How’s your relationship with creativity? Do you have a good understanding of it? More importantly, why is creativity such a key factor in your relationships?

Few places in a person‘s life bring out self-defeat more than the topic of creativity. “Oh, I can’t draw”, “I’m not a musician” or “I’m not good at jigsaw puzzles”

When you sabotage yourself with statements like this, you’re throwing one of the juiciest parts of being alive straight under the bus.

There are as many ways to be creative as there are ways to be human in the world. For a universal impulse that’s part of everyone there is definitely no one-size-fits-all.

As long as your creativity is used in benevolent ways or to make the world a better place, it’s a capacity to be used, developed, and cherished.

The thing to remember, (and what I wish had been drilled into me when I was a kid), is that you have to be realistic and face the reality that not everyone is cut out for everything. Short people simply aren’t cut out to be professional basketball players, so accept your limitations and move on.

BUT! Limitations are meant to be challenged! You always have to be willing to give something a try. The willingness to make a fool of yourself in the process of testing your limits or discovering that some particular activity or creative pursuit is not your cup of tea is essential.

And the only way to really figure out where your creative juice flows the most freely is to try lots of different things and see what sticks. Once you land upon it, grab it with both hands and don’t let go.

I feel sad for people who claim to have nothing creative in their life. They are only admitting that they have been too timid to try enough things. When you land on something that your soul starts craving, there’s no longer a question of motivation. It’s a magnetic pull that propels you forward.

People also get hung up by equating creativity with art. Artifacts that you can hang on a wall or put in a gallery or sell for big bucks is just one tiny slice of the creativity pie.

Your modes of expression know no bounds. People dance, cook, write books, make films, play music, or find their creative juice in performance. Some folks embody creativity by transforming themselves into spectacular beings to astonish their fellow humans. Entrepreneurs create companies out of thin air.

When you use your hands or your mind or your physical or intellectual capacities in some way to bring about something new in the world that brings you or other people pleasure, you are engaging in the act of creativity.

It could be lasting, it could be ephemeral, none of that matters in the least. What matters is that you keep digging around until you find something that works for you.

Here’s why that’s so important. If your creativity is stifled, your relationships probably are too. Healthy creativity and fulfilling relationships are like two sides of your souls coin.

I’m told that it has something to do with our second chakra. Or maybe it’s just a coincidence. Either way, my observation of the patterns bear this out.

Everyone has an inner child, but not everyone gives them permission to play. One of the best things we can do for our loved ones and the people around us is to respect and encourage their inner child in whatever creative playground they choose.

We all get stuck sometimes. Creativity thrives more on the process than the outcome. It likes being a habit, not an event. Procrastination is creativity’s nemesis. You may need to remind yourself or your partner that ‘perfect’ is the enemy of ‘done’!

We humble humans have a monopoly on creativity. Our tools and machines provide shortcuts and help us get stuff done, but the creative juice is ours and ours alone.

May the week ahead find you in the flow! Much love till next Monday!

Merci et à bientôt!

M+

ML #629

Mark Metz
Monday Love
Music & Movement Calendar