We Are Creative Beings - Episode 19

Have you ever said, “I’m not creative”… and believed it?

In this episode, we take a closer look at what creativity really is—and how it shows up in the most ordinary, practical, and unexpected ways. From fixing things and figuring things out to adapting in real time, you may be more creative than you’ve ever given yourself credit for.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:34

Welcome to Light in the Garden, a soft place to land, to breathe, and to remember who you truly are. I'm Lulu, and this podcast is my offering. Here we explore the quiet places where the human and the divine meet, through stories from the road, the lake where I spend many hours and the long path of my own becoming. Each episode is simply a companion for your heart. I thank you for joining me today. I'm so very glad you're here. This episode is called We Are Creative Beings. Have you ever adamantly said out loud or even in your own mind I am not creative and fully believed it? As I was outside watering my plants this morning and glancing around my yard, a yard that I am constantly redesigning, I realized that creativity was a topic, a topic I wanted to explore. I also realized that redesigning my yard is mostly happening in my imagination until my finances allow my imagination to take flight. I looked at the two heavy pots and trash cans of yard debris that needed to be moved, and I head into well, I head into my head to create a way to move them that won't put me in traction. That is creativity. I noticed one of the baffles on my bird feeder keeps somehow or other loosening and sliding down, allowing those pesky squirrels to dine on food meant for my feathered friends. I'm working out a solution in my head for that. Creativity at work. A while back I grabbed a bathroom cabinet someone had discarded on the side of the road, complete with a sink and faucets. Those I will need to remove so I can put shiny new ones in. After I remote remove those I will rehab that cabinet and soon I'll have a new and desperately needed bathroom sink, with new and desperately needed faucets that are not rusted and about to break off. That's creativity. I once had a friend who swore up and down that she was not creative, yet she could put together anything she ordered from Amazon even if the instructions were not only vague, but often not even in English. I said to her that that was creativity at its finest, but she would not accept that at all. Still, I call that creativity. I have a friend that is a wonderful writer and editor and another who is an amazing photographer and who helps me by editing these podcasts. Both would agree that they are creative because those are visual and easy to see. But what about those of us who rebuild things with no instructions and may need several trips to the neighborhood hardware store? What about people who figure out how to take how to change the oil in their own cars? What about those who take a recipe and make it into something amazing, way better than the original recipe meant to be? What about those who can create a beautiful table for a family get together or decorate their homes for Christmas? Creative. Those are all creative endeavors. And what about people who teach themselves to paint or draw or play an instrument? What about people who build out their SUV into a camper and find ways to travel across the country in it? What about people who learn by way of trial and error, to groom their own dogs? What about people who figure out how to hang a clothesline when the dryer breaks down? That's all creative. Creative stuff happening everywhere. But here's what I've been seeing. We have somehow created a hierarchy of creativity. If creativity only counts if it can be framed, hung on a wall, published, performed or applauded. And if what we do in our daily living doesn't fall into one of those categories, we quietly dismiss it. Ah, that doesn't count. That's just something I had to figure out. But figuring things out in a way that requires you to respond to what's in front of you? Well, that's creativity in motion. We call adapting just making things work, but really that is creativity. We don't call improvising creativity, but it really is. Solving problems with what you have creativity. And I think somewhere along the way many of us decided or were told that creativity belonged to other people the artists, the musicians, the writers, the ones with talent. And the rest of us we got left behind the door when creativity was handed out. But what if living is the art form? What if your life, the way you solve things, the way you arrange things, the way you respond to things, is your canvas? What if creativity isn't something you either have or don't have? What if it is something you are actually doing without even realizing it? Because here's what I have discovered. We cannot move through a single day without being creative. We adjust, we pivot, we rethink, we try again. We open the refrigerator and somehow make a meal out of what's in there. That's creativity. It may not come with a spotlight and a musical interlude, but it comes with life. What if we've been measuring creativity by the wrong standard? Maybe it's not about