Reframing Your Creativity: It's Not Just for "Artists"

Let's talk about that voice in your head. You know the one. It whispers, "I'm not creative," every time you sit down to write or tackle a problem. Maybe you've spent years being told that creativity belongs to the artists while everyone else is supposed to be "serious".

Bless their hearts for thinking this.

Here's the truth: whatever you're working on— the one where you're connecting ideas that nobody else has put together before? That's creativity. That moment in your progress when you realized the standard approach wasn't working, and you had to improvise? Pure creativity. Even that email where you found a diplomatic way to tell your colleague their argument needed work – yep, that's creative, too.

Our creative power often lives in those "deep places" we've been taught to distrust. It's not about making pretty things – it's about accessing those "hidden sources of our power from where true knowledge, and therefore, lasting action comes." (as Audre Lorde would tell us).

Think about it. When was the last time you:

• Found a new way to explain a complex concept to someone
• Reorganized your data and spotted a pattern nobody else had noticed
• Changed your approach mid-project because something wasn't working
• Figured out how to frame your argument to speak to multiple audiences

Guess what? That's all creativity in action.

We often try to separate "creative thinking" from "analytical thinking" like they're oil and water. But real breakthrough moments happen when we let them mix. When we stop trying to perform the role of the "serious intellectual" and let ourselves play with ideas.

Listen, I know that the pressure to conform and do what we’ve always done – is real. Especially if you're from a background or have a history where taking creative risks can feel particularly dangerous. The system often demands we prove ourselves through conventional means before we dare to innovate. (I’m still a work in progress).

But here's something I’ve been thinking lately: your unique perspective, your different way of seeing things, your willingness to question the standard approach – that's not just creativity, it's power. It's what moves fields forward. It's what makes your work matter and you invaluable.

So next time you catch yourself thinking, "I'm not creative enough for this," pause. Remember that creativity isn't about making art – it's about making connections. It's about seeing possibilities where others see dead ends. It's about trusting those deep places within ourselves that know there's another way to approach this problem.

Now it’s your turn- What's one "uncreative" task you're working on right now? How might it look different if you gave yourself permission to approach it creatively? Drop a comment below – let's reframe this together.

Because trust me, you're way more creative than you think. And we desperately need that creativity, whether it comes wrapped in validation or not.

Deep breath. Shoulders back. Head up. Create on.