Let me ask you a question: do you consider yourself a creative person?

I believe there is an innate desire inside all of us to create. What we create will look different person to person. To one, it may be baking a cake, to another it may creating a spreadsheet. To one, it may be putting paint on a canvas, to another it may be arranging bookshelves. To one it may be crocheting a blanket, to another it may be designing a building. 
Putting together an outfit; writing a song; organising kitchen cupboards; making a recipe; colour coding documents; playing an instrument.
Whatever it looks like, it is creative. 

So why do I believe we all have this innate desire?
Well, in the bible we see that God has many, many characteristics; He is faithful, just, provider, comforter, gracious and merciful. He is Father, shepherd, our guide and our helper. 
He is also creator. 

He is God, the creator of the universe (Genesis 1)
He is God, the potter (Isaiah 64:8)
He is God, the painter (Psalm 19)
He is God, the artist (Ephesians 2:10)

In that last reference, Ephesians 2:10, we – that’s you and me – are described as the masterpieces of God. We are His creation. And so, we, as the masterpieces of our Heavenly Father – who is himself the original artist (Genesis 1) –  are made to create. 
We are made in His image and so surely, if he is creative, we also are creative. 

In The Joy of Creating – Part I I mentioned I had been reading the book, Create Anyway by Ashlee Gadd. In chapter 1, she writes: ‘One of the first things we learn about God in scripture is that He created, and one of the first things we learn about ourselves is that we are made in His likeness. If God is the first artist – and we are a walking, breathing reflection of Him – this means our desire to create is hereditary, a fundamental imprint of His Spirit in us.’¹

As I read this, I was audibly saying ‘yes’ and nodding my head as I thought about a piece I wrote and included in my book, Seeking Strength and Joy.

So I just want to finish with these words…

We are made to be creative. 
We are made in the image of God and God is the original creator.
He is the master of creation. 
To be creative is to worship. 
To be creative is to be free.

Remember this;  being creative is more than being top of the class. 
It’s more than creating the perfect piece. 
It’s as much about the journey as it is the final product. 
The final product is but one piece of the puzzle. 

Allow yourself to be bad, rubbish, not very good. 
Allow yourself to write nonsense, to draw an unrecognisable picture, do an uncoordinated dance, to experiment with a new recipe even though it may end up inedible. 
Enjoy being creative. 
Enjoy doing it for yourself, for Jesus.

Remember also, not all your creations need to be for the public eye. 
Write that novel. 
Draw that picture. 
Take that photo. 
Let the words write themselves.
Let the pencil move around the page. 

Don’t think too much. 
Don’t criticise. 
Just do. 
Just be. 
Let go of your preconceptions and create. 

References:
1. Ashlee Gadd, Create Anyway: The Joy of Pursuing Creativity in the Margins of Motherhood (Bethany House Publishers, 2023), 29.