Creativity may seem almost mystical, as if you have to have some sort of special gift to have it. Or, some people would claim, you have to be left handed. I disagree with both assessments (probably because I don’t think that I have a special gift and because I’m not left handed and, therefore, am not in my “right mind”). I think that anyone can be creative, even if you’re… gasp!… right handed or ambidextrous (like me!). Creativity comes from letting your imagination run free. Most of us are given the message in school that creativity is not valued as much as getting the right answer. Of course, it’s been a while since I’ve been in school. I now know teachers who are very creative and who encourage it in their students.
Creativity helps in so many different ways, not all of which are considered to be art. For example, a creative cook will find an alternative ingredient when it’s impossible to go to the store to get the missing ingredient. Certainly, people who claim that they aren’t creative at all will set a table in a beautiful way for a party. Or they will wrap a gift with all sorts of bows, ribbons, and other flourishes. They will plant a beautiful garden, using all sorts of unexpected plants, showing their creativity on the natural world. Putting together a photo album or arranging a bouquet of flowers.
All of these things are creative. You, too, are an artist.
