Breaking news:

All people are creative. It’s as simple as that. Whether you’re left-brained or right-brained, or left wing or right wing—no matter what side you lean towards, you are a creator. Too often we compare our tastes in (or dislikes of) coffee and clothes and art to that of others, resulting in the assumption that we are hopeless basics, confined to our mediocrity for the rest of our lives. That’s not a fact. That’s fictional; completely false; not true. PL, you get it.

What the dictionary doesn’t tell us.

Let’s take a trip to Google and search for a “creativity” definition. Okay, Merriam-Webster seems legit. There are so many definitions! Here, I like this one: “to cause (something new) to exist”. It’s casual, and for some people, maybe a little intimidating.

Here’s what Merriam doesn’t tell us: We can’t create something new out of nothing. Unless we’re wizards from Harry Potter (although they still use spells) there is no way we can suddenly decide to snap an artistic photo out of thin air and expect it to suddenly appear on our Instagram. This takes work and practice and a LOT of practice. Creativity doesn’t mean artistic, and artistic doesn’t mean effortlessly perfect.

Teach me your ways.

So how are we all creative? Come now. We need to learn from what Merriam didn’t tell us. We breathe don’t we? We turn oxygen into carbon right? I can hear your thoughts right now. Oh, yeah, wow. I can create air. But seriously, we don’t have to do the socially acceptable stuff to be creative. Creativity isn’t artistic. Sure, there is an art to it, but it doesn’t adhere to the rules of aesthetics or obey laws of form and concept and yada-yada-yada. Creativity purely creates.

"Creativity is intelligence having fun." - Albert Einstein

Gravity wasn’t created as soon as what’s-his-face discovered it. Actually gravity hadn’t ever existed until...one sec, I have to take another trip to Google...Gravity hadn’t ever existed until Sir Isaac Newton (don’t judge me) created the word in order to label the concept of the pulling force that brings everything down towards earth. Wow, that was a lot. Basically, this scientist was extremely creative, and I bet he didn’t drink Columbian coffee from a French press either.

Now that we doubtful, hopelessly basic people can maybe, slightly, see ourselves as a teensy-weensy bit creative, we can understand that creating things is a process. When we make money, it doesn’t appear in our pockets (unless you’re on something that’s not very legal). We get dressed-up, get interviewed, work, and get paid. Even throughout that process there are so many small steps in-between. Artistic people go through the same kind of process. Artistic Millenials aren’t angels or wizards or Iron Man, we all can’t create awesome immediately.

It’s time to review.

You are creative. Say it. “I am a creative person.” Now feel embarrassed cause the people in the coffee shop or the walls around your room are judging you hardcore right now.

Too many times we simply get artistic and creative all mixed up. Don’t allow your deficit in artistry keep you from seeing yourself as a creative person. If you can put two things together, then you are pretty creative already.