How to Be Creative

Growing up, the last thing I would have called myself was "creative." Don't get me wrong, I've always loved to "create." Food, music, sewing, crocheting. But always with a pattern and instructions. I'm very good at instructions and following them and having a nice finished project at the end. But making something totally out of my own mind? No instructions, no pictures of what it should look like at the end? Yeah, I didn't do that.

Art? You've got to be kidding me. I wasn't artistic.
Writing? No way. I can't spend thousands of words telling a story. I was a get right to the point sort of girl.

But three years ago, words started running through my head and wouldn't go away until I wrote them down. It could have stopped there. But I decided to keep writing and just see where it would take me. I was terrible at first. And my ideas were cliche and overdone and melodramatic.

But something in my brain opened up, a new side to myself that I'd never explored before. It was this idea of doing something just for the love of it, not so you can have a certain, perfect finished product at the end. After all, the one thing I've learned from writing is that art is never really finished, it's just finally let go.

Over the last few years I've opened myself up to other artistic and creative experiences. I write little poems and songs for my kids, tell them stories I make up off the top of my head. I've started creating art with chalk, pencils, and watercolor paints. They're not great. But it's fun, and I'm realizing that's all that matters.

We all know the quote from Picasso, that Every child is born an artist. And yet we're still stuck in this mode and idea that some people are artists and some people are not artists. We still have undying faith in the power of "talent."

But I'm here to tell you different. YOU are creative. YOU are an artist. I firmly believe that everyone on the planet has an inborn desire to create. And I can tell you from your own experience that allowing your brain to open up to the experience of being truly creative is a wonderful experience. To have a vision and then to strive to put it to paper, or paint, or chalk, or yarn, or food, or music, or whatever! It's time to go there. It's time to try.

Many art books will tell you that you can tell the moment in a person's life when they gave up drawing because they realized they weren't good at it. Your current sketches are a testament to when you allowed the comparison of others to inhibit your own creativity.

But we don't create to compare ourselves with others. Creating with only the motivation of being better than others, or making money, or getting praise, will be an empty experience. Don't get me wrong. You better believe I'm trying to get my book published. But the experience of creating a story and characters is such a thrilling and fulfilling experience for me, that publication is not my only reason for pursuing writing.

I have tried to draw more. I will never sell art for money. I will never be considered great, but in just a few weeks of picking it back up, I have improved. And I feel proud of myself. But more than that, it's calming and forces me to slow down, observe, notice, and feel.

And I think that is the real power of creativity. It forces you to slow down and pull out of all the things weighing you down for just a moment and have a vision.

So how can you be more creative? It's simple.

You have to create more.

You have to step out of your comfort zone and actually try it. And when your first effort is terrible, you're going to laugh and try again and again and again. Because you're not doing this to be "good" at something. You're doing it to feel more alive. To feed that inner need within yourself. To change the way you see yourself and the world. To open up parts of your heart and your brain that you never knew existed.

Stop only doing the things you're good at. Pick up something you're not good at and just do it because you love it. Did a teacher tell you to give something up? Did someone make fun of past efforts. Tell them to shove it and try again. Do it because you're human and you're driven to create.

Stop limiting yourself to thinking that creativity is just one kind of thing. What about music? Cooking? Landscaping? Decorating? Teaching? Woodworking? Storytelling? Poetry? Games? Business Plans?

Stop being too busy. Just stop. Creativity requires time, and some good deep breaths, and a little space in your day.

Make the time. This is most important. You won't be creative if you don't make time to be creative. I'll say it again, the only way to be more creative is to sit your butt in the chair and be creative. Set aside a time of day when you will create. Hold this space for yourself. Diligently. Some days you will drag your feet. You may feel too busy. Don't cheat yourself.

Don't expect constant inspiration or joy. Some days will be frustrating. Somedays you won't be able to get anything right. Nothing will live up to your vision. You'll want to tear it up and forget about it. It will feel clunky and unnatural and unauthentic. Keep going. Come back to it tomorrow. This is not a race. There is no finish line. This is YOUR life.

Take some lessons. Learn! You can't get better without a combination of practice an instruction. Read up. Get on the internet for tips and tricks. There's so much out there to help you get started. Go find it!

Create. Create some more. And then do it again.

Six Things to Let Go to Encourage Creativity

Maybe it's the thought of beginning Jane's Kindergarten next week and all my hopes and dreams for her education. Or, maybe it's FROZEN and being unable to escape the soundtrack. But I've been thinking lately about creativity and what nurturing it in our children requires. I've decided it mostly requires us to let go of a few things.

