#Reverb11 / #WEverb11 Day 10 : Create

Create.

Share a creative project you undertook this year (art, writing, DIY, cooking, home decoration, crafts, photography … whatever comes to mind). How do you use your creativity to express yourself?

I crocheted. Collaged. Baked. Cooked. Doodled. Designed. Painted. Art journaled. Granny squared.

Lots of projects, yes, but I also want to share a snippet of a blog interview I did recently because I think it sums up an important point about my views on creativity:

When people hear the word "creative," I think they automatically think of artistic or crafty activities. Many think of "being creative" as an output-- a crocheted scarf, a scrapbook, a painting. I'm all about bringing creativity back to the root of the word: the verb "create." Creating is something that we are all doing, everyday. Every action, every decision that we make is creating our life. I think it's a really empowering sentiment because it gives us the power to shape our experience through our intentions, actions and openness. 

What kind of life do you want to create?  Asking yourself this question forces you to examine your intentions. It identifies areas that you may need to let go of if they aren't serving your vision, and focus more deeply on what matters.  These thoughts are all summed up in my blog title, "Life is a Canvas." Cheesy as it might be, our own lives are the biggest work of art we will ever create, and I think it's worth putting the time and thought into the "materials" (our careers, our health, our friendships and relationships, our hobbies, etc.) as well as the overall story we want to tell.

 

In that sense, the physical things I created this year weren't nearly as important as the creativity I cultivated and the intentions I put forth to shape my life vision.