Creativity is one of the most precious expressions of God in our world. I believe it’s something that we were all divinely given at birth. Most of us naturally embodied it during our childhood. No one has to convince a child to be creative. They just are.
Unfortunately, some of us were led to believe that creativity and imagination have no significant place or value in the “grown-up” world. As a result, many creative ideas have been pushed aside, confined by controlling systems, and even put to death.
I’m here to say that it doesn’t have to be that way. There’s still space in our adulthood to renew creativity. One simple way is to commit to creative space.
Creativity will die if we don’t create space for it to live. If there isn’t enough creative space in our lives, whether literally or figurately, we are bound to end up suffocated and paralyzed. Our soul and mind must have space to breathe and create.
Q: What are some of the things you do to regularly renew your creative space?
Here are a few examples of how I regularly renew my creative space:
- Participate in an activity totally unrelated to work. It’s amazing how unrelated work nurtures creativity. Also, meeting people from various fields help immensely.
- Go by a local park or beach during lunch to just breathe (and sometimes pray) for 15-20 minutes.
- Eat well (not a lot!). Diet has been shown to affect our ability to think and focus.
- Exercise. It not only lowers stress, but clears the mind. Even something simple as going for a 5 minute walk really helps me to think outside the ______.
- Change life rhythm. Even though consistent life rhythm can produce efficiency and health, I also think you have to break it up to inject creativity. For example, drive to work using a different route. See your city from a different angle.
Look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Life Scribbles is a new blog category I created to jott down quick notes about various topics and personal interests. These notes (including questions) are meant to be short, thought-provoking, relatively open, and purposefully unresolved. I’m hoping that these Life Scribbles will challenge or refine perspectives, create meaningful conversations, and lead to further inquiry about the topics presented.
Life Scribbles: Renewing Creative Space
Creativity can die if we don’t create space for it to live. http://bit.ly/mhPsi
Life Scribbles: Renewing Creative Space
RT @charlestlee: Creativity can die if we don’t create space 4 it 2 live: http://bit.ly/mhPsi <–Often I wish this was the mantra 4 church
Life Scribbles: Renewing Creative Space
Blog Update Life Scribbles: Renewing Creative Space:
Creativity is one of the most precious expressi.. http://bit.ly/GVkGh
Life Scribbles: Renewing Creative Space
This is very encouraging to me Charles because I often wonder why I will go through periods when I am very creative, and sometimes when I feel like nothing is coming out of at all. Sometimes I just need to make intentional time for me to breathe and experience everything around me.
It’s amazing to me how creative one can be, when you put things down and spend time getting to know yourself better. It’s almost like there is a disconnect with creativity and ourselves, and we mistakenly try to add more tasks to that gap to produce more creativity, when all we really need is some fresh air to let the already existing creativity naturally come out.
Def. going to re tweet this…
Life Scribbles: Renewing Creative Space
These are some great thoughts, Charles. I agree that creativity is often stifled in the adult world, and this is so unfortunate. For me, the struggle is often a mental one, being intimidated by the creative process itself rather than struggling to find time for it.
I’ve recently been introduced to the idea of viewing the the outputs of the creative process as experiments. This takes away the pressure for the end result to be successful and puts the focus back onto the creativity and enjoyment of the process.
There’s a quote by Madeleine L’Engle that I read once, from her book “Walk on Water.” I’m going to have to paraphrase it from memory, so I can guarantee it will be butchered pretty badly, but hopefully the spirit is the same. Anyhow, she basically says that creativity comes from God, creative ideas do. So when we have and idea and decide that we’re too busy/small/powerless/broke/uncreative/unskilled to attempt to bring that idea to life, we’re depriving the world of this wonderful gift that God has for it.
Thanks for sharing this!
Life Scribbles: Renewing Creative Space
It was once said…the most powerful thing in the world is an idea whose time has come!
Life Scribbles: Renewing Creative Space
Great thoughts everyone!
Emily, I believe most things we work on are experiments
Focus on the beauty of the process and allow the end result to take care of itself.
Good word Derrick!