1. LET GO OF FINISHED PRODUCTS. If you are giving your child an art project that is supposed to have a specific finished product at the end, it is not an art project, it is a craft. Don't get me wrong, crafts are fun and they're good for teaching children to follow instructions and build fine motor skills and they're good for creativity. But it's like the debate between organized sports and free play. Anything that flows straight from the child is better for creativity. You can still do crafts and specific art projects with your children, but make sure you also allow them the freedom to create their own art. The division should be at least 50/50, if not higher in free-art's favor.

This pillow was so good for Jane. It was creative. But she needs opportunities to create without me giving all the instructions.

2. LET GO OF PERFECTLY CLEAN. Face it. Creativity is messy. You've got to pull out the materials and work with them and mix them. Leave it out. Come back to it. Expect your children to help clean up their mess, but don't flit around them trying to clean up as they go. Your nervousness will rub off and take all the fun away. I can't tell you how many times my table has gone a whole day covered in crayons and paint and paper scraps, to be cleaned that night, and messed up again the next day. Give your kids a creative space and be okay with the mess there.

3. LET GO OF DISORDERED MATERIALS. I know, I know. This seems like a contradiction of number two, but it's not. I've noticed that when the art supply cabinet gets messy and disordered, with everything thrown in haphazardly, the creativity in my house goes way down. Why? Because nobody can find what they need! And if it is too hard to pull out the materials, creativity won't happen. Which leads me to...

4. LET GO OF BEING THE SOLE ARBITER OF CREATIVE SUPPLIES. Sure, one of your kids thinks he's Michaelangelo. I get it. I've got one of those and I can't tell you how much crayon I've scrubbed off the walls. And when this habit is in it's beginning 24/7 stage, maybe put the crayons on the fridge. But allowing your children to pull out their own supplies whenever the need hits them not only allows creativity to blossom, but independence as well. It also gives you one less thing to "find" for someone. Remember, out of sight, out of mind. We don't want that with creativity!

5. LET GO OF A SET IDEA OF WHAT CREATIVITY LOOKS LIKE. Creativity is not always busy. It's not always taken up in art or music. There are many pursuits that are creative, even though we don't usually view them as such. Building with legos, making up songs or games, creating a business, teaching. These are all extremely creative. Reading is a creative process, as is being in nature. Appreciate all of creativities forms in your children and in yourself.

6. LET GO OF BEING TOO BUSY. This last piece of wisdom had been sprouting in my heart for a few days when Jane really brought it to fruition. One night before bed, I asked her why she hadn't been doing as much art lately. She replied, "There's just been so much other stuff to do. Fun stuff. I don't get to think about the art in my head."

I was floored. So much wisdom.

People, a jam-packed busy schedule does not allow creativity to bloom. Creativity takes place in the quiet spaces and margins of our day. It's that idea you get on a walk, or the picture in your head that you see between awake and asleep. It takes down time to look at something from every angle and then put it on paper.

Your children need some time in their day to reflect and then create from that reflection. You do, too. Give it to them.

Make your own fairy garden - A gift for kids, by kids!

I'm always on the lookout for gifts and toys that really bring out a child's creativity.

When I found this idea today, I knew I had found something wonderful! Not only that, this gift is eco-friendly, budget-friendly, and imagination-friendly!

Make Your Own Fairy Garden Kit

For us, this gift is two parts. The first half is a homemade flower pot. We took a bulk-size cottage cheese container and decorated it with construction paper, stickers and mod-podge. My daughter loved decorating this special flower pot for her cousin. She will also give her a couple packets of wild flower seeds to plant.

The second part of the gift is the fairy house kit. I put this kit in those fancy-looking spaghetti sauce jars. Here are a few ideas of how to make your own fairy house. Using these ideas, I filled the jar with "supplies." Here's my list:

Buttons
Rocks
Bundles of short twigs
Feathers
Cotton Balls
Leaves
Flowers
Ribbon
Paper Clips
Small wood letters
Thread
Glitter




You can add anything small and pretty from nature, or old toys, craft odds and ends, etc. I also suggest printing off an idea or two from the internet just to get them started. Also...maybe lots of glue.

The idea is to fill the "flower pot" with dirt, make a fairy house, put it in the dirt, plant the flowers around it, and Ta-Da! Fairy garden.

Also, here is a little poem to put on the card...if you feel so inclined.

Everybody needs a fairy,
To help their flowers bloom.
So build a tiny, cozy house,
And one will move in soon!

For the joy of it

When was the last time you did something just for the joy of it?

This is a question I've thought about a lot lately. I just put the finishing touches on the last chapter of my novel. That makes three intense rounds of revision. And I still have to go back and overhaul the beginning. Again. It's hundreds of hours of work. My chances of getting published are slim to none. But I keep working.

Which has led me to ponder, is it worth it?

If my story never leaves the confines of my computer, is it worth all the effort and love I've put into it?

