Why I Value Creativity in Business and Life

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been creative. As a child, I lived for arts and crafts time. I loved to color. I loved to imagine. I loved to play make-believe. 

Art was my entry into connecting with and channeling creativity, but the more consistently I create, the more I see it as SO much more than art. Creativity is an action, a way of thinking, a way of being. It is a catalyst for change. It is a life force and life affirming act. It makes us feel good. It makes us feel connected.

Creativity has affected my health and well being, my life trajectory, and my resilience. Creativity results in all types of innovation across technology, science, and medicine. I mean, we wouldn’t have the internet without it! Creativity is a valuable - and often undervalued - human resource. 

Creativity is for Everyone

Our culture makes us believe that creativity is exclusive - only available to “geniuses.” It is a belief that our school systems enforce on us at an early age. In my elementary school, there was a program called Talented And Gifted (TAG), and in order to get into the program you had to take some standardized tests that “proved” you were creative.

TAG’s exclusivity created a real divide in my family. I tested and got in and my sister tested and didn't get in. In fact, she tested a few times to try to get in because it was so important to her to belong in this “elite” group of kids. While at the time I definitely benefited from being in this special class, it was harmful in that it instilled a belief that to be creative was to be special - you either have it or you don't . But this is a falsehood - we are all creative beings.

Creativity is Essential

The other way that creativity gets totally misunderstood is that people don’t think it’s vital. They often think of creativity as superfluous or fun or “just art.” That’s a huge part of why so many schools cut funding for art and music programs. Our society doesn’t see these classes as essential like science and math.

Creativity - at its essence - is to think in innovative ways; to be open to new ideas. Those are things we need in order to build a better future. With how many global problems, failing systems, and distress currently exist in our world, we need the creativity to imagine something different and break past what we know so that we can build a new future based on new thinking.

My creativity saved me from a much smaller life. It gave me a sense of capability to change my circumstances - to be able to imagine a different life for myself than the one that was prescribed to me. When I was stuck in depression, my creativity gave me the open mind and flexibility to imagine something could be different, things could get better. It has helped me to persevere through my healing journey and integrate new practices into my life and routine. Creativity is what made me flexible enough to change my whole career over the past year!

Creativity is Spiritual

Something that I haven’t talked about a lot is how creativity led me to a spiritual awakening. When I was so depressed and feeling my lowest, something in me knew that if I found my way back to creating that I could find my way back to myself. And it turned out to be true!

Following that intuition, I came across a book called The Artist’s Way Everyday by Julia Cameron - a pioneer of creative living and originator of the Morning Pages journaling practice. This book was pivotal in my healing and creative journey, gently nudging me along with encouragement.

In the book, Cameron refers to God and the Great Creator often. She makes the connection between our acts of creation and the great Divine Creator. She speaks of the creative process as one of faith - trusting enough to keep stepping into the unknown, following intuitions, and tapping into flow.

At first, this spiritual element was quite off putting. Having come from a background of religious trauma, I didn’t like any reference to “God.” I went through a long period of feeling a lot of anger with God, being agnostic and completely rejecting anything religious or spiritual. However, over time I’ve softened to spirituality - largely in part because of this book and because over time I’ve been able to see the “God” that I grew up with (one of scarcity, punishment, and fear) doesn’t have to be the way I see and frame divine power.

Over time, I’ve realized the God that I want to believe in is one of abundance, pleasure, and love. One who celebrates creating. And eventually, it started to make so much sense to me that creating is an act of channeling divine energy and of emulating the divine creator! That to create is communion with God (or the Universe, or a Higher Power - however you refer to that energy). And that’s the basis for my own evolving sense of spirituality.

Creativity is Intuitive

Creativity is the practice of following your intuition - of tapping into your inner guidance. The more we practice saying yes to and trusting our inner guidance through creative practice, the louder and more clear that guidance becomes. This develops our greater intuition, which deepens our connection to what we need to guide us in our life path.

Oftentimes, people who are disconnected from their creativity will ask how did you make this or how do you decide what to make. The truth is that it's less about making decisions than it is about following your inner guidance. You might hear artists, writers, and other creatives talk about their work as an idea moving through them or coming through them. Creativity is trusting what comes through and following it more so than being in control. It's more about showing up and getting out of the way so that the creative energy can flow through you.

Creativity and Other Values

Creativity doesn't just stand on its own. it is deeply interconnected with each of my other four business values.

Growth

You have to be growth-minded to continue to create. Creativity is a fear-facing practice. No matter how skilled or unskilled you are, you will be confronted with your fears, your limitations, your self criticism. Because to create is to jump into the unknown. And if you’re constantly facing fear, you are growing. 

Vulnerability

Creating and sharing your creations with the world is an act of vulnerability. You put yourself out there to be judged, but you do it because you believe in the power of art, of words, of music, of the message.

Authenticity

Creativity and authenticity are closely related. The more authentic you are, the more creative you are and vice versa. When you live as the fullest expression of yourself, you are deeply in touch with your creativity. Knowing yourself well enough to express your full authentic self can be developed through creative practice. Creativity is a practice of following our intuition and trusting yourself. The more we practice it, the more deeply we know ourselves and the more confident we are in who we are. 

Community

When we create in community, we co-create with the amplification of each person’s energy and contribution. Over the past couple of years, I’ve done a lot more growing in community (through group coaching programs or mindful living circles) and it is true that the more you have other people in on your plan and rooting for you, the faster you grow and elevate. Think about it - if you have a creative project that you’re working on and you share its progress with other people, everytime you share it, it becomes a little bit more real, more known.

This is why I’m excited to start Unleash Your Creativity - to create a community for creatives! If you believe creativity has value for your life (and it does - whether you’re a professional creative or not), I’d love to invite you to join me for this inspiring group coaching program. Together, we will get in touch with our intuition and learn to let creativity flow in all aspects of life. Together, we will find value in creating, and thus in ourselves.