Create Something

I am lucky to be surrounded by creatives. People who live with a drive to be creative. They long for more creativity in their lives and make time to make it happen. Being around others who thrive off of this energy encourages even more creativity.

A friend of mine has recently started a portrait series called Make Des Moines. Basically, he’s highlighting some of the people who make Des Moines, IA the city it is. The people who make things with their hands, put their creativity to work and leave their mark. His images are beautiful, and I am loving the stories he is sharing.

Yesterday, I sat around a table of bankers, lawyers, researchers and executives who all claimed to “not be creative.” Sometimes the problem is our definition of creativity. We consider creatives to be the photographers, musicians, writers and artists of the world (all of whom I love). But creativity doesn’t stop there. Why do we say creativity is thinking outside the box but then put creativity in a box? Anybody with me on this?

Sometimes we think creativity is defined by art. We think that if it isn’t on a stage or in a museum, it isn’t art.

Let’s grab this term back. Because creativity can take so many forms. Plan a dinner party. Grow a garden. Knit a potholder. Arrange an outfit. Decorate your house with only thrift store finds. Write a clever list.

Creativity can happen in so many ways, but one of the most important things is to keep it intentional. Sometimes creativity strikes, and it takes hold of us. But often, we have to seek it out first in order to continue to cultivate it. I hope to never be that person saying, “I’m not creative.” Because more than likely, those people actually are creative (or could be). They just stopped creating.