You are Creative

Have you heard this statement before” Oh I am not creative, but I wish I was”? Maybe you said it before. Have you heard this next statement before” Everyone is creative”? Are you thinking everyone but me? Maybe you are creative but not artistic. Maybe I should define what it means to be creative.

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary the word create means to bring into existence. The word creativity is to have the ability to create. 

Some people believe the Divine or God created humans in his own likeness. God was a creator, therefore humans are creative. That means YOU are creative. Here is another example. Have you ever watch a small child play.  You can give them a box and they will have fun for hours. We were all like at that when we were kids; so why do some of us stop thinking we are creative?

I recently watched a TED Talk by David Kelley founder of design firm IDEO. In the video he describes how to build your creative confidence. I found it interesting, because he found that many people have a creative story where at sometime in their early childhood somebody looked at their art work and said it was terrible.  I made it through my childhood pretty confident in my creative abilities, until college. Then I had a teacher tell me “nice dentist office painting” Ugh! It was an insult. She thought my style of art was somehow below her standards. I was crushed. I felt like a fake. I quit. I started studying to be a special education teacher.  What is your creative story? 

I was still creative. I still called myself creative. I did scrapbooking, landscaping, and I would use my creativity to solve problems and invent ways to help my students.  I am sure if you looked around you could find ways in your daily life where you are creative.

 Here are some examples:

• Scrapbooking 
• Holiday table setting             
• Taking pictures of family
• Painting your  toe nails
• Decorating your home 
• Modifying a recipe 
• Making a game for your kids
• Decorating a cake 
• Styling your hair

Music in my head

"Move Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera, It gets your hips moving while you are painting!

"Holiday" by Vampire Weekend

On the Canvas

This week I am playing with paint.  Here is a nifty trick I gleaned from Flora Bowley; turn up the music and close your eyes while painting. It is fun…and messy.  Above is a picture of what my 4 year old and I did  with our eyes closed! Give it a try! 


Till we meet again my creative friends
Jenni

Spring Changes Everything!

This is my first Blog post EVER!

If you could hear me I am saying EVER just like Oprah. 

 Anyways, my intent for this blog is to inspire others as I find inspiration. Whether it is with my art or the lessons I have learned. I feel like I have stumbled upon such wonderful tidbits and new perspectives that are just too good for one person to posses.  I am exploding and I want to share…share… share!

Spring!

Summer is upon us and I am reflecting over the lessons I have learned this spring. As the rain pours outside my office window I think of the saying “April showers bring May flowers” I get so excited at this time of year even when it is dreary and rainy. The rain is like a promise that summer is coming along with its warm weather. This spring I had a bird’s nest in perfect view of my dining room window. We were visited by a snapping turtle, and colorful Baltimore Orioles returned once again to our backyard.  The changes are all so exciting. If only I could embrace the other changes that happen in life with the same optimism. 

Quick Get the Fairy Dust!

  Every season I go through the kid’s closets and dressers to change out the seasonal clothes and sort the clothes they have grown out of. Every time I feel a little sad that they will never wear a particular outfit and that my babies are growing up. I always joke with my boys that I need some of Tinker Bell’s fairy dust to sprinkle on them so they stay my sweet little boys and they never grow up!

Here is the perspective shift: do I want to live in the past…or do I want to be happy in the present? Think Spring I tell myself. Embrace the changes. I start by noticing the soft fabrics as I fold my boy’s clothes.  When the memories float into my head I smile and refocus on how I am making room for new clothes and new memories. Just as the Spring rain cleanses the ground of debris left from past seasons to make room for new grass and plants; I make room for the new changes in my life.

You can count on change

One thing I know for sure is that I can count on changes to happen. I don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow or ten minutes from now, but I know changes will happen.  My basement flooded this spring and at first I freaked out. Then I stopped and I breathed. I looked for the silver lining so to speak. My flooded basement turned out to be a blessing. I have been putting off setting up an exercise area and an art studio space.  The flood forced me to clear some space and organize my basement. Now I have my space to paint…yippie!

Spring taught me to embrace the changes in my life with a positive outlook. That with each change something better is around the corner. Change can be so hard to accept, but with a little effort it can be easier and possibly exciting!

Music in my head

Sheryl Crow “A Change”

P!nk “Who Knew”

The Killer’s “Change your Mind”

On The Canvas

Today my creativity is focused on my flowers and landscaping. Gardening is one way that I express my creativity when I am not painting. There is something sacred and grounding about nurturing a plant and then watching it grow. Instead of paint and a paintbrush I used mulch and a pitch fork. I hope you enjoy my photos of my garden.

Till we met again my creative friends

Jenni