Some Thoughts on Creativity

What is creativity?

Working, volunteering, and contributing in a creative profession is a calling. Creativity cannot be forced, and it only comes from authenticity and a freed imagination. A painting of a rainbow and an 8-count ballet combination will never be made by two people the same. Even the same person will never make it the same twice. The humanity of creativity is what makes us vulnerable when participating in it. We are showing our hearts rather than our brains. We are showing a process rather than a product.

Creativity is beautiful for its unapologetic vulnerability, and without it, the world would act like a machine daily. However, vulnerability comes at a cost, as we let go of the fear of other’s expectations of us and put ourselves at the mercy of our own actions. We, raw imperfect humans, are put front and center because creativity is a human art. What other people think of our creativity is not up to us. It’s up to them. This is scary for many, myself included, but we can only control our own creativity and not that of others.

This is where the many risks of being in a creative profession arise from. You can’t make everyone happy, and there will be people who don’t like, or even worse, disrespect your art. One person’s art doesn’t exist to please everyone, but art as a whole serves the entire world.

The next time you feel afraid to put out something creative, remember that your art can only come from you. Creativity can never be perfect, and it isn't meant to. Creativity comes from the heart and the core of who we are.