Dear Writer,
As we’re talking about creativity this week, let’s take a moment to define what we mean when we say “creative.” As my podcasting co-host and best friend Dr. Kelly Jones would say, “Define your goddamn terms.”
Merriam Webster defines creative as: marked by the ability or power to create: given to creating.
Way to use a word in its own definition, MW, but it’s a starting place.
So, for us, let’s define creative as the ability to bring something new into existence.
That means if you take raw ingredients and make a meal, you’re being creative. If you make a spreadsheet and organize your budget, you are being creative. If you take a messy room and clean it, you have created order from chaos. Boom, baby.
I often hear people say they’re not creative, and they really believe it. They think that the only things that “count” are stories or paintings or music, and that if you don’t engage in that kind of creativity, it somehow doesn’t count.
It counts.
Today, I want you to think about what you create. All the things you create. If you’re a writer, the writing counts, but if you’re a housecleaner, so does order and sparkle. If you cook, you create. Do you garden? Guess what?
List all the ways you create, and I’ll meet you back here tomorrow.
Everything,
L