Trauma & Recovery | Relationships | Empowerment of Women | Creativity | Addiction

When we think of creativity, we usually think of some form of art, but creativity can be anything in which we use our imagination, listen to our intuition and think outside the box.

Creativity is so important. It can be involved in many aspects of a happy existence. We can be creative in how we pursue our goals, in our relationships, in problem-solving or even in how we go about living. Creativity enhances every experience and adds joy and fulfillment to our lives.

We’re all born with natural creativity. Children spend a lot of their time being creative. As adults, our creativity can flow freely or it can become blocked, depending on our childhood experiences.

Having supportive parents or teachers who encourage and affirm our creativity allows us to grow up with our creativity intact, while too much parental (or teacher) control or criticism can stifle a child’s budding creative energy.

Overly-rigid rules about how to be creative can also cause creative blocks. Parental (or teacher) perfectionism or disinterest can also have a negative impact on creativity in the short and long run.

We all need creativity, as it enriches our lives and opens us up to all sorts of wonderful possibilities. Being creative is one thing that we can do by ourselves, for ourselves. It’s enormously fulfilling to find a creative solution to a problem or to create a work of art or any type of product, in fact. It’s also a way of sharing something of ourselves with others; expressing our true thoughts and feelings and making a contribution to society.

Creativity is also something we can do collaboratively. Sharing a creative project with others is a great way to bond and to discover each-other’s talents and abilities. Doing something creative with others is constructive; it fosters mutual respect and trust and leads to deeper, more meaningful relationships.

Being creative is a wonderful way of discovering more about ourselves. It’s always interesting, often challenging and never the same. When we’re creative in any way, we can’t be bored or un-stimulated.

When creativity is blocked, it can be very frustrating. We need to explore the roots of these blocks in order to release our creative energy. Looking back at the ways in which our creativity might have been criticized, undermined or discouraged, whether overtly or subtly by the adults in our lives can give us clues about how we ended up stuck with regard to our ability to be creative.

It’s easy to get caught up in addictions when our creativity is blocked, as we deal with the unhappiness and frustration of this problem through the use of numbing drugs or alcohol, soothing comfort food, stimulating gambling or distracting shopping. Very often, when we’re able to unblock our creativity, the urge to engage in these compensatory addictions decreases.

Life without creativity isn’t just bleak; it’s severely limited by a lack of imagination and of possibilities. In the absence of creativity, there’s less joy and fulfillment. In fact, it can be said that it’s not only love that makes the world go around, it’s creativity that does so as well.