Honouring Your Creativity

When I host an open art studio or exhibit my work in public, I often receive comments from visitors such as “You are so creative” or “I could never create something like this” and I can’t help but feel a tinge of sadness in these statements. It’s disheartening to witness people unaware of the creativity that resides within each of us, waiting to be expressed in numerous diverse ways. Even if the viewer is not creating “art” they are experimenting with recipes, adorning homes with unexpected items in a distinctive manner, or showcasing expertise in gardening, each of these pursuits shows some of our unique forms of creativity.

Sharing my artistic creations is a way to honor my creativity because it allows me to connect with others. My art is fulfilling because it confirms my creative expression. I admit that the “likes” and “hearts” I get on Instagram or Facebook make me feel just a little better about my art – giving me confidence and validation that my art might resonate with others. The feedback, support, and recognition I receive from sharing my art can fuel my motivation and boost my confidence.

When I teach, I open my work to others, partly to instruct – the “how to” but also to inspire, not to do as I have done, but to show others that creativity is part of all of us. I wish that every student would have a sense of “creating” that which has never been done – after all, “create” is the root word for creativity.

When I share, my wish is to build community, to engage in conversations about art, exchange ideas, and learn from one another. These interactions can inspire us, broaden our perspectives, and nurture our creative growth. And in sharing we open our art to the world, releasing it, for it to take flight as a dove, it has been finished and now it is time for it to be in the world.

I try to never take my creativity for granted, and although it is such as strong part of each of us, I believe that it builds on itself. When we are making art, we are making a path forward into more depth, more insight and more creating.

I have a favour to ask….I have moved my blog from Blogger to my website. I hope it works! If you got the blog in an email (you signed up for it), please let me know. Thanks!