Are You Creative?

Playground

I like the create new things. I like to build new stories or poems with words. I like to dabble in a few crafts. I like to develop new activities or learning experiences for my preschoolers. I like to take items destined for the trash and create something I can use in my classroom.

But I struggle to say yes if someone asks me if I am creative. I think lots of us adults struggle with that word. I think that often we define creative as someone who can paint happy little trees that actually look like trees or decorate a cake that looks like the Mona Lisa. Someone who can write beautiful sonnets that make men weep or compose music that stirs the very soul.

Well maybe all that is a little grandiose. Seriously, though, we (or maybe I) often consider someone creative who is obviously gifted in an artistic area and creates remarkable things. And we hesitate to say that we ourselves are creative because what we do seems much more mundane...or doesn't fit into those artistic categories.

Creative is so much more. It's developing a system in your family for making laundry easier and take less time. (Not me.) It's creating a meal for the family from the interesting odds and ends left in the pantry. It's keeping kids (and yourself) sane while waiting in a waiting room. It's leading adventures in the backyard - fighting pirates or finding mermaids or seeing sprites in the trees. It's making things work even when it seems like nothing will.

Preschoolers keep teaching me more and more about creativity. They can take a group of random elements and see things that I couldn't without their help. Blocks and cardboard tubes become a playground climbing structure. Torn paper glued together becomes a robot. Play dough becomes a gourmet feast. (Not one you eat but just look at!)

They look at things and begin to work. They do not think about it much. They just start working and eventually get something they are pleased with. Even if it's not what they thought about in the beginning. They see new possibilities and try new things until everything works out. Or doesn't and then they start over.

Did you solve a problem today? You are creative. Did you use something for an alternate purpose? You are creative. Did you figure out a way to maneuver through the day, keeping yourself and your family intact? You are creative.

Today's Joy: Being creative and seeing things in new ways.