Creativity: Freedom and Joy

This moment is one of expansion for me. I love to write and for the first time I have created a space to freely share my thoughts.

For much of my life, creativity had a limited definition. Creative expressions were defined by the abilities possessed by those in my family. Artistic talents, athleticism, musical capabilities. I lack skill in all these sectors, and somewhere down the line I learned to tell myself that I wasn’t creative.

I found myself unable to doodle a simple drawing on a picnic table while in college because my friends might think it’s ‘not good, dumb, or weird’. This was the result of a core belief that said, ‘I am not creative, and I do not deserve to create’. For so long, I missed out on many little joys that life offers us because I automatically excluded it as a possibility for myself.

The day I showed curiosity towards that core belief was the day I monumentally rerouted my life. Updating an internal pattern is accompanied by a shift in external behaviors. I started showing up differently – more freely, more myself. Doing the internal work of rewriting my core beliefs is the only reason I am here today, writing this and posting online. The more we heal, the more authentic we become. The more we heal, the more we feel free. The more we heal, the more peace we find.

Today I know that because I am alive, I am creative, and I deserve to create.  

Now I paint; watercolor is my favorite. I’m not a professional, but it brings me joy to create what I choose to.

Now I sing. I’m not in tune by any means, but I find joy in singing at the pitch my voice does best.

Now I write; I recognize that my words are my strongest form of creativity. I find joy in expressing my thoughts and emotions on a page, and I find joy in having every right to share my words with whoever chooses to read them.

In summation…I urge you to create whatever it is you feel called to create. And I remind you that because you are alive, you are creative and deserve to create.