We Are All Creative

Often I refer to my readers as Creative Friends. And I know right now some of you may be pointing the finger at yourself saying “me?”

Yes, that’s right. Little ol’ you.

You ARE creative. We all are. It is innate in us, a part of our DNA.

I definitely don’t believe that some people are only logical and others only creative.

But there are people out there who are creativity squashers. They like to tell us that because we aren’t the best or because we don’t create like them, that we aren’t creative. Then we end up thinking there’s not a creative bone in our bodies.

Sometimes the creativity squasher is the reflection looking back at us in the mirror. We mess up and call ourselves a failure.

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Can I please tell you…it’s just not true.

Everyone is creative.

Here’s a bit of the backstory of why I feel this way…

When I was in college, I was an art major. I loved being in the gang lab, swishing the photographic paper around in the chemicals. Crazy as it was, I even loved the smell of those chemicals. (I know, weiiirrrd.)

I’d look over my friends’ shoulders at the lovely photos they had taken throughout the week, smiling and laughing with my people. They were my tribe. Everyone had their own unique style, but we all shared the same heart and passion for this creative thing. That unity made the lab my home. It was the place I longed to be.

Yet, what I hated was the moment that it was my turn for my photographs to be on display. That moment of vulnerability when people, specifically my teacher, could tell me my work wasn’t good enough. That I wasn’t good enough. I hated being critiqued.

Yet that time would come, week after week.

This woman gave me a whole ten minutes of her time. The short critiques were actually harder than the long ones. It meant that my work wasn’t worthy of her time.

So I quit.

I packed up my camera and moved on to paints, thinking that maybe I just needed to try something new. And my camera sat on the shelf. I didn’t truly find the passion again for nearly TEN years. I mean, if a teacher thought I was horrible, that made me horrible right?

See how silly that sounds? I didn’t realize then that it was just one person’s opinion.

I look back now and question where I would be if I hadn’t packed my camera up. If I had kept on and really pursued it with my whole heart.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve quit a creative pursuit because I’ve felt that I wasn’t good enough, or that I’ve felt like a failure. I think it happens with blogging on a monthly basis.

The truth is that our perspective on the world when it comes to art and creativity is valid. When my teacher wouldn’t give me the time of day, in my mind that meant that I was a failure. I know now that wasn’t/isn’t true. There are two kinds of people in the world, those who try to see what others are saying (or creating in this instance) and who listen, and those who don’t care to stop and take a deeper look. My teacher didn’t care to stop and look at what I was trying to say because my art wasn’t like her art. That was no fault of mine.

But, the issue now is that I don’t need a teacher to tell me I’m a failure or that I can’t do it. I tell myself this. A LOT. It’s true, I am my own worst critic. And I’m sure you’re your own worst critic, too.

And this fear of failure or not being good enough, it squashes every ounce of creativity that you could possibly ever muster up. It gets you distracted on other things, to keep you stuck.

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But, which would you rather?

Blank canvases. Unused paint. Yarn but no scarves. An instrument but no music.

Or a colorful canvas with art that speaks from your heart and no one else’s. Empty paint tubes and paint spattered hands. Lovely knitted things that keep people warm. Or a melody that tells a story that only you can tell.

Whatever your creative pursuit, it matters.

My moment of clarity came when I saw others around me creating. They had no formal education in their craft, but their experience and effort was enough.

That’s why I’m here helping creative women who want to be entrepreneurs to shine online. From where I’m standing, you have what it takes to master your craft. Take the time to master it, and your dreams will happen. All you have to do is follow the true voice inside you and silence anything that says you can’t do it or won’t make it.

You are creative, my friend.

So, roll up those sleeves. Don’t question your creativity. Just go with it.

Put your fears aside. Tap into that heart of yours and let it come pouring out.