Am I Creative?

A grandfather watches patiently as his granddaughter lifts fallen cedar bark into the nooks of two cedar trees: places the bark, steps back, places another strip of bark, steps back, studies her creation, rearranges it. For the child, this moment is All.

In his yard, another child hoists curved PVC pipe to his lips and exhales, creating a poignant, otherworldly tone. Exhaling, he moves the tone up and down the scale, absorbed in the magic he is creating.

These children never ask themselves, “Am I creative?” They might as well ask, “Does my heart beat?” “Do my lungs exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen?” They are, naturally, creative. We all are.

We express our creativity every day:

• in how we guide children through the rough waters of human growth;
• in the charts or graphs we prepare to communicate concepts;
• in the ways we adorn our living space or our bodies;
• in handmade gifts we create, from a PB & J sandwich to a CD mix of special tunes; and
• in the ways we show love for other creations/creators, to name just a few.

How do you express your natural creativity? We’d like to know!