production. Maybe it's about engagement. Are you willing to try something new even if it doesn't work and then try again? That willingness alone is a creative act. And most importantly, and I'm not going to just skip over this, the creator of the universe created both you and I. And we have read the scripture in Genesis chapter one verses twenty six and twenty seven that say we were created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, dear listeners, we are inherently creative beings. We can't not be. So I think about my yard again. Nothing in it is static. Things grow, things die, things need to be moved and replaced and pruned and reimagined, and I am constantly in relationship with it. There is no final version because the seasons change, and it is an ongoing creation. Well, maybe that's true for all of us. There is no final version of me or you, no finished product. We are always in the process of becoming, adjusting, shaping, reshaping, creating. So the next time we hear ourselves, you and me, say I'm not creative. How about we pause for a moment and look a little closer at our lives, at the way we solve problems, at the way we build and fix and arrange and respond, at the way we keep going even when things don't go as planned, especially then. Because that right there is creativity and action. We don't need a paintbrush. We don't need a stage because we are already doing it. We are being creative beings. Not sometimes, not when inspiration strikes, but every single day in ways both seen and unseen. And here's the best part our divine creator is right here with us and in us, birthing simple and complex creative ideas for us to use every day, all day long. I'd like to offer a longer breathing space now, an invitation to let this teaching land in your body, not just your mind. I call it the quiet creativity within. So go ahead and settle in wherever you are. If you're sitting, let your body be supported. If you're lying down, allow yourself to soften into whatever is holding you. And if it feels comfortable, gently close your eyes. Take a slow breath in and let it just fall out of your mouth. We always begin with witnessing our breath. Again, breathing in and releasing it. There's no need to change anything. No no need to do this perfectly. Just just arrive. Just watch your breath. Not forcing it. Just noticing it. Rise in the fall. The quiet rhythm that has been with you all day, whether you notice it or not. Now begin to notice your body. Your shoulders, see if they can drop just a little. Your jaw unclench, even slightly. Your hands, soften them. Nothing dramatic, just a gentle loosening. And now bring to mind something simple from your day. Not something big or impressive. Just something ordinary. Maybe you solved a small problem. Maybe you adjusted your plans. Maybe you figured something out even quietly in your own head. Like a rerouting of your drive somewhere. Just let one moment come to you. And as you hold that moment, see if you can recognize it differently. Not as just something you did, but as an act of creativity. A moment where you responded, adapted, figured something out. There was no applause, no recognition, just you meeting life. Take a breath here and slowly let it out. Now allow that awareness to widen just a bit. Look at your whole day not as a list of tasks, but as a series of responses. Moments where you adjusted, shifted, and tried again. Even the moments that didn't go so well, especially those, because even there you were creating, finding your way in real time. Let that settle in. No pressure to name it. Just a quiet noticing. And now, imagine just for a moment that nothing about you needs to be more creative. Nothing needs to be added. Nothing needs to be fixed. What if you are already living creatively in the way you move through your day? In the way you care, in the way you keep going. Take another slow breath in. And as you exhale, let your body soften even more into that idea. You don't need to be perfect in your life. You don't need to prove creativity in anything. You are already participating in the ongoing creation of it. Rest here for a few breaths. Just breathing. Just being. And when you're ready, gently bring your awareness back to your surroundings. The room. The sounds. The feeling of your body where you are. Maybe wiggle your fingers. Wiggle your toes. And when it feels right, open your eyes. And carry this with you. You are not separate from creativity. You are living it. And it is living in you. You are it. Quietly, steadily every single day. Amen. And Namaste. Remember, my dear friends, even in the ordinary moments of your day, there's always light waiting in the garden. So until next time, take good care of yourselves and of each other. And I really truly thank you from the depths of my heart for visiting with me today. If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with your friends. A deep bow to each of you. And finally, if you've found value here and would like to spend some one on one time with me, I offer spiritual companionship. Sometimes it really helps to have a steady presence beside you as you listen for your own inner wisdom and find your way forward. Many blessings. Until next time.