or maybe we make a Reasons You Rock list, just because.

We can get creative in how we cook – maybe we finally prepare that recipe we pinned months ago, or maybe we swap jarred marinara for a homemade alfredo.

We can get creative in the way we approach our profession – maybe we tackle the meeting agenda backwards or choose a different method to accomplish that project.

We can get creative in how we show love to our family – maybe we TiVo that show to spend the evening together, or ask a question and really, truly listen.

Creativity – just like red and yellow and blue, it’s everywhere. We just have to look for opportunities to try.

 

What do you think about the idea that we are all creative souls? How do you “get creative”  in your life? Do you write? Do you draw or paint? Do you take cool pictures? Do you create cool graphics on the computer? Take some time to think over this and then leave a comment.

Let’s chat!

 

More about my friend Sarah: Sarah Koci Scheilz is an inspiration-driven communicator with a passion for writing, community and life itself. A young professional in writing, PR and nonprofits, she loves diving into exciting projects. Sarah enjoys painting her nails red, cherishes a good cup of coffee, can totally rock a cardigan and celebrates solid conversation. She blogs at Inspiration-Driven Life, tweets @sarahkoci and wants you to say hello. Really.