We live in a world where, for some reason, something is only considered worthwhile if it will make money, or bring you fame. If you can be successful at it. And to be successful means other people need to think you're good at it too.

And if other people don't like it, if your work doesn't measure up with what's out there, we have bought into this notion that we must not be "good" at it and stop trying.

My daughter is an artist. She sits at my table and draws, paints, colors, and cuts for hours on end. If she goes a day without doing some form of art, she will often complain at bedtime. "Oh, I didn't do any art today!" It's an important part of her day. She feels she is missing something without it.

I've read a few things about children who are gifted at art. I discovered two different patterns. Some children are just naturally gifted to create art. They seem to be able to see and translate their vision on paper much easier than their peers. And then there is the second group of gifted children. Those who LOVE art and do it extensively. Their technique doesn't start off any better than their peers, but through hours of practice they eventually get better and better and pass up those around them in technique.

Thus, most people who are "good" at art, aren't that way because they are born with a drawing ability, but because they are born with a passion.

Every Child Is An Artist by AndreLuizBarbosa on deviantART

We are all born with a passion. Maybe not born. My passions have definitely changed throughout the years. This is normal and good. But we are all born with a drive to create. To make something out of nothing, to bring order to chaos, and beauty to life.

Each of us has something that when we do it, we feel renewed, energized, alive. But many of us have left that passion. Perhaps you were told you weren't good at it, either by yourself or someone else. Maybe you stopped when you were told "You can't make a living doing that." Maybe you didn't continue when you saw everyone who was better at it than you and figured, "What's the point?"

But why do we have to make money or "win" or be "successful" with something in order to enjoy it and pursue it? Why don't we allow ourselves to do things for the pure joy of doing them?

In our society of technology, instant gratification, longer work hours, intrusive entertainment, less quiet time, and more demands, many of use go days, weeks, months, years, without making "art." And we are losing ourselves and sacrificing a rich, inner life because of it.

Art comes in so many shapes and forms. I'm not going to list them here, but think back to when you were a child, or a teenager, or some
time when you LOVED something but stopped for some reason. I challenge you to pick it back up and do it again.

Yes, you might be terrible at it. But are you having fun? Does it bring you joy? That is the true measure of your success.

We've all heard the quote from Picasso, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."

Go back and find that artist inside you. Don't let another day go by without doing your art. Dance, sing, draw, write, garden, cook, build, film, act. There are opportunities all around you. And if there aren't, make them!

I may never publish a novel. But I will still write them. With each revision pass I improve. Every day my imagination broadens. My hands are busy, my heart is alive. And so yes, every word has been worth it. I have created something I am proud of. Something I love. Even if nobody else does.

I am an artist.

You are an artist.

I promise.

Why I will always encourage my children to read fantasy

I just received an e-mail today from a woman in my critique group. She was submitting her chapters for the month and decided to add a little diatribe about how the children's book market is glutted with fantasy. And do we really want to be filling our children's minds with satanism and life-after-death in the here and now, and other garbage? Of course, in the same breath she went on to say that she wanted more books about children in the real world and their wonderful imaginations.

Excuse me while I bang my forehead against my keyboard.

What more is fantasy, especially fantasy for children, but the ultimate representation of that boundless and wonderful imagination so peculiar to humans, especially children? The ability to create entire new worlds is the birthright of writers and a testament to the capacity of the human mind. The ability to create, whether it is another human being or an entire world complete with magical creatures, made up languages, etc. is a gift from our Heavenly Father. It is one of the few ways that we truly become like Him. Creators.

Beyond that, I've never understood the idea that fantasy is satanism or that magic is some sort of conterfeit perversion for the power of God. The idea holds some sway with a few members of my church (I've heard them speak in Relief Society before), but not most. I will always remember and love Elder Uchtdorf for speaking of his love for Harry Potter and referencing it in an address he gave at a Stake Conference when I was in college.

Does fantasy contain magic? Yes. Is it sorcery and some manifestion of the devil? Heavens no! Fantasy is nothing more than the eternal struggle between good and evil set in another place. It teaches the power of love, friendship, kindness and sacrifice in the face of love of power, greed, cruelty, and selfishness.

These struggles in a child's everyday life or in the world around us are not only complicated, but oftentimes, gruesome and harsh. And too often, the wrong side wins. What better way to help a child make sense of the different forces and motivations of the characters in their world, than through a book set in another land. Sometimes taking a step into the unknown helps us come to understand human nature and ourselves like nothing else.

I am deeply religious, and a lover of fantasy. Many of the greatest fantasy writers of our time have been devout Christians who saw their characters as archetypes of Christ, and their stories as religious allegories.

Please don't deprive your children of the rich learning experience that is fantasy. I wish this world was more like Hogwarts, or Middle Earth, or Narnia. A place where there is magic and good always wins.