Creativity Puts You in Control of Your Life
Creativity is perhaps the single most important capability that you possess as a human being. Unfortunately, in our society, the idea of it has been reduced to such a level of insignificance, that many people have dismissed it as something recreational and entirely optional.
Creativity is not arts and crafts. Nor is it music, dance, or any of the other fine arts. Those things are merely expressions of our creative power. Such things are important in their own right, but we should never limit ourselves to the idea that this is all there is to it.
The word creativity stems from the word creator. At its highest level, creator refers to what we call God. Since we are the intelligent extensions of that which has created us, we, too, are creators. Creation is the outcome of that which creates. Because we are creators, we are also meant to create. We are meant to consciously create the outcomes in our lives.
The Myth of the Creative Person
There is a popular myth in our society that some people are creative, but most are not. How many times have you heard someone say, “I can’t do art”? Or how about, “I can’t sing” or “I can’t dance” ? Well, maybe you can’t do these things like a highly trained professional who has devoted their lives to such activities, but you certainly can do them as your simple, authentic self. In fact, I’ll bet you did them as a child with absolutely no training at all! Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.
If you take a young child away from screens, computers, TV’s, and video games, that child will do nothing but create all day long. We are born as creative beings. Our creativity gets snuffed out of us through a lack of opportunity to explore it, along with the harsh judgements of not being good enough to do it according to someone else’s ideas.
So we learn through the judgements of others to do the “right thing” instead. We learn to comply and fit in. We become a homogenized species. Our main goal becomes to gain approval, rather than developing the power and joy of our ability to create.
Just because there are those renegade souls who refuse to comply with the status quo, doesn’t mean that the rest of us don’t possess the same creative power. It’s all a matter of how willing you are to be suppressed.
Why is Creativity Important?
Creativity is not limited to the arts, although the arts can certainly awaken that facility within us. Science is about creativity, invention is about creativity, and the ability to produce the life and outcomes we want is all about creativity. Creativity is the greatest power we have.
All good and all beauty stems from our creator. That energy is meant to flow through us in the form of inspiration. Inspiration is meant to lead to inspired action and expression. Just like no two flowers in nature are alike, no two human expressions of life are alike either. It’s the diversity of expression that makes humanity such an amazing wonder!
Look at it this way. God is a radiating force of love. The nature of that force is to exist as a moving intelligence that creates. This intelligence always seeks its own pure and outward expression. That’s why we have such an enormous, limitless universe. There are no boundaries on our creator’s ability to express itself.
We can either live as a conduit for the power of our creator’s expression, or we can act as an impediment to that expression. The function of the ego is to totally impede the creative expression of our creator through us. That’s why it’s always the ego that tells you that you “can’t” do art. And, of course, that’s only the beginning of all the other wonderful things that the ego says you cannot do. The ego’s favorite word is “can’t”.
Two Choices
You have two choices in life. You can either react to the events and people around you, or you can create the life that you want. If you want to understand your life in a nutshell, just look at the ratios between these two things. How much do you create from a pure place that brings you joy? And how much do you comply with fear, the ego, and the wishes and judgements of others?
Do you live in a unique way that is perfectly aligned with the real, authentic you? Or are you a perfect clone of what society expects you to be? Have you noticed that no one is particularly interested in following ideally cloned citizens? On the other hand, how often do people naturally gravitate towards uniqueness and authenticity? If being a carbon copy of everyone else in thought, deed, and expression is so desirable, then why do people flock to the outsiders who exhibit power and confidence in their unique self-expression?
The answer to this last question lies in the fact that people inherently want to be free. They want to feel that same freedom and confidence within themselves. They want to feel an uncompromising power to be who they really are.
How does creativity lead to feeling in control of your life?
Creativity means that there is a power that flows from within you and through you, to express itself perfectly in your outward manifestation in life. It means that you have the confidence to let go, and express yourself fully. It means that the fear of what others may think of you no longer matters.
