Living a Creative Life
“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.”
I tried my hand at drawing in college. It took me earning enough credits for a Minor in Studio Art before I realized that small, private college art departments have to tell everyone they have talent to keep their numbers up. I was in a theater company after High School, and the director threatened to fire me if I didn’t smoke packs of cigarettes every day, so my character would appear natural, smoking. By August, I could say my lines while letting the smoke come slowly out of my nose, but it irreparably damaged my voice. Finally, I played guitar on and off for fifteen years, taking lessons at the local university, and I was still only an “intermediate.”
I’ve come to terms with the fact that I will never be a serious artist musically or otherwise. If you are like me, a would-be creative, you are reading the right devotion. Life itself can, and should, be a creative endeavor. Nick Wagnall, in his long-named article, “To Unleash Your Creative Power, Have the Courage to Befriend Your Fears,” says, “Life itself is a work of art.” Wagnall affirms that “You were born to create. Own that inheritance. Nurture it. Then watch it bloom.”
Your life and mine can be exciting. Nurturing and supporting your relationships is a creative process. Assisting people in getting along, whether at work, in our family, or in our friendships, takes wisdom, patience, listening skills, and a little word called savvy. Even the most mundane activities can become creative avenues. We succumb to our own boredom when we stop bringing creativity to bear on our everyday life. God nurtures our creativity not only to bring joy to our lives but also to open new avenues for communing with the divine.
Today, ask God to bring creativity into your everyday life. I’m not talking about taking a ceramic class or learning opera. No, I am talking about a deeper creativity that must include a spiritual component. This creativity speaks to your heart and touches the hearts of others. This creativity brings fun and excitement back into your life, and you don’t even have to spend the money climbing the Himalayas to experience it. You, with the Holy Spirit’s help, can make your life a creative endeavor. Your life can be a work of art for those you interact with. Let the creative in you come alive, and watch your life expand, spiritually and in your everyday activities.
