“One of the strangest things is the act of creation.
You are faced with a blank slate—a page, a canvas, a block of stone or wood, a silent musical instrument.
You then look inside yourself. You pull and tug and squeeze and fish around for slippery raw shapeless things that swim like fish made of cloud vapor and fill you with living clamor. You latch onto something. And you bring it forth out of your head like Zeus giving birth to Athena.
And as it comes out, it takes shape and tangible form.
It drips on the canvas, and slides through your pen, it springs forth and resonates into the musical strings, and slips along the edge of the sculptor’s tool onto the surface of the wood or marble.
You have given it cohesion. You have brought forth something ordered and beautiful out of nothing.
You have glimpsed the divine.”

― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

It makes sense that the above quote refers to the divine, because God is the ultimate creator.  And being made in His image, we inherit the gift of creativity:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth . . . God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
(Genesis 1:1, 26)

One of the amazing things about creativity is that you can give and receive simultaneously when we choose to share it.  A powerful, inspirational, and enlightening force is unleashed when we make something out of that which was once nothing.  A common misconception is that we need to be artistic to be creative.  Part of the fascination regarding creativity is that it can be expressed in so many different arenas:

A stunning musical performance.

A mathematical breakthrough to solve a problem.

A film that can bring you to tears because of joy or sorrow.

A meal served in your home that truly belongs in a fine dining establishment.

A piece of writing or message that inspires you to take action.

The sharing of stories or jokes that make you laugh so hard it hurts.

A work of art that you can stare at and envision yourself in it.

A scientific breakthrough or invention that will improve the quality of life.

And on and on it goes . . . . .

Like every other worthwhile endeavor in this life – creativity is resisted, and has its enemies.  Fear.  Doubt.  Hesitation.  The Critic.  Embarrassment.  Worry.  Procrastination.  Comparison.  Time.  Frustration.

And on and on it goes . . . .

What are you going to choose to do with the ideas, talents, and skills that you uniquely possess?  Share them with the world (and be blessed at the same time)? Or, listen to the voices that are telling you to “stay in line, don’t make any waves, you’re not good enough, leave things the way they are . . . ”

I close with one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite presidents, Teddy Roosevelt:

     It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly . . . who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never known neither victory nor defeat.”

Please comment below sharing an activity that you enjoy doing, and you find yourself losing all track of time (a clear signal of creativity in action) . . .
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