This doesn’t mean that you will not experience fear about unleashing your own creative impulses. It means that you have reached a point where your desire for authentic, self-expression far outweighs your tolerance for the pain of holding back. It means that the pain of holding back is no longer worth it.
The ability to take control of your life means that you first require the inner freedom to do so. If you are restricted by self-imposed rules, a need for approval, and an overall feeling of repression due to fear, then you are simply not free enough to create. In that case, your agenda in life is to stay safe through compliance and avoidance. You can no longer live from an agenda to create.
On the other hand, if you are free to create, then you have the innate flexibility to come up with solutions and new ideas for your life. Your actions therefore exist as an extension of what you know is right for you. You have the freedom to paint the picture of your life in the way that you want to paint it. You have the confidence to take control of the outcome!
The Outstanding Benefits of Creativity
The benefits of creativity are so numerous and deep, that they cannot all be listed here. But here are a few of the highlights:
- Creativity expands your intelligence dramatically. In its highest form, it is referred to as genius.
- Creativity provides you with the flexibility to learn at a much higher, more expanded level because you don’t have the restrictions and conditions on how you can learn.
- The willingness to be creative opens your mind to inspiration and new ideas. Without inspiration, life becomes dull and meaningless. A lack of inspiration can lead to low motivation and even depression. It also engenders feelings of hopelessness.
- Creativity frees you in so many ways. It frees you from a dull, boring life where you look for outside distractions to avoid feeling the pain of daily routine and compliance.
- Creativity enlivens you and brings renewed energy into your life. You can apply creativity to solve literally any problem that you encounter.
- The willingness to be creative encourages self-confidence, inner strength and a stronger belief in yourself. It encourages self-acceptance and self-love.
- Creativity always clears your energy. As creativity emerges, it naturally clears out the old energy of tired, repetitive thoughts and feelings. It’s one of the best ways to flush out a lot of stale, mental junk that you no longer want.
- Creativity always breeds happiness, energy, joy, and fulfillment. It is one of the most marvelous elixirs in all of life!
- And most of all, creativity empowers you completely to create the life of your dreams. It opens you up to amazing divine energy, inspiration, and support, because you have lifted the restrictions on yourself.
How can we encourage creative energy, so that we feel more in command of our lives?
Be Yourself
The first thing you must do to unleash your creative energy is to contemplate how willing you are to be yourself. Are you sick and tired of worrying about the thoughts and opinions of others? Are you instead willing to be true to yourself, and love yourself as you are? Are you sick of living in the prison of your own self-repression? Being authentic is the greatest freedom that you will ever experience. It is also the greatest experience of empowerment.
Be Open to Your Own Ideas
In order to encourage creativity, you will have to start giving yourself a lot more credibility. Stop telling yourself that you’re not creative, or that you “can’t do” things like art. Of course you can! If you can pick up a pencil and draw, then you can indeed “do” art. It doesn’t matter what you draw. What matters is that your consciousness and energy are authentically expressed in that drawing, even if it’s as simple as a few abstract lines of color. Believe it or not, it doesn’t even matter if you draw like a five-year-old. Who cares?
If you can allow yourself to draw a picture without judging yourself, then you are that much closer to allowing creative ideas to surface in your mind without censoring them.
Loosen up by viewing your life as art
Anything that you create is art. Are you pleased with your life as an art form that only you must live with? If not, then brainstorm ways in which you can improve that outcome, in the same way that an artist brainstorms ways to produce better art.
Be Flexible
Look around at your circumstances. Look around at your space. Are there things that you can rearrange in order for them to feel more pleasing to you? What can you add or subtract in your life to improve the overall feel of things?
Allow yourself the freedom to change things
Whenever you make positive changes in your life, it frees up your energy even more. It empowers you with new energy and inspiration. The inherent flexibility that you permit whenever you make a positive change encourages you to be even more creative with your life in the future.
Creativity offers you a much happier life!
