A Word to Live Into
Let me remind you of a part of yourself you may not have thought about today: your creative self. Do you think of yourself as creative? Each one of us is creating a life. “Every morning you wake up to something that in all eternity never was before and never will be again,” writes Frederick Buechner.
We start each day anew. What was may not be what is today. To live is to create - to become.
Each of us, all of us, are actually hard-wired to create. God creates creators. God, our Creator, made us in his likeness. Yet, we are not God. We have to learn as we go.
I took a watercolor painting class many years ago. It was much harder than I thought it would be. I quickly realized that if I used too much water, the paint would flow where I didn’t want it to go, and if I didn’t use enough, I was missing the point. I was creating a different kind of painting.
I remember working on one piece in particular. I decided to use only one color, blue, in an attempt to increase my odds of being successful. I had learned the significance of another color I could also use, the white of the canvas. Partway into the project, I felt anxious and fearful. Each stroke could either move me closer to painting what I imagined or could ruin it before it ever came to be. The way you see something matters. The way you approach something matters. To create, you need both intentionality and a sense of ease.
I recently tried my hand at watercolor painting again. This time, I am approaching it differently. I am not trying to become a painter; I am playing around with paints. That is one thing I have learned about creativity. It comes with joy. A playful, gracious possibility lies behind our creating.
This time around, I don’t have a grand vision of the final product. I am starting small and letting it be fun. I am relaxed with it now. The stress of not being able to create something well is gone. Part of the beauty of a watercolor painting is the way paint flows and blends. The point is not to control it, just as we cannot control the future. It’s beyond our reach today. We can only flow with what is. We can change. We can be changed.
Another important element in being creative is space. Often brilliance arises out of boredom. A mind at rest can be a fertile place for creativity. Some researchers believe the mind comes alive when it is not doing anything.
We often think that creating means making something out of nothing. James Clear writes: "Creative thinking is not about generating something new from a blank slate.”(1) He says the creative process is more about making new connections with old ideas or recognizing connections in things that already exist.
That means you can create something good or beautiful with what you have. You can create a poem or a recipe. You can create an organized workspace or a new way to organize your time. You can create a habit, a mindset, an attitude, or a posture to life. You can create a way of being in the world that can elicit a smile. You can create an atmosphere of love, peace, or joy. You can create space for God to be with you.
How to live into the word create…
Today is a new day. You have not lived today before. Grant yourself the grace and the hope to create something good today.
Look at the list above, or make your own. Pick one thing you would like to create and try it. Start small. Stick with it.
Start a wonder notebook. Jot down things you notice that are interesting, beautiful, or spark something in you. Write down things you would like to work on or engage with. Write down things you want to learn about; you could create your own learning project. Collect images or quotes that spark something in you. As you go along, pick one and create.
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James Clear, “For a More Creative Brain Follow These Five Steps”.
Tim Keller, Sermon: “God’s Workmanship”
