Her Unique Glow

In short:

Whenever you get stuck.

We all have the ability to be creative and need to hone in on that every single day. It’s a skill and a talent that needs to be worked in order to improve. The more you work a muscle in the gym the stronger it becomes. Creativity is exactly the same – the more we tune into that part of our brain the stronger that talent will become.

But why exactly do we need to be creative?

Think back to when you were younger. Playing in the school grounds at lunch time with only your friends to keep you company never fazed you. It didn’t matter that you didn’t have an IPhone or the latest gadget – your imagination carried you away on a million and one adventures. As humans, we are born with that creative instinct – children are proof of that. That instinct is given to us at birth because it is a truly essential part of adult hood.

I’m not saying that to be creative as an adult you have to start drawing nudes of your loved one while they gaze into your eyes (Titanic style). Rather, creativity in adult hood is about helping us to overcome obstacles and figure out solutions.

It's a handy tool in problem solving.

That is why all of us are creative in one way or another. Creativity isn’t an exclusive club for the artists and designers out there, it’s for everyone and anyone. Even my dogs are creative for discovering different ways they can get into our rubbish bin while Ben and I are out of the house!

With so much information and technology at our fingertips it’s so easy to just tap away at a computer and find the solution to our problems. In our family we call this ‘asking uncle Google’. However, think back to years ago – problem solving wasn’t asking uncle Google or Siri or looking to our devices for help, it was purely down to our ability to be creative. Our ability to think outside of the box in order to problem solve was so easily accessed. We worked our creativity muscles all the time. Now though, what happens when there is a problem or an issue that uncle Google or the internet can’t solve? We get stuck. How do we become ‘un-stuck’ – we get CREATIVE!

So when is the best time to be creative?

When we are stuck!

With so much information being thrown as us from every angle now a days, confusion is almost a ‘normal’ feeling. Those feelings of being stuck, trapped or confused are all fixed by just being able to tap into your creativity. It’s a natural born instinct that we have – and a fun one at that! How much fun is it to think outside of the box and come up with whacky ideas? SO much FUN! We used to love being creative as children, and for some of us it was the easiest thing in the world to just zone out of real life and play ‘make believe’. We need to remember that it’s just as important to be creative as adults, even more so maybe. With all the drama, stress, frustration and complications we experience as adults, being creative is even more essential as it helps us tune into our problem-solving capabilities.

So head into this weekend with an open mind and start flexing those creativity muscles. Try and find one activity that you can be creative in. It could be:

• Cooking a new recipe
• Redecorating
• Joining in the chaos of your children’s make believe games
• Playing Scrabble
• Doing a Sudoku
• Or even having some fun with your partner!

Start working on tuning in your creativity and use it whenever you feel stuck. Most importantly have fun with it! Our ability to be creative is truly one of the most exciting qualities we possess – so encourage it to grow and embrace it!

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