Creativity is synonymous with freedom. Taking control of your life, in a way that benefits you at the highest level, requires the creative freedom to make the necessary changes. It requires the ability to hear and accept new ideas, as long as those ideas resonate with where you want to be.
Much of the frustration that occurs when people experience unhappiness in life is due to the fact that they do not allow themselves the creative flexibility needed to make the necessary changes. They have far too many conditions to be able to receive and accept inspired, new ideas. This leads to feeling blocked and unable to come up with solutions. Thus there do not appear to be any new avenues for positive change.
If you want to live a happy life, then creativity is an essential component of that effort. It gives you the freedom to take control of situations that beg for positive change. It opens your mind and heart to divine inspiration and guidance. It gives you the confidence you need to feel in command.
And most of all, creativity widens your horizons enormously. It expands your realm of possibility, and positions you to grow, expand, and reach your full potential. It allows you to tap into your highest level of intelligence, and create a beautiful, much happier life.
Do you see ways that you can increase your creativity in life? What are your thoughts about creativity in general? I would love it if you share with me in the comments below!
I began to wake up 1year ago. I was forced to be brave. Reading your blog has solidified my personal growth. Makes me happy to feel confident , clearer minded, still working on finding inspiration more often.
You put into words everything I’ve developed as a person this last year. Timing? Thank you!
That’s really great, Linda! Congratulations on being willing to focus on your personal growth and creativity. That’s awesome 🙂
I just retired and at 61 getting ready to take my first art class at the community college. I love gardening and feel it provides many opportunities for creativity but I now want to learn to draw what I grow. Love your article.
That sounds like a wonderful idea to learn to draw what you grow. I love this! 🙂 A very inspiring thought, and I’m sure you will find doing this to be very fulfilling. I’m so glad you enjoyed this blog post. 🙂
What an amazing expression of the truth of who we are as beings. That we are, in essence, creators! It’s not an afterthought, or a hobby to be cultivated. It is actually my own self that I need to cultivate. It’s not an outside experience. It’s what I bring as a creator to each moment of my life, and hopefully to the lives of others. I’m blown away at how much my perspective is changing.
In my experience, my willingness to focus and remain conscious in each moment actually inspires me to be creative. Creativity, as you so brilliantly talk about here, is not limited to anything. We’ve always made creativity synonymous with the arts, but arranging flowers in a vase is creative. Even making the bed can be a lovely creative experience. Or cooking a wonderful meal. I find that when I take the time to expand my perception of my inner space and ask myself how I wish to express something, it’s as if I give myself permission to be creative, which as you so aptly state, is the natural expression of who I am, all the time. So I don’t need my own permission! That’s ridiculous when I think about it. That’s letting approval issues get in the way of the truth. The key for me is not to allow all of the outside distractions, including other people’s opinions of me, bring me down or inhibit me. That’s all been so ingrained in me, but I have the ability to change that. It’s a thought form for me. Or letting the false ego get in the way of my real self. This is my continuous journey as I expand my creativity. Which I am consciously doing and expanding on more and more.
Thank you, Saratoga, for sharing this. It really makes me think about how much more attention and focus I want to bring to my life–my creative life! It’s funny how easy it is to live the truth once you commit. Everything you write and speak about confirms this for me.
With all my love and gratitude ….
Leigh
Leigh, I love the way you describe how the simple things like cooking, making a bed, etc. are all opportunities to express one’s creative self. That is actually what makes life truly fulfilling.
Creativity is the doorway for the fullest possible expression of our divine selves 🙂
thank you Saratoga, that post was very inspiring to me, I planted a garden this year ,it was so relaxing to be in it and receiving gods blessings with the wonderful supply of food I harvested. no better feeling than being in a beautiful garden of God’s love. Thank you again , I have been doing a lot of changes in my life and am getting more creative every day . Hugs to you and God bless
Gloria, it’s so true that gardening is really creative. And that’s really awesome that you grew your own food. We have done a little of that as well, and it is truly an amazing experience. I’m so glad to know that you are getting more and more creative. Lovely! 🙂
Love this truth