Photo taken in Venice, Italy
Two Doors
For much of my life, many taught me to believe there were only two kinds of people in the world. Maybe things look different now.
But back then, I noticed how others often split our natural interests into two groups. Some leaned toward logical reason, while some felt drawn to artistic expression.
The way I saw it, the gap between intellect and intuition seemed wide. It was like staring up at two distinctly different doors and having to choose between them.
Of course, I’m glad to say that I no longer see things this way. Because, at the time, it was hard to ignore how others categorized themselves into one of the groups with distinction. Labels popped up in consequence and never out of nowhere, reflecting the roles people expected us to play.
After all, it’s not hard to figure out which stereotypes point to the practical-minded thinkers versus the artsy, crafty creators. Phrases such as a numbers person or an eccentric daydreamer, for example, are not tricky to sort accordingly.
Light-bulb Moment
Creativity always seemed tied to the world of art. For a long time, people saw it as an innate instinct reserved only for celebrated art forms.
People regarded creatives as ditzy and dreamy, staring wildly as if lost in another universe. It took a long time before it gained appreciation for what it truly is: a vital component of our lives.
Every light-bulb moment comes from it; an idea full of possibility that changes everything. I marveled over this while watching the wonderful mini series about an orphan turned master chess player, The Queen’s Gambit.
In a respected game of logic, the main character, Beth Harmon, excels with constant practice, creativity, and imagination. At night, she visualizes chess pieces dancing across the ceiling, turning strategy into artistry.
She uses this ritual to track solutions mentally, which eventually drives her into substance abuse and addiction. Over time, she struggles with her dependency, along with her belief that she is incapable of winning without them.
It’s a beautiful story, one that circles the triumph that awaits the call of creativity. And it led me to wonder how often we find ourselves questioning our abilities.
Why do we sometimes treat any outcome from our hard work with disbelief? What causes us to doubt our creative potential?
Born With It
The simple truth is this: we’ve always been creative. Since the beginning of time, we’ve naturally made things.
This inherent predisposition to come up with ideas goes back to prehistoric times. From ancient drawings to cave art and more, these activities reveal how integral stories and inspiration are to our lives.
To this day, song, dance, art, and new inventions bring us chemical rewards and feelings of gratification. They provide us with a range of benefits that impact our performance, health, and longevity.
So it’s simply untrue to view creativity as some rare attribute you only gain from being born with it. Because, without it, we could hardly have survived as a species.
We can use these same skills in any specific tasks or projects that need them the most. By taking this approach, we stay significantly more engaged and purposeful with better open-mindedness.
Whether we take this approach in our jobs or lifelong passions, we are designing the life we want for ourselves. In Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, author Elizabeth Gilbert writes:
“You have treasures hidden within you—extraordinary treasures—and so do I, and so does everyone around us. And bringing those treasures to light takes work and faith and focus and courage and hours of devotion, and the clock is ticking, and the world is spinning, and we simply do not have time anymore to think so small.”
Nothing Gets Wasted
Naturally, as with anything worthwhile, there are always barriers to face in any creative endeavor. Risk and rejection, for instance, are ones you can always expect to show up in whatever you take up.
Nonetheless, creativity and rejection coexist in the same process. Because it is the limits that provide structure within which anything might exist.
Thankfully, we can nurture our creative mindset by learning to think outside the box. When we choose to find an alternative point of view, we also choose to magnify our perspective.
We challenge any repetitive ways of doing things that may actually be ineffective. We stay creative when we choose to adapt, develop, and evolve from any mindless habits founded on conformity.
It’s not always so simple. Of course, mastering what you love always feels easier said than done.
But with lots of effort and patience, you begin to see where all of your hard work is getting stored. All of it goes somewhere because nothing ever gets wasted.
In time, you begin to see how much you’ve improved. You discover that committing to your process brings meaning and purpose to your life in a fundamental way.
One of a Kind
One misguided belief is that what we’re striving for must be 100% unique to count as creative. But with so many people who have lived before us, it is only likely for lots of overlaps to occur.
Of course, many things have been done before. Plenty of things already have. But never have they been done by you.
Your own story, perspective, and outlook are and always will be original. There will never be another you to walk this earth. Ideas come and go, but you will forever remain unique and one of a kind.
Which is why your specific voice matters immensely in anything that you’re working on. In The Success Principles, Jack Canfield writes:
“It’s important to understand that as soon as you set a goal, three things are going to emerge that stop most people—but not you. If you know that these three things are part of the process, then you can treat them as what they are—just things to handle—rather than letting them stop you. Those three obstacles to success are considerations, fears, and roadblocks.”
Creative Living
In each and every moment of our lives, we are making choices, and choosing is an act of creation itself. From speaking up to finding a solution to following our values, our decisions affect the quality of our lives.
These actions require intention, which plays a role in our sense of connection and belonging. It is our choices that contain our form of creativity, where meaning and purpose align.
This is creative living. It’s about embracing our story as a journey of growth to overcome anything we encounter with empowering choices. We are releasing our creative potential every step of the way.
To create is to learn to grow to become and to be free. Ultimately, we are creating our lives with experiences that are authentic to the kind of person we hope to be.
We are honing in our imaginations on all things we might have forgotten to notice and appreciate. In doing so, we are focusing on what truly matters, adding depth and dimensionality to our everyday lives.
In The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron writes:
“Creativity is the natural order of life. Life is energy: pure creative energy.”
Personal Treasure
When it comes to the way our brains work, it is no secret how we naturally learn through making associations. We gain familiarity with what we absorb by categorizing it in an organized way.
But some things were never meant to be separated. The paths of intellect and intuition work in unison to form new ideas and possibilities.
Because, in some situations, it’s not necessary to choose between one or the other. Sometimes, we can actually choose both.
I came across this realization many times and while watching the climactic scene in The Queen’s Gambit. It happens at the end of the series when she plays against her toughest competitor.
After a sequence of intelligent moves in her final chess match, she struggles over how to beat her opponent. Then, while dealing with the anticipation from onlookers analyzing her every decision, she chooses to do the one thing she never knew was possible in her natural state of mind.
She gazes up at the ceiling, causing others to follow suit in puzzlement. They find nothing above, looking back at her, confused.
But they could not see what she saw as her eyes remained locked in, her head raised with a look of wonder and curiosity. There, in the middle of the most esteemed game of logic and reasoning, she chooses to access her imagination.
She stares up to visualize numerous patterns, shuffling through each move using multiple combinations. She gets creative, merging intellect and intuition into one.
It was riveting and empowering all at once. She realizes she had it in her all along—that creativity never runs out or disappears for good.
We are all born with it. Whether we find ourselves stuck in one place like cavemen or social distancing in our homes, unable to go anywhere, we are creators at heart who always have a choice.
It is our greatest gift that provides us with comfort at the end of the day; a personal treasure buried deep inside us, if and only when we decide to take a chance, and finally, look within.
