Personal Creativity Lives in All of Us

We have all heard someone say, “Oh, I am not a creative person at all. I don’t paint, draw, write, or do anything like that.” People tend to think of personal creativity in terms of artistic skills or genetic abilities. But whether that creative spark is a barely-heard whisper or a loud buzz that you simply cannot ignore, it is definitely there in all of us.

Personal creativity is the confidence to try something new, to bend the rules, and welcome new ideas when they pop up.

Phil McKinney

You might not be a best-selling author or a musical genius, but we all use our personal creativity in many different ways throughout the course of an ordinary day. Some examples of things that you might never consider being “creative”:

• You are making that signature chicken dish for a dinner party and run out of a key ingredient like parsley. Rather than running out to the store at the last minute, you decide to use cilantro instead, and the dish is a bigger hit with the guests than the original recipe ever was. Creative cooking at its best! If for some reason it turned out to be horrible and you had to feed it to the dog, it was still worth a try to create a new dish.

• Your project team at work is under a tight deadline and sets up a brainstorming session to clear out the obstacles in the way and get things back on track. Your colleague sitting next to you throws out an idea, and everyone runs with it, building on it as it makes its way around the conference room. Everyone contributes their energy and creativity to make it happen.

• Creativity is a major component of any hobby, like gardening, woodworking, or quilting. Should the pink dahlias go next to the purple petunias? Should I skip the scroll saw and cut out that wooden sign free-hand with my own design? Should I toss aside the “rules” of perfectly symmetrical patchwork piecing, and layer fabrics in a free-form art quilt style instead?

Personal creativity is the confidence to try something new, to bend the rules a bit, and welcome new ideas when they pop into your head. Instead of thinking that you are not a creative person, open the door when it comes knocking and welcome it in.

How have you surprised yourself with your personal creativity?