Creativity is for everyone (and it takes many forms)

you're more creative than you think!

Happy Monday!

Would you consider yourself a creative person?

Some people are clearly artistically gifted, and some people don’t seem to have that gift. If you’re like me, you might see beautiful art and think, “Whew, my brain just doesn’t work like that.” I don’t visualize swirly shapes or think about experiences in poetic metaphors. I don’t taste a soup and think “it needs more cardamom,” and I seem to be unable to create “harmony” with items in interior design. For a long time, I was so frustrated with the things I can’t do that I didn’t consider myself creative.

Young kids don’t seem to have that kind of self-doubt. Like Picasso said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Most kids—if not all of them—naturally have so much built-in curiosity, confidence, desire to collaborate, and creativity.

It’s heartbreaking when kids don’t have the encouragement or resources to continue to see themselves as creators, and they grow up thinking they’re just not the kind of person who can make new and beautiful things. Creativity is about bringing something into existence that wasn’t there before.

When your toddler is bouncing his toy dinosaur on the couch and making roar sounds, he’s being creative. When your tidy six-year-old is carefully organizing her jewelry collection, she’s being creative. When your eight-year-old dips a banana in spaghetti sauce to see if it would be a yummy new food combo, he’s being gross, but, yes, creative 😅 They are all using their own original ideas to bring something new into the world. That’s huge.

Now let’s talk about you.

You’re being creative when you:

• arrange seasonal items on your mantle

• cook a delicious meal

• start a pressure washing business

• take iPhone photos that bring joy

• come up with organizational systems

• tend a garden

• write a thoughtful letter

• follow a knitting pattern and make socks

• help connect people with new friends

Do you know something else that’s super creative?
Starting a family, growing a family, blending a family, strengthening a family.
When you take part in the shaping of a family, you are making something new.
And that’s beautiful.

Here are some discussion questions you can save to your phone to talk with loved ones about how they feel about creativity. I encourage you to affirm ways that you see creativity in your loved ones; what beauty are they bringing into existence that wasn’t there before?

Making Time For Creativity

Here’s a challenge: set a timer a few times this week, maybe even just for five minutes, and do something creative. Here are some prompts if you need an idea to get you started. Chances are that your kids would enjoy doing this with you, especially if they can choose a medium that feels the most natural for them. I’d love to see or hear about what you come up with.

As a reminder:

I dare you as an adult to never lose your built-in curiosity, confidence, desire to collaborate, and your creativity. Let your children inspire you with theirs. ❤️

Warmly,

Hope from Family Scripts