“I’m just not creative.”
“I’m just not creative”
Most times when I tell people I am a creativity coach they immediately tell me how not-creative they are.
Maybe you’re one of these people.
But here’s a question: do you even know what creativity is?
That may sound like a stupid question. Mostly because we throw the word around a lot.
The thing is, most people don’t know. Most people think of the word and the concept of creativity rather narrowly.
Creativity = painting or
Creativity = portrait sketching or
Creativity = [insert your favorite art that seems out of reach]
Here’s the actual definition:
the use of the imagination or original ideas
the ability to make or otherwise bring into existence something new, whether a new solution to a problem, a new method or device, or a new artistic object or form
That’s pretty broad, right? And it applies to…well, everything.
So, before you tell me—or, rather, before you tell yourself—that you’re not creative, let me ask you this: are you able to find solutions to problems in a given area (as a parent or friend or in your workplace)? Are you able to use your imagination and see a beautiful future for yourself? Are you able to figure shit out?
My own father would swear up and down that he was NOT creative, but if you asked if he could figure anything out he would immediately and without question spout, “YES.”
This “I’m not creative” thing people tell themselves is basically the same lie they’ve been telling themselves since they were told, “there’s no money in the creative arts.” (And then they repeated it so many times that the voice became their own.)
When I hear this, I ask a few simple questions:
Did you play as a kid?
Did you get messy and make up stories and make things?
And was that fun?
That’s it! That was creativity! That was using imagination. None of us had to be taught that. It is in us from the start. And, though it is generally ignored or stunted in adults, it still exists in us today.
The trick is to realize that, direct it and to use it to its full potential. And that’s where I come in—showing you how.
