Discovering Your Creative Spirit

By Shifra Stein

Many people believe it is only artists, musicians, writers, and other “creative” sorts who are the only ones that have the genius of creativity. However, I believe that creativity is within every human soul, can be planted like any seed, and nurtured until it blooms.

First you have to be open to possibilities. In my workshops and seminars on creativity, I always run across several people who, before they even begin, make statements like, “I can’t write,” or, “I can’t paint,” or, “I’m just awful at drawing anything.” Creativity cannot flourish in the midst of negativity. So, you need to watch your “self-talk.”

Many people need to unlearn what they’ve learned about their own creativity. Maybe they were told in childhood that they couldn’t paint, or that they were clumsy, or just plain dumb. Well-meaning people can be the worst offenders. Peers, teachers, relatives and parents can stunt a child’s creative growth with cruel words.

Unthinking, unkind words can be difficult to overcome, but it can be done. The way to begin is to accentuate the positive, and start eliminating the negative. When you hear those old negative patterns repeating in your brain, delete them like you would an old software program that is no longer viable.

Following a creative life is like creating a home. You have to have all the right building blocks in place in order for the structure to stand. Likewise there are four building blocks necessary for successful, creative living.

Passion for what you’re doing
Work that will challenge you to grow
Contribute in some way to the lives of others as well as your own
It must feel right for you

Even if you don’t know how to do something, if you have an affinity for it, you can turn an idea into a reality. Feeling an emotional connection is the most important thing, followed by persistence. You must avoid being swayed by negative comments or thoughts. When frustration erupts, just remember, innovation is mostly sticking to something until you get it right. How else do you explain Edison’s inventions?

Don’t worry about age and circumstance, either. In my darkest night of the soul, when I was at rock bottom in my middle-aged life, it came to me that I could either be immobilized by fright, or do something about it. But it wasn’t until I actually picked up a brush, dipped it in paint and water, and slapped it around some paper, that I started to “believe” in possibilities.

True creativity is not product-based. It is process work where ideas are allowed to flow unimpeded by worry, or negative thinking. It’s like writing a story, or doing a watercolor painting. You start out in a general direction, and let the work flow and you don’t stop to edit in the middle of the creative process. You leave that for later, when you’ve finished your piece. Then you can come back in and correct typos, or carve out a painting from a watercolor wash. In other words, don’t worry about making mistakes while you’re in the creative process. And when you go back in to “fix” something, just be careful that you don’t wipe out the very essence of the creative part of you.

Shifra Stein is the author of Unlocking the Power Within: Journaling For Personal and Professional Growth, available on www.amazon.com. Go to her website at www.artforhealth.us or contact her at info@artforhealth.us.

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