Have you ever wondered if you have untapped creativity buried somewhere inside yourself? Do you connect deeply to other people’s works of ART and envy their ability to express themselves creatively?
If so, then you may be hearing or feeling the creative call stirring from within yourself. Unfortunately, some people try to override their creative energy by listening to an Inner Critic who continually reminds them of what their fifth-grade teacher once blurted out: “You certainly are no artist.” On the other hand, maybe your sibling’s creativity blossomed early and he or she became known as “the artist in the family.”
Well consider this:
The creative call can descend upon anyone without the slightest provocation. The creative call can even whisper to people who believe they don’t have an artistic bone in their bodies—like Sheila for example. In her work life, Sheila* is a successful CPA who enjoys helping her clients manage their business finances. However, after 20 years in the field, her own creative stirrings began to make themselves known. At first, the creative call was subtle; Sheila unexpectedly found herself attracted to art galleries.
This attraction felt odd to her because she had judgments about “artistic types” being overly emotional and dramatic. It was baffling to find herself slipping into numerous local art galleries. The creative call became louder one night while Sheila was attending an art opening that featured various abstract expressionists’ work. She stood in front of one painting and felt tears welling up in her eyes. The wild abandon expressed in this painting made her heart ache—in kind of a good way. Sheila stood mesmerized by the rich colors and flowing textures.
As Sheila exited the event, she noticed a few colorful brochures on a table near the door. The brochures were promoting a watercolor painting class taught by one of the exhibiting artists. She slipped a brochure into her purse. The next morning, she phoned the artist to confirm her attendance in the watercolor painting class. After Sheila hung up the phone she wondered if she was experiencing some sort of mid-life crisis. “I must be losing my mind,” she murmured through a wry smile.
In the next few months, Sheila attended every watercolor painting class that she’d signed up for. Sheila heard the creative call and responded. She had a blast!
And in case you’re wondering, today Sheila is a successful CPA who loves to express herself through watercolor painting. Sheila’s creativity is flowing, she continues to answer her creative call as an active member in a local art organization and shows her work regularly.
Now before you declare, “I’m no artist,” please consider that creativity comes in many different forms including the visual arts. For example cooking, gardening, dancing, singing, playing a musical instrument, arranging flowers—the list goes on and on.
So, if you are a curious soul, hearing the creative call for the first time, I encourage you to take that first step into your creativity, know that you don’t need a beret or a paint-splashed smock…you simply need a curious mind and a willing heart.
* Name and client details changed to protect confidentiality.
– Trina Swerdlow
