Stop saying you're not creative

“Every single human being is creative. Dreams are proof of that.” — Nikita Arora

We all have our "Lightbulb Moments"

No one doubts that a child is creative, free to explore under rocks, to put hard objects into its mouth just to see what it tastes like. But what happens to that child? Where does it disappear to?

“The creative child inside never goes away; it just gets silenced by the constant command of those around us to let go of childish things.”

We tend to believe what we're told; we frequently look to the adults around us to help figure out where we fit in this mad, mad world. If they are constantly telling us something about ourselves, repeating it regularly over years and years, well then, it must be true, mustn't it?

Start by stopping; stop telling yourself untruths

The sad truth is that most people tell us what they were told themselves. As Austin Kleon says in his book, Steal Like An Artist, "All advice is autobiographical." But I would go further; I would say most of the people around us are genuinely concerned for our well-being, and they seek to prevent us from failing. And what's a good way to prevent us from the fallout of failure? To tell us that it's pointless trying in the first place.

Truth: we are born creative. Also true, we get worse at things we don't practice.

The freedom we were automatically given as children to create and explore is a freedom we still possess; we just have to believe it. Maybe now is not the time to shout from the rooftops, but it's certainly a good time to re-start being creative.

Over the course of this blog, I will be outlining the many, many ways we can all easily increase our creativity. But before any of that can take hold, we must understand that we also believe what we tell ourselves — self-actualization begins when we start believing who we really are; a fully creative being.

Why not give it a try?