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Do You Wish You Were More Creative?

A couple of months ago I was flipping through the April 2006 issue of SELF magazine and I came across a page that listed the statistical results of the magazine’s monthly online reader polls. One of them read “86% of you wish you were more creative.” and was followed by a blurb that encouraged ways one could be more creative including “adding your own flourishes to a recipe” or “writing a tale about a stranger who crossed your path.”

After reading that tidbit, I began to wonder what percentage of those 86 respondents would read the given advice about cooking and writing and believe that the secret to being more creative was simply lurking in flourishes and tales. What about the percentage of people who are not drawn to cooking or writing or even to the other cliché modes of creative expression like art and innovation? Will they forever believe that they are less creative because they have no desire to pick up a paintbrush or invent new worlds?

An Overlooked Truth about Creativity

Some people are still under the assumption that being creative is only about artistic expression and innovative thinking and don’t acknowledge the fact that all of us are creative beings doing creative things all of the time. Often, our ways of being creative have nothing to do with art or writing or cooking or dancing, but rather, it’s manifested in the way we continually change and adapt to our environments and to the ever-evolving life situations we find ourselves in.

Creativity permeates every aspect of our lives and happens not only in the art studio and in front of the computer screen while we write our stories, but also in average settings like the kitchen, at the grocery store, in the car, and at the park. We continually use our creativity to solve problems, invent new ways of doing things, communicate, play, and express ourselves. Creativity is a multi-faceted component to our lives that has more than one working definition, and above all else, keeps us progressive in improving our lives.

Will you continue to count yourself among the 86% of people cited above who wish they were more creative? Or will you wake up to a new day and acknowledge the many ways you are already being creative in your life, with or without the flourishes and tales? •

© 2006 Chris Dunmire, CoachingYourCreativity.com. All rights reserved. (07/20/06). Please do not duplicate this article elsewhere without my permission.

About the Author
Chris Dunmire finds meaning in life as an artist, writer, humorist, and Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach®, and is the driving force behind the popular Creativity-Portal.com Web site. Chris inspires people of all ages to be more creative through her articles, writing prompts, and project e-playbooks like her popular Dollar Bill Origami Money Plant, a "fun to make and gift away" craft project available for instant download at CreativeSlush.com.