C is for Creativity: How to embrace yours

This is the fourth post in my blog series based on Bitchcraft, Owning Your Power in a Complicated World. If you missed the previous posts, you can read them here.

C is for Creativity, which is defined as an experience where something new and unique is formed. It might be an idea, a piece of art, a recipe, a new self-care routine or a creative way to respond to the uglies of life. Twyla Tharp, an American dancer, choreographer, and author said, “Creativity is an act of defiance.”

I think she means there are many challenges to letting your creative flag fly. They range from the belief that you don’t have a creative bone in your body, to risk avoidance, fear of stepping outside your comfort zone or the dreaded imposter syndrome of doubt – I’m not good enough. This is especially true when your personal manner and way of expressing your creativity is challenged either by an external experience or an internal one.

The first time I faced an external challenge to my creativity was in the third grade. The teacher told us a story about a princess who loved a handsome commoner. Her father, the king, disapproved and had her lover imprisoned to await trial in the public colosseum. When the day came, the young man stood in the center. On each side of him was a door. Behind one was a tiger who would kill him. Behind the other was a woman he would be forced to marry. The princess was told she would decide his fate. Either way she would lose him. The young man looked at the princess. She pointed to the door on the right. The story leaves the ending to the reader: "And so I leave it with all of you: Which came out of the opened door – the lady, or the tiger?"

Our assignment was to choose. Several of my classmates chose the lady, others chose the tiger. I let my creative flag fly. An idea popped into my head and without a further thought, I went with it and said she chose the door with the tiger but as the tiger rushed to kill her lover, the princess pulled a dagger from her cape and plunged it into her heart so they would be together in heaven. My ending was different from everyone else’s. I liked it. My teacher did not. She was a former Catholic nun and read me the riot act about suicide; an unforgiveable sin resulting in an eternity in hell. I was shocked and surprised by her reaction but because I can be stubborn, I stuck by my ending. If I wanted to gain the approval of the teacher, I might have changed my ending but even back then I somehow ‘got’ that my choice was uniquely creative and mine, so I stuck with it in spite of my teacher’s disapproval.

Sometimes the challenge to creativity comes from our internal saboteur. That may be because when creativity is mentioned most of us think of famous artists and the lucky few who, write, dance, act, and sing on national and global stages. But it’s important to understand that creativity also plays out in everyday activities. For example, have you ever completed a difficult puzzle, solved a problem, decorated your living room, won a contest, or played on a winning sports team? How about creating a new recipe from leftovers, figuring out how to fix a running toilet or responding to an otherizing experience with a level of Bitchcraft skills where you took your power back and watched the offender’s mouth drop open with shock and surprise? That’s creativity too and when we embrace it, we shut the inner saboteur up and enjoy sharing our creativity however it expresses itself.

As it turns out, creativity is an essential part of being human. According to Psychology Today, being creative fosters resilience, sparks joy, and provides opportunities for self-actualization, which is another way of owning your power. Your creative process and your creations are like your fingerprint; different from anyone else’s because the spark that sets off your process is filtered through your unique perspective, your talent, your skills and your life experiences.

Someone I’ve known for many years loves to make quilts. She says she’d like to stop but she can’t because quilting helps keep her from going crazy. That’s a sure sign of the creative process at work. Mine manifests in words. One of the items on my bucket list was to write and publish three books. I did that, but like my quilter friend, I can’t stop writing. It keeps me from going crazy.

The process of how you manifest your creativity is a journey. It’s what takes you from the spark of inspiration to your final result. No matter the form your creativity takes, the process can be, and often is, messy, frustrating, soul-filling, exhausting, exciting, complex and ultimately self-actualizing.

Here are a few suggestions for putting Twyla Tharp’s words into action to support your creative efforts.

• Find your voice and consciously respond with Bitchcraft to being dismissed, overlooked or otherized in our complicated world.
• When you’ve found a creative outlet that brings you joy, don’t be timid. Defiantly declare and own it as in, “I am a writer, artist, musician, poet, designer, inventor, cook, quilter etc., even when others think you’re nuts.
• If you think you are not creative, take Twyla Tharp’s words to heart and find your personal expression. Use the power of positive defiance to jump start your effort to own your creative power and use guts and self-awareness to keep you moving along your chosen creative path.
• Once you’ve found your creative outlet, you will, at some point, find yourself on the receiving end of feedback that leaves you doubting your talent, your choice of expression and/or the ways in which you choose to share it with the world. To deal with these situations, it helps to know the difference between unconstructive criticism, and constructive feedback.
  • Unconstructive criticism is an expression of disapproval that does not provide  acceptance of your efforts, solutions or suggestions for improvement. When that comes your way you can accept it with a smile, a nod and a ‘thank you for your feedback.” Then ignore it and follow your own creative instincts.
  • Constructive feedback happens when someone gives you well-thought out advice, comments, suggestions or solutions that help you move forward with your efforts or projects. When you are confident in your creative expression, constructive criticism and feedback should be welcomed and seriously considered.

As you learn what creativity means in your life, embrace it, embody it and share it with others who support you. When you figure it out go full steam and embrace your creative spirit in whatever form it